Guidance and regulation

This self-assessment checklist helps academy trusts check they are managing resources effectively and identify any adjustments they need to make.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 8 March 2024

Financial data structure and guide for automating academy trust financial returns.

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 1 May 2024

• Guide to adopting the academies chart of accounts

  1. Introduction The academies chart of accounts (CoA) is the Department…

• User guide for automating the academies accounts return and draft financial statements

  1. General information - automating the academies accounts return This…

Guidance for the view my financial insights (VMFI) tool which provides users with insights into the financial position and performance of schools.

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 17 August 2023

• How to access the view my financial insights tool

  1. How to sign in Go to the view your education data service and select…

• Getting started with view my financial insights

  1. Introduction View my financial insights (VMFI) provides users with…

• User guide: view my financial insights

  1. Introduction to view my financial insights (VMFI) This section…

Information for academy trusts to complete their accounts return.

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 31 January 2024

Information about the SRMA programme and the hands-on support and tailored advice available to schools, academy trusts and local authorities.

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 6 February 2024

Guidance for academy trusts, external auditors and reporting accountants on preparing, auditing and submitting an academy trust's annual financial statements.

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 27 March 2024

Benchmark your income and expenditure against another school or trust.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 23 March 2021

A planner showing key dates for payments, publications and academy actions, for the 2023 to 2024 academic year.

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 1 September 2023

Information to help academy trusts submit their budget forecast return to the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 22 April 2024

An appropriate MIS can have a clear impact on pupil outcomes and staff workload. This table helps you compare systems and choose the right one for your setting.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 20 March 2023

Benchmarking allows you to check how your finances compare with other similar schools or multi-academy trusts.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 24 September 2018

This guidance provides details on how to register, manage your account and allocate user roles for Identity and Access Management System (IDAMS).

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 14 January 2022

Guide to help academy trusts and diocesan users submit their land and buildings collection tool to the ESFA.

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 9 November 2023

Sources of training and support for school business professionals in schools, trusts and other organisations.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 21 January 2022

Guidance for academy trusts looking to provide employees with the option to enter a salary sacrifice for electric vehicles

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 22 December 2023

Financial management and governance self-assessment (FMGS) for new academy trusts to submit to ESFA.

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 1 September 2023

Information to help academy trusts manage the risk of fraud and report instances of fraud to the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 20 June 2023

Guide and links to further information about financial returns academy trusts submit to the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 31 July 2023

Guide to help academies complete the budget forecast return

• From: Education and Skills Funding Agency
• Updated: 3 April 2024

How the Department for Education uses progress and spending data to calculate an efficiency metric for schools in England.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 12 January 2016