Earlier in March 2024 the DfE released the new Academy Trust Governance Guide which replaces the old Governance Handbook 2019.
The new guide is directly aimed at those involved in the governance of academy trusts and
is specifically intended be a tool for continuous improvement in academy trust governance with the aim that ultimately all academy trusts will aspire to meet all aspects of the guide over time.
The new guide is structured around the new Trust Quality Descriptions published back in July 2023. It also aligns much better now with the Academy Trust Handbook (ATH) now, including introducing “musts” and “should” into the guidance.
Importantly though, there are no additional governance or major compliance requirements introduced in the guide; the obligations, responsibilities, principles and moral purpose remain the same as before, but just with a bit of a refresh and a bit more streamlined than before.
If your trust hasn’t reviewed or refreshed its governance recently, then now is the time to do it, taking on board this new guide:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/-governance-in-academy-trusts
If you need any help in implementing any aspect of the new guide in your trust, contact Andy Jones, Director and Head of Education at Cooper Parry on 01332 411163 or andyj@cooperparry.com
Cooper Parry
