Charity status statement
A statement that the academy trust is an exempt charity, regulated by the DfE rather than the Charity Commission. This is expected, not required, and the registered charity statement does not apply to academy trusts.
Check this on my websiteWho it applies to
- Published on
- Every school and trust website
- School type
- Academies
- School stage
- All stages, from early years to sixth form
- Only applies to
- Registered charities with income over the threshold; academy trusts are exempt charities so this does not apply
- Does not apply to
- Charities Act 2011 Sch 3 para 8 lists 'A qualifying Academy proprietor (as defined in section 12(2) of the Academies Act 2010)' as an exempt charity. An exempt charity is not registered with the Charity Commission, and Charities Act 2011 s39 applies only to 'a registered charity' ('This section applies to a registered charity if its gross income in its last financial year exceeded £10,000', s39(1)). An academy trust therefore has no duty under s39 to state that it is a registered charity, and must not be marked down for the absence of such a statement or of a registered charity number. Academy trusts are instead subject to the company trading-disclosure particulars in src:names-regs-2015-part6 (regs 24(2) and 25) and to any publication duties the DfE imposes through the funding agreement, the Academy Trust Handbook and the model articles.
When is it due?
- Renewal
- No fixed date
The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.
What's needed
No website action needed: academy trusts are exempt charities, so the Charities Act registered-charity statement does not apply to fundraising notices or appeal pages.
In this requirement
Section 1 of 2
Exempt charity statement
Academy trusts are exempt charities regulated by the DfE rather than the Charity Commission, and are also companies limited by guarantee. It is expected, not required, that the website says so.
The register sets this section for maintained schools only.
What it must contain
No parts listedThe official sources name no separate parts for this requirement. We check that it is published and easy to find.
What the official sources say
Set out in 1 official source:
Academies accounts direction 2025 to 2026
Academy trusts are both exempt charities and companies limited by guarantee.
Expected§ 1.1, Part 1: Financial reporting requirements – The basis for preparing accounts, page 9
Section 2 of 2
Registered charity statement
Registered charities have to say so on documents that ask for money. Academy trusts are 'exempt' charities, not registered ones, so this rule does not apply to them. It is listed so you can see it was considered.
The register sets this section for maintained schools only.
What it must contain
No parts listedThe official sources name no separate parts for this requirement. We check that it is published and easy to find.
What the official sources say
Set out in 1 official source:
Charities Act 2011 s39 (statement of registered status)
c in all bills rendered by it and in all its invoices, receipts and letters of credit.
Must§ Charities Act 2011 s39(2)(c)
3 The statement required by subsection (2) must be in English, except that, in the case of a document which is otherwise wholly in Welsh, the statement may be in Welsh if it consists of or includes “elusen cofrestredig” (the Welsh equivalent of “registered charity”).
Must§ Charities Act 2011 s39(3)
Questions schools ask
Does every school have to publish the charity status statement?
Exempt charity statement: The official sources we check set no requirement for academies. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools. Registered charity statement: The official sources we check set no requirement for academies. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools. It only applies to registered charities with income over the threshold; academy trusts are exempt charities so this does not apply.
When does the charity status statement need to be published?
Renewal: No fixed date. The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.
Where does the requirement for the charity status statement come from?
It is set out in Academies accounts direction 2025 to 2026 and Charities Act 2011 s39 (statement of registered status).
Changes to the official sources
The sources for this item do not publish dated change notes. Their current versions are listed above.
We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.
Is this on your school's website?
We check your site the way an inspector or a parent would find it: page by page, against the official wording of each requirement. If it's there, you get the page and the words we found. If it isn't, you get every place we looked.
Check this one requirement free, or scan your whole site against every requirement.
Official wording that does not apply to schools (6)
2 If this section applies to a registered charity, the fact that it is a registered charity must be stated in legible characters— a in all notices, advertisements and other documents issued by or on behalf of the charity and soliciting money or other property for the benefit of the charity,
8A qualifying Academy proprietor (as defined in section 12(2) of the Academies Act 2010).
9The governing body of any foundation, voluntary or foundation special school.
10Any foundation body established under section 21 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.
28 1 Any institution which— a is administered by or on behalf of an institution included in any of paragraphs 1 to 8 and 11 to 25, and b is established for the general purposes of, or for any special purpose of or in connection with, the institution mentioned in paragraph (a).
SCHEDULES SCHEDULE 3 Exempt charities Section 22
Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4