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England

Academy trust articles of association

Official wording, responsibilities and review duties.

Evidence link

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Requirement and scope

Choose the governance type; academy and maintained duties differ. Choose a phase; confirm age and provision conditions.

Academy or free school

Required document [1]

not stated in the source. Website publication: not stated in the source. Check access and disclosure duties separately.

Source-established phases
Nursery, Primary, Secondary, All-through, Special, 16–19
Source-established school types
Mainstream school, Special school, 16–19 academy
EYFS condition
No separate EYFS condition stated
Accountable
not stated in the source
Approval
not stated in the source
Operational owner
not stated in the source
Review cycle
set by the school

Independent schools and pupil referral units are outside this catalogue’s supported governance mapping.

The trust’s articles establish its governance framework. This reviewed excerpt does not establish a specific online publication channel.

Academy scope: the trust, including nursery and 16–19 provision.

Official wording

1.1.1 The legal framework for academy trusts

The academy trust’s purpose, which is set out in the academy trust’s articles of association. Committees The board can set up committees and delegate powers to those committees. A local committee is a committee of a board in a multi-academy trust (MAT) that is established as a local governing body (LGB) under the academy trust’s articles of association. Executive leaders and executive leadership team The executive leaders and executive leadership team are held to account by the board for the performance of the academy trust. The executive leadership team may include the following, depending on the structure of the academy trust:

Academy trusts: governance guide · Reviewed 2026-10-26

Introduction: framework for academy trusts in England

In this document the Department for Education (DfE) provides an overarching framework for financial governance, management and other controls, for academy trusts in England. Compliance with the requirements set out in this document is a condition of the funding agreement between each trust and the Secretary of State for Education. Trustees, accounting officers, principals, senior leaders and others with responsibility for governing, managing or auditing an academy trust must understand this handbook and adhere to its contents.

Academy trust handbook 2026: effective from 1 October 2026 · Reviewed 2026-10-26

Effective from 2026-10-01

Sources and updates

Official evidence reviewed 2026-10-26. Check the source edition and conditions before acting.

  1. Academy trusts: governance guide

    Reviewed edition matches. Source text matches the reviewed edition.

    Reviewed on
    2026-10-26
    Reviewed version
    2026-07-20T12:52:21+01:00
    Last checked
    2026-10-27T11:00:36.203Z
    Reviewed text digest (SHA-256)
    11ac340ef6b86f38865ce0ece27f1d47949e810ddfde066af3779588c1d1b8c2
    Official content identity
    21a3425c-77ff-4fae-b81d-42b5214b2ad2
    Official content digest (SHA-256)
    b99d266b3aa58de32e2f1428cb9a45065a6e52e26c65344e9df5ecacac19b1a4

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-governance-guide/academy-trust-governance-guide

    Track updates in the Roundup

  2. Academy trust handbook 2026: effective from 1 October 2026

    Reviewed edition matches. Source text matches the reviewed edition.

    Reviewed on
    2026-10-26
    Reviewed version
    2026-10-01T17:10:06+01:00
    Last checked
    2026-10-27T11:00:36.203Z
    Reviewed text digest (SHA-256)
    ad2559992226a334a2828591e101fcfe1db3d1dd48688d2d0f8a0214048db073
    Official content identity
    b46f9647-508d-4957-a5ab-3278eb3097c8
    Official content digest (SHA-256)
    763afdb8c6be71b41e0fca881a61a15f59665de5c9f2f1b86a16e006d806474e

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-handbook/academy-trust-handbook-2026-effective-from-1-october-2026

    Track updates in the Roundup

Guidance, not legal advice. Local checks are not a compliance judgement; other duties may apply.