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Academy Trust Governance Guide: a summary

Learn about the DfE's guidance on the trust board's role, governance best practice and legal requirements.

Guidance
07/03/2024
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The Department for Education (DfE) governance guides serve as the DfE’s primary source of governance information, replacing the Governance Handbook.

The Academy Trust Governance guide is structured around the new Trust Quality Descriptions and now better aligns with the Academy Trust Handbook.

The role of the guide is to:

  • distinguish between governance in academy trusts and maintained schools (with separate guides for each)
  • summarise and clarify the board’s role in relation to legislative and contractual requirements
  • provide a clear and concise statement of governance best practice in trusts
  • enable stakeholders and the sector to take more ownership of best practice over time

Read our summary to understand how the DfE's governance guidance has changed and how trust boards can use the new guide.

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