Guidance and regulation

Guidance on the role of the Department for Education in making commissioning decisions about academy trusts.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 6 July 2023

How maintained schools can apply to convert to academy status.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 21 March 2024

Deadlines for schools converting to academy status.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 21 March 2024

• Important dates for schools converting to academy status

  Schools open as an academy on the first day of the month. To open in a…

How to prepare for your school's application to convert to an academy.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 15 June 2020

What actions to take following approval of your academy conversion application.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 21 March 2024

Model document to transfer contracts and staff from a school to an academy trust as part of the academy conversion process.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 27 November 2013

What responsibilities you should transfer to your academy trust as part of your school's conversion to academy status.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 13 January 2016

Guidance on the DfE funding available to academy trusts for sponsored academy projects.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 29 March 2016

Links to the apply to become an academy service for mainstream schools, the application process for special schools and PRUs, and information about notifying your local authority.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 22 June 2020

Model document to help community and church schools converting to academy status transfer their school's land to the academy trust.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 29 August 2014

Guidance for schools and local authorities on what happens if a school has a budget surplus or deficit when it converts to academy status.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 9 November 2023

Advice on what schools converting to academy status need to do to make sure they can keep using their school's land after converting.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 30 April 2013

What final preparations you should complete before your school can open as an academy.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 21 March 2024

Information to support local authorities interested in setting up a multi-academy trust as part of a test and learn exercise in 2022 to 2023.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 25 May 2022

Formal agreements between the Department for Education (DfE), the Church of England and the Catholic Church.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 18 September 2023

Advice and application form for sixth-form colleges considering becoming a 16 to 19 academy.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 2 February 2023

What actions you should take in the first few months after your school opens as an academy.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 21 March 2024

Statutory guidance for local authorities, under paragraph A19 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 17 December 2010

Model document for schools that are converting to academy status and that won’t be able to complete land negotiations in time.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 2 July 2010

A DfE film including interviews and footage of innovative practice in the classroom.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 11 July 2014

First published during the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government