Elections delay academy trust manual 2024

School leaders have been warned that the publication of the Government’s updated handbook on academy trust will be “delayed until after the election”.

In a letter to chief executives, ESFA CEO David Withey said the vital guidance would be published after the country goes to the polls on July 4, as any changes would require ministerial approval.

New versions of the document – ​​which trusts must comply with or risk breaching their funding agreements – are usually published before the end of the summer term.

However, Withey stressed today that the ESFA would give leaders “an update as soon as possible”.

“Given the announcement of the election, publication of the handbook will now be delayed until after the election.

“ESFA aims to publish an updated academy trust handbook for the new academic year as soon as possible to give the sector reassurance about our financial oversight and compliance requirements.”

Withey also explained that “any updates to the manual will require ministerial approval.” He added that the ESFA “needs to stop communicating anything new or novel and most of our external engagement activities” ahead of the vote.

The DfE rebranded the academies’ financial handbook as the ATH in June 2021 as ministers called it a “one-stop shop” for trust leaders.

But the following year, officials apologized for giving schools just a few days to digest the handbook before it goes into effect after its publication in August 2022.

That edition contained few reforms, potentially reflecting the political limbo Whitehall was in before Liz Truss moved to Downing Street.

The current version of the ATH was published last July, before coming into effect next September.

Academies Minister Baroness Barran said at the time that the handbook was “clearer and more concise” to “provide more clarity about the requirements of academy trusts” as it reduced the size from 78 to 62 pages.