Main responsibilities
- Lead a trust-wide portfolio (commonly school improvement, operations, people or finance).
- Deputise for the CEO, within the limits of the scheme of delegation.
- Line-manage headteachers, directors or central team leads.
- Report to the board and its committees on their portfolio.
Statutory duties and official sources
There are no statutory duties specific to a deputy CEO. Relevant constraints:
- The accounting officer should be the senior executive leader, and the senior executive leader and accounting officer roles must not rotate. A deputy CEO deputising for the CEO does not become the accounting officer unless the board appoints them in writing. Source: Academy trust handbook 2026, paragraphs 1.33–1.34.
- The accounting officer and CFO roles should not be held by the same person — relevant where the deputy CEO is also the CFO. Source: Handbook, paragraph 1.34.
- Executive pay controls apply to senior posts, including DfE approval before advertising new appointments over £174,000 from 1 October 2026. Source: Academy trusts: governance guide, section 5.5; Senior pay controls for academy trusts.
- Where the deputy CEO holds the CFO role, the CFO duties and qualification expectations apply. Source: Handbook, paragraphs 1.44–1.46.
Key dates in the school year (2026 to 2027)
As for the trust: Academy trust handbook 2026 effective 1 October 2026; accounts to DfE by 31 December 2026, on the website by 31 January 2027, at Companies House by 31 May 2027 (handbook paragraph 4.4).
Common challenges and good practice
- Define deputising powers. Record in the scheme of delegation what the deputy CEO may decide when the CEO is absent.
