Register of business and pecuniary interests

Register of interests, paragraphs 1.51–1.54

1.51. The trust must keep a register of any relevant business and financial interests, for (as a minimum) members, trustees, local governors and senior employees, serving at any point over the past 12 months. 1.52. The register must include their full names, date of appointment, who appointed them and their term of office (for trustees and local governors), date they stepped down (where applicable), and relevant business and financial interests including: directorships, partnerships and employments with businesses trusteeships and governorships at other educational institutions and charities for each interest: the name and nature of the business, the nature of the interest and the date the interest began 1.53. The register must identify relevant interests from close family relationships between the academy trust’s members, trustees or local governors. It must also identify relevant interests arising from close family relationships between those individuals and employees. 1.54. Trusts should consider whether other interests should be registered, and if in doubt should do so. Boards of trustees must keep their register of interests up to date at all times.

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

Governance information

Schools should publish governors’ relevant business, financial and pecuniary interests, including: governance roles in other educational institutions any material interests arising from relationships between governors or relationships between governors and school staff, including spouses, partners and close relatives

What maintained schools must or should publish online · Reviewed 2026-10-26

Governance transparency, paragraph 1.55

1.55. The trust must also publish on its website up-to-date details of its governance arrangements in a readily accessible format, including: the structure and remit of the trust’s members, board of trustees, committees and local committees/governing bodies (the trust’s scheme of delegation for governance functions), and the full names of the chair of each the register of business and financial interests for members, trustees, local governors and the accounting officer, including a nil return where appropriate – trusts have discretion over the publication of interests of other individuals for each trustee, their attendance records at board and committee meetings over the last academic year for each local governor, their attendance records at local governing body meetings over the last academic year

Academy trust handbook 2026: effective from 1 October 2026 · 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