Academy Trust Handbook 2023 to print
Governance professionals (clerks to the board of trustees) may wish to print a pdf version of the Academy Trust Handbook 2023 for their induction pack for new trustees
This years’ handbook is a materially shorter and sharper document. It contains several key changes, including:
- related party transactions: an increase in the threshold beyond which ESFA approval is required for related party transactions from £20k to £40k
- annual reporting: removing the requirement for explanations in annual accounts when holding fewer than 6 board meetings per year
- budget setting: providing an additional month to submit annual budget forecast returns
- budget monitoring: providing more discretion in the distribution of management accounts
- sustainability: confirming that salary sacrifice schemes can be set up for electric vehicles, in most cases without our approval
We have summarised the changes to the 2023 edition on page 7 of the PDF.
We have also published a Schedule of Musts for 2023. These are the requirements in the Academy Trust Handbook brought together into one list: the ‘musts’.
It abbreviates these requirements and so cannot be used as a substitute for the full handbook. References to the relevant sections are included, which must be read in full.
This tool is an entirely optional resource, and there is no requirement to submit it to ESFA.