Guidance and regulation

Guidance for academy trusts planning to make organisational changes or close an academy by mutual agreement with the Secretary of State.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 25 March 2024

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 MATs can grow their trust, including using a trust partnership arrangement.

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

Find out the requirements for the registration of independent schools, also known as private schools.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 24 August 2022

How we regulate and intervene in independent schools, and details of when we take legal action against unregistered schools.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 21 August 2019

Request a material change to an independent school (also known as a private school) registered with the Department for Education.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 21 November 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

Statutory guidance for proposers and decision makers about opening, closing or making organisation changes to local-authority-maintained schools.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 30 January 2023

Sets out the process to apply to set up a new special free school.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 26 March 2024

Model documents to help church schools converting to academies, plus supporting documents.

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

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

Guidance for proposers looking to set up new mainstream free schools. This includes 16 to 19 free schools.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 22 August 2023

Guidance on establishing new schools through the free school presumption route, and the qualities new school proposers must demonstrate.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 29 September 2023

What pupil referral units (PRUs) interested in becoming alternative provision (AP) academies should do.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 26 March 2014

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

The process independent special providers need to follow to be considered for entry onto the list of approved institutions.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 19 September 2023

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

How to apply to open a university technical college (UTC).

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 14 October 2015