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The board must have robust strategic oversight of the operations and performance of the trust including:

• holding the senior executive leader to account for improving pupil and staff performance by asking the right questions, informed by data
• having a regular cycle of meetings and appropriate processes to support business and financial planning
• managing the trust within the available resources and ensuring regularity, propriety and value for money

The board has a collective responsibility and avoids getting involved in operational matters unless the trust is in breach of a statutory duty.

To ensure and embed robust accountability, that improves educational standards and financial performance, it is essential for the board, and a committee, where it has delegated powers for education or financial data, to:

• agree a range of metrics, including both quantitative and qualitative data, to measure progress and impact
• have access to objective, high quality and timely data
• scrutinise pupil progress, attainment and financial information, comparing these with local and national benchmarks over time
• monitor and oversee school improvement and financial health
• know the questions that need to be asked of the executive leadership team
• put in place an external audit of finances and strategic priorities

Accountability in a trust also involves compliance with statutory and contractual requirements, across a range of areas, through adherence with:

• the trust鈥檚 funding agreement and articles of association
• the Academy Trust Handbook
• charity and company law
• and any other applicable education, employment and health and safety legislation
• conditions and obligations imposed by funding or regulatory bodies
• keeping children safe in education, relating to safeguarding and safer recruitment
• , including the public sector equality duty, as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 鈥� trusts must actively promote equality and diversity as public authorities
• legal duties聽in religious measures and laws where applicable, for example the Church聽of England Diocesan Boards of Education Measure 2021 and Catholic Canon Law

The board is also accountable for:

• effective planning to ensure key duties, such as special educational needs and disabilities, and ensuring inclusion are undertaken effectively across the trust
• overseeing and monitoring the impact of pupil premium and other targeted funding stream conditions

Find out more about accountability from:

• statutory policies for schools and academy trusts
• the academies planning calendar
• the from Confederation of School Trusts.

6.2.1 Rigorous analysis of education data

An effective board will:

• have at least one person with the skills to interpret the full detail of educational performance data and ensure the board has a correct understanding of the trust鈥檚 educational performance
• understand the limitations of performance data, including being clear about what the data implies
• have access to objective, high quality and timely data and know the questions that need to be asked of executive leaders
• identify issues of priority that need to be addressed and discussed
• seek explanations from executive leaders where performance is below expectations

Find out more about analysing your data from:

• Making data work: teacher workload advisory group
• Eliminating unnecessary workload associated with data management

6.2.2 Sources of education data

The executive leadership team helps the board access:

• data published by the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofsted
• management information
• information on priorities for improvement

The executive leadership team is not the only source of information 鈥� the board can commission or request audit reviews from external partners.

The board:

• agrees with the senior executive leader how data will be provided 鈥� this will help the board stay focused on its strategic functions, while being mindful of staff workload
• identifies ways to validate and cross-reference the data provided by the executive leadership

Find out more about understanding and analysing school performance from:

• School and college performance measures 鈥� guidance and tools to help boards understand and analyse trust performance
• performance tables 鈥� check your trust and other trust鈥檚 performance data
• 鈥� performance data (key stages 2, 4 and 5) for MATs and sponsors

The trust鈥檚 DfE Sign-in approver can provide the board with a trustee account for:

• 鈥� boards can look into their academy鈥檚 performance and identify its strengths and weaknesses, and trustees who lead on attainment data can analyse the ASP full report
• (IDSR) 鈥� also covers 16 to 18 provision and includes key stage 5 data

The board must:

• oversee financial performance
• ensure public money is well spent
• sign off the annual accounts

A trust鈥檚 significant level of autonomy makes it important for the board to consider the regularity, propriety and value for money of trust business.

Trusts must comply with the Academy Trust Handbook as a condition of their funding agreement, including the requirements on related party transactions and executive salaries.

Trustees must take ownership of the trust鈥檚 financial sustainability and ability to operate as a going concern.

The board should have at least one trustee with relevant financial skills and experience, who can fully interrogate detailed financial data and who:

• builds a relationship with the school business professional responsible for finance, such as the chief financial officer, finance director, finance manager
• acts as the link between the school business professional and the board
• ensures the board has a correct understanding of the trust鈥檚 finances and financial performance

It is important that everyone on the board has a basic understanding of the financial cycle, legal requirements on accountability and spend and an oversight of the trust鈥檚 spending.

The board must:

• use the school resource management self-assessment checklist to ensure its trust is meeting the right standards to achieve good financial health and resource management
• submit the trust鈥檚 checklist online to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), through a link on the page
• complete the dashboard on the

Find out more about financial management for trusts from:

• Academy Trust Handbook
• Operating an academy trust as a going concern, from the Education and Skills Funding Agency
• School resource management: top 10 planning checks for governors

6.3.1 Sources of financial data and tools

Boards can use the following financial tools to help achieve value for money:

• School resource management 鈥� information, tools, training, guidance and a YouTube playlist to help schools and trusts save money on day-to-day costs
• Integrated curriculum and financial planning (ICFP) 鈥� tools and training to helps trusts plan the best curriculum for their pupils with the funding they have available
• 鈥� includes a dashboard to compare school data to statistics thresholds that DfE has identified as indicators of good resource management and outcomes
• View my financial insights (VMFI) 鈥� a benchmarking tool which:
  • trusts and local authorities access through an IDAMS account
  • academies access through a DfE Sign-In account
  • any users within trusts, such as school business managers, senior leaders, and governors or trustees, can access
• School resource management: top 10 planning checks for governors 鈥� checks for trusts to use early in the annual budget planning cycle and when looking ahead at the 3 to 5-year position

Guidance is available on school and academy funding.

Managing risk is essential to ensure the trust is meeting its key objectives and to protect its funds and assets.

The requirement for the board to appoint the audit and risk committee is set out in the Academy Trust Handbook (section 3.6).

The board must take a whole trust approach to making sure risk assessments are in place to safeguard and promote pupils鈥� and staff welfare.

Further information on basic control principles is outlined in the Academy Trust Handbook (sections 2.6 and 2.7).

The board must establish policies and procedures that support the independent and effective use of internal and external audit functions, including reporting arrangements.

Find out more about risk management from:

• ESFA: academy trust risk management guidance
• the sector-led academy trust governance code:

Conflicts of interest must be avoided or managed.

The Academy Trust Handbook (sections 2.25, 5.36, 5.38, 5.52) has useful information on avoiding conflicts of interest.

The Charity Commission鈥檚 guidance on Conflicts of interest: a guide for charity trustees (CC29) and the academy trust governance code are also useful sources of information.

For information on related party transactions read:

• Academy Trust Handbook (section 5) for more information
• guidance for academy trusts declaring or seeking approval for related party transactions

6.6.1 Paying for goods and services

Boards may pay for goods and services, including those provided by trustees in line with their articles of association and the Academy Trust Handbook.

Where a trustee provides goods or services, they must not put themselves in a position where personal interests conflict with their governance duty unless they are authorised to provide the goods or services and, therefore, they must declare their interest.

If a conflict exists, the board must:

• be assured that receiving the goods or services is in the best interest of the trust and will help it achieve its purposes
• manage, and be seen to manage, the conflict
• be open and accountable
• consider the advantages and disadvantages of using the goods and services

Section 6.5 covers how to manage conflicts of interest.

Use the guidance on disclosure in DfE鈥檚 Academy Trust Handbook (paragraphs 5.35-5.39).

Use the guidance on trustee expenses and payments to find out if a charity can pay trustees and what expenses they鈥檙e entitled to.

The board has legal responsibility for the trust鈥檚 actions. If trustees act reasonably in the course of their duties, they are generally protected from personal liability, with liability falling on the trust (company).

Trusts must have adequate insurance cover to comply with its legal obligations or be a member of the academies鈥� risk protection arrangement (RPA).

Articles of association provide a power for the trust to indemnify the trustees. Further information is available in the Academy Trust Handbook.