Academies Financial Handbook 2018 Published What you need to know about the changes The new Academies Financial Handbook 2018 entered into force on 1 September 2018 and applies to transactions and operations after that date. The Funding Agreement with Department for Education requires academy trusts to comply with the terms of the Handbook. Failure to [...]
Good Governance in Academies is Key Focus for DfE Over the Summer the Department for Education quietly published some documents which show the focus on good governance in academies remains a key priority. The first document was the widely expected new edition of the Academies Financial Handbook which applies from 1 September. Secondly, the Education [...]
Data Protection – Everything You Need to Know But Were Afraid to Ask “We thought digital was the new oil, but discovered it is also the new asbestos”- Christopher Graham, former Information Commissioner, 2016. The protection of personal data has become a critical risk area for business, not for profits and charities. The regulator, the [...]
Retaining a professional company secretary or charity secretary can bring peace of mind With an increased focus on effective governance arrangements in companies, not for profits, academy trusts, clubs and social enterprises, and an ever-expanding burden of red tape and compliance duties, Mark Johnson argues that a professional company secretary or charity secretary can add [...]
Essential New Year Reading on Governance in Multi Academy Trusts 2017 looks set to be a year of relentless focus on improving governance in Multi Academy Trusts. Over the past two months a number of excellent resources on governance in Multi Academy Trusts have been published. In case you missed them amid the seasonal commotion, [...]
Do you understand your responsibility for safeguarding children? Recent disturbing revelations about the horrific abuse suffered by young players in football, as well as the continuing wide-ranging inquiry into historical sex abuse have thrown the spotlight firmly on the role and responsibility of trustees, directors and managers of sports clubs, charities, social enterprises and businesses, [...]
What are the business implications of Brexit? After the shock and confusion which greeted the result of the referendum on 24 June, some limited clarity is beginning to emerge about the implications and the possible shape of the UK’s relationship with the European Union and its other 27 member states after the vote. It seems [...]
Inadequate Consultation & Other Public Law Pitfalls for Academies In Part 1 of this post I outlined the public law pitfalls for academies when they exercise their public functions. One of the ways in which academy trusts can ensure they comply is to conduct a fair consultation process before taking major decisions with a public [...]
Inadequate Consultation & Other Public Law Pitfalls for Academies Despite the rhetoric about autonomy, independence from state control and privatisation, academy trusts are still treated as quasi-public bodies for some purposes in the eyes of the law. Consequently, they are subject to various public law duties in the way they carry out their public functions. [...]
In Part 1 and Part 2 of this post on due diligence for schools joining a Multi Academy Trust, I examined the strategic, leadership, workforce and financial issues of due diligence when schools join a multi academy trust. In this final Part 3, we look at commercial and asset-related issues. Commercial How are support services [...]
