DfE Update academies: 10 December 2025
Published 10 December 2025
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2025
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1. Action: Submit your financial statements and accounts return
Thank you to everyone who has submitted their trust’s financial statements and accounts return. If you are still working on them, please submit:
- financial statements: using the accounts submission coversheet on or before Wednesday 31 December 2025. Use our financial statement guidance for support.
- accounts return: your external auditor must submit this on or before Wednesday 28 January 2026. Make sure they are registered and set up to use the Academies Accounts Return Online form. Use our accounts return guidance for support.
Join our support sessions
We are hosting Microsoft (MS) Teams calls and web chats to help you complete the accounts return.
Please register for this session and view the full schedule by visiting the Eventbrite website.
The next events:
- MS Teams call: Thursday 8 January 2026, 14:00–14:30 register through the Eventbrite link.
- web chat: Tuesday 6 January 2026, 15:00–16:00 through Slido using #AR2025 to access the chat.
2. Information: Pupil premium allocations for 2025 to 2026 financial year – quarter 3 update
We have published the quarter 3 update for the pupil premium allocations for 2025 to 2026 financial year. Quarter 3 payments will be made to academies on Friday 9 January 2026.
We’ve uploaded a statement in Document exchange for each academy trust showing the unsuppressed quarter 3 pupil premium allocations for the academies in each trust.
Statements can be viewed and downloaded from the ‘Documents received’ section when signing in to Document exchange with your academy trust UKPRN account details in DfE sign-in.
If you have any questions, please contact us through our Customer Help portal.
3. Information: A new DfE programme: Maximising Value for Pupils
We have launched the maximising value for pupils programme to help schools get the best value from every pound.
The programme offers practical support across four key areas: commercial spend, assets and reserves, workforce deployment, and developing capabilities including digital and technology.
Access free tools, guidance and sector-wide deals to help with your resource planning.
4. Reminder: One week to the academies land and buildings collection tool deadline
Thank you to those trusts who have already submitted their land and buildings collection tool (LBCT) return. For everyone else, this a reminder that the deadline for submission is Tuesday 16 December 2025.
The return must be completed by all academy trusts in scope. A trust is in scope if it had at least one open academy on 31 August 2025.
If you have church owned land, a diocesan review is required. You should speak with your local diocese as soon as possible to discuss a diocesan review of your church owned land by the deadline.
You will need a DfE Sign in (DSI) account to access the LBCT return form. If you already have a DSI account, all you will need to do is sign-in as you normally would and select the LBCT service from the list on your services page.
If you are a new user, you will need to use this link to register for a DSI account.
Visit our LBCT GOV.UK page where you will be able to view the summary guidance, workbook along with the link to the online form. You will also find details of our Microsoft Teams sector call for all LBCT users.
5. Events and webinars: Automating your accounts return 2024 to 25
Wednesday 17 December 2025, at 1pm to 2pm. Register on Eventbrite.
6. Events and webinars: Academies chart of accounts and automation question and answer drop-in session
Friday 19 December 2025, at 10:30am to 11am. Register on Eventbrite.
7. Events and webinars: Academies chart of accounts and automation question and answer drop-in session
Tuesday 6 January 2026, at 10:30am to 11am. Register on Eventbrite.
8. Events and webinars: Automating your accounts return 2024 to 25
Wednesday 7 January 2026, at 11am to midday. Register on Eventbrite.
9. Events and webinars: Automating your accounts return 2024 to 25
Tuesday 13 January 2026, at 1pm to 2pm. Register on Eventbrite.
10. Events and webinars: Spring term webinars and power hours for school business professionals
You can now book free places on our webinars and senior leadership and operations power hours.
The schedule of free online events is designed to support business and finance managers and leaders across all aspects of resource management in your school or trust.
We’ll be covering a wide variety of topics including how to review your banking arrangements, technology and digital standard, financial benchmarking, a National Power Hour and more.