Correspondence

DfE Update academies: 5 August 2026

Published 5 August 2026

Applies to England

Information: Academies chart of accounts 2026 to 2027 

For the attention of academy trust finance staff and auditors:

We have published the new version of the academies chart of accounts for financial year 2026 to 2027, including updates to the account code guidance on the same GOV.UK page. 

We are running webinars during August and September 2026 to provide a walk-through of these updates. You only need to attend one of these webinars and can book onto these in the ‘Events and webinars’  section below. 

Information: Apprenticeships and apprenticeship unit documents published for August 2026

Following the recent growth and skills levy announcement, we have updated and published the following documents:

• apprenticeship funding rules: 2026 to 2027 (version 3)

• apprenticeship unit funding rules: 2026 to 2027 (version 2)

We have also issued updates to the following documents:

• apprenticeship technical funding guide
• apprenticeship unit technical funding guide
• apprenticeship funding

Information: Growth and Skills Levy  funds financial support for hiring young apprentices

Additional investment through the Growth and Skills Levy has been announced, including a package of financial grants and cash incentives for employers taking on a young apprentice.

From 1 August 2026, apprenticeship training will be fully funded for all eligible under-25 year olds. This is alongside up to £8,000 in support for SMEs hiring young apprentices, and National Insurance contributions relief for apprentices under 25.

A new bursary, worth up to £4,500 per year per household, will address a Universal Credit barrier that can leave some families financially worse off when a young person takes up an apprenticeship. This is funded through the £1 billion additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy announced in May 2026.

The package also includes £287 million to create over 22,000 additional college and post-16 places across 87 projects, alongside the £9 billion already invested in 16 to 19 education for 2026 to 2027.

Together, these measures aim to deliver 50,000 new youth apprenticeships by the end of this Parliament.

You can find more information by visiting Growth and Skills Levy.

Information: Apprenticeship guidance and templates updates 

The following have been updated on GOV.UK:

• the off-the-job training (OTJT) collateral

• the apprenticeship agreement template
• the privately funded apprenticeships guidance

This is primarily to update logos. Content has also been revised to align with the apprenticeship funding rules: 2026 to 2027 which include the new OTJT policy, where appropriate.

As requested, the OTJT guide has been made shorter by removing questions that are no longer needed. The evidence collection form now includes a calculator and shows an example of a completed form.

Events and webinars: Academies chart of accounts technical updates for 2026 to 2027

Thursday 6 August 2026, 10am to 11am. Register on Eventbrite.

Events and webinars: Academies chart of accounts technical updates for 2026 to 2027

Wednesday 26 August 2026, 2pm to 3pm. Register on Eventbrite.

Events and webinars: Academies chart of accounts technical updates for 2026 to 2027

Thursday 10 September 2026, 11am to midday. Register on Eventbrite.