--- title: "ACADEMY BUSINESS LEADERS UPDATE 2025: STAYING COMPLIANT, LEARNING LESSONS, LOOKING FORWARD" description: Earlier in June this year, the not-for-profit team at Cooper Parry held their annual academy business leaders update event – Staying Compliant, Learning Lessons, Looking Forward. image: https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hubfs/Cooper%20Parry%2016x9.png --- [![CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_RGB_ISBL Primary-1](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_RGB_ISBL%20Primary-1.png?width=222&height=80&name=CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_RGB_ISBL%20Primary-1.png "CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_RGB_ISBL Primary-1")](https://isbl.org.uk) - [Return to Main Site](https://isbl.org.uk/) - [Events Calendar](https://isbl.org.uk/products/events/) - [Latest News](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/news) [Register](https://isbl.org.uk/my-account/#register) [Latest Articles](https://blog.isbl.org.uk) [Archive](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/archive) [Membership Support](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/membership-support) [Opinion](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/opinion) [Research](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/research) # ACADEMY BUSINESS LEADERS UPDATE 2025: STAYING COMPLIANT, LEARNING LESSONS, LOOKING FORWARD ![](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Cooper%20Parry_cZgrnvbU_400x400.jpg?width=85&name=Cooper%20Parry_cZgrnvbU_400x400.jpg) Cooper Parry September 2, 2025 [mailto:?subject=I%20wanted%20you%20to%20see%20this%20site&body=Check%20out%20this%20site:%0D%0AACADEMY%20BUSINESS%20LEADERS%20UPDATE%202025:%20STAYING%20COMPLIANT,%20LEARNING%20LESSONS,%20LOOKING%20FORWARD%0D%0Ahttps://blog.isbl.org.uk/academy-business-leaders-update-2025-staying-compliant-learning-lessons-looking-forward.](mailto:?subject=I%20wanted%20you%20to%20see%20this%20site&body=Check%20out%20this%20site:%0D%0AACADEMY%20BUSINESS%20LEADERS%20UPDATE%202025:%20STAYING%20COMPLIANT,%20LEARNING%20LESSONS,%20LOOKING%20FORWARD%0D%0Ahttps://blog.isbl.org.uk/academy-business-leaders-update-2025-staying-compliant-learning-lessons-looking-forward.) Earlier in June this year, the not-for-profit team at Cooper Parry held their annual academy business leaders update event – **Staying Compliant, Learning Lessons, Looking Forward**. Held at the fabulous X+why Eighteen in Birmingham, we brought together some of the brightest minds in the education sector for a jam-packed morning of updates, insights, and straight-talking advice. No jargon. No waffle. Just what you need to know to keep your trust compliant, confident, and ahead of the curve. What did we cover: - Finance & Regulatory Updates: New leasing rules. ESG reporting. Internal audit is stepping up. Cybersecurity standards? Non-negotiable. Sustainability and Leadership Climate Action Plans key actions. - Employment Tax Shifts: Bye P11Ds. Hello payrolling benefits. Off-payroll working = more scrutiny. Salary sacrifice arrangements still stack up (just watch the DfE hoops). - Lessons from Audit Season: Messy controls. Missed reporting. Related party red flags. Fixable, if you act early. - Real-world stories: Governance gaps. Due diligence fails. Leadership missteps. Hard lessons. Shared openly. The message? The world of academy trusts is changing. Fast. But with the right insight, the right people, and a proactive mindset, you can stay ahead of the curve. And avoid the pitfalls. Didn’t make it? Don't worry - you can sift through the key highlights here: [Academy Business Leaders Event 2025](https://www.cooperparry.com/news/academy-business-leaders-event-25/?utm_source=EE+LinkedIn&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=NFP)   ![Cooper Parry](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hubfs/Cooper%20Parry_cZgrnvbU_400x400.jpg) Cooper Parry ## Related Articles ### [Why Strategic HR Matters: The Evolving Role of HR in Schools and Trusts April 1, 2026](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/why-strategic-hr-matters-the-evolving-role-of-hr-in-schools-and-trusts) ### [Are schools relying on AI too much? April 1, 2026](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/are-schools-relying-on-ai-too-much) ### [A smarter way to manage your MAT staffing April 1, 2026](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/a-smarter-way-to-manage-your-mat-staffing) [![isbl-logo-white](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/isbl-logo-white.png?width=105&height=50&name=isbl-logo-white.png "isbl-logo-white")](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/) - [Terms & Conditions](https://www.isbl.org.uk/terms-and-conditions) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.isbl.org.uk/privacy-policy/) - [Contact Us](https://www.isbl.org.uk/) [ISBL website](https://www.isbl.org.uk/) Company Registered Number 03425492 Institute of School Business Leadership ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Cooper Parry", "url" : "https://blog.isbl.org.uk/author/cooper-parry" }, "dateModified" : "2025-09-02T12:35:27.549Z", "datePublished" : "2025-09-02T12:35:27.000Z", "headline" : "ACADEMY BUSINESS LEADERS UPDATE 2025: STAYING COMPLIANT, LEARNING LESSONS, LOOKING FORWARD", "image" : [ "https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hubfs/Cooper%20Parry%2016x9.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.isbl.org.uk/academy-business-leaders-update-2025-staying-compliant-learning-lessons-looking-forward", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" }, "name" : "ISBL Trading Limited" } } ```