Trust governance information
Details of how the academy trust is governed: its governance structure and scheme of delegation, the names of members, trustees and chairs, trustees' attendance and the register of interests. The trust must publish these on its own website.
Check this on my websiteWho it applies to
- Published on
- The academy trust's website
- School type
- Academies
- School stage
- All stages, from early years to sixth form
- Does not apply to
- No school types are excluded
When is it due?
- Renewal
- No fixed date
The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.
What's needed
Publish the trust's governance structure and scheme of delegation, showing members, trustees, committees and local governing bodies, on the trust's governance page.
In this requirement
Section 1 of 6
Structure and scheme of delegation
The trust must publish its governance structure and the scheme of delegation - the structure and remit of members, trustees and local boards, the names of the chairs and an assessment of the governance structure - so it is clear who decides what.
- Academies: Must
The register sets this section for academies only.
What it must contain
3 parts- Sets out the structure and remit of members, trustees, committees and local boardsMust
- Sets out the scheme of delegation for governance functionsMust
- Gives an assessment of its governance structure, including a review of the boardMust
What the official sources say
Set out in 1 official source:
Academy Trust Handbook 2025
1.27. New trusts in their first year must , and established trusts should, include in their governance statement, an assessment of their governance structure, including a review of the board’s composition in terms of skills, effectiveness, leadership and impact.
Must§ 1.27
1.49. 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
Must§ 1.49
Section 2 of 6
Chairs named
The trust must name the chair of its board of trustees and the chairs of committees and local boards, and should give contact details for the chair.
- Academies: Must
The register sets this section for academies only.
What it must contain
2 parts- Names the chair of each committee and local governing boardMust
- Gives the name and contact details of the chair of the governing bodyShould
What the official sources say
Set out in 2 official sources:
What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online
Academies and FE colleges should publish: – their postal address – their telephone number – the name of the member of staff who deals with queries from parents and carers, and the public – the name of their headteacher or principal – the name and contact details of the chair of their governing body, if applicable – the contact details of their academy trust and a link to its website, if applicable
Should§ Contact details > What academies and FE colleges should publish
Academy Trust Handbook 2025
2.49. The records required in GIAS (including direct contact details) for the trust are: – members – chair of trustees – all other trustees – accounting officer – chief financial officer
Must§ 2.49
2.50. The records required in GIAS (including direct contact details) for constituent academies in a trust with multiple academies are: – headteacher – chairs of local committees or governing bodies (where adopted) – local governors (where adopted)
Must§ 2.50
Section 3 of 6
Members named
The trust must publish the names of its members, the small group who own the trust and appoint trustees.
- Academies: Must
The register sets this section for academies 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 2 official sources:
What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online
Academy trusts must publish the following in an easily accessible format on their website: – a memorandum of association – their articles of association – the names of trust members and academy trustees – the relevant business and financial interests of members, trustees, local governors and accounting officers – their funding agreement – any supplemental funding agreement – up-to-date details of governance arrangements
Must§ Governance information > What academy trusts must publish
Academy Trust Handbook 2025
1.45. 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.
Must§ 1.45
– 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
Must§ 1.49
Show 1 more from this source
1.47. 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.
Must§ 1.47
Section 4 of 6
Attendance records
The trust must publish each trustee's attendance record at board and committee meetings over the last academic year, and attendance at local governing body meetings for each local governor.
- Academies: Must
The register sets this section for academies only.
What it must contain
1 part- Gives each local governor's attendance record at meetings last academic year, when it has local boardsMust
What the official sources say
Set out in 1 official source:
Academy Trust Handbook 2025
– for each trustee, their attendance records at board and committee meetings over the last academic year
Must§ 1.49
– for each local governor, their attendance records at local governing body meetings over the last academic year
Must§ 1.49
Section 5 of 6
Register of interests
The trust must publish a register of interests covering members, trustees, local governors and senior employees: names, appointment dates and term of office, directorships, partnerships and employments, trusteeships and governorships elsewhere, the nature of each interest and close family relationships.
- Academies: Must
The register sets this section for academies only.
What it must contain
6 parts- Registers the business and financial interests of every member, trustee, local governor and senior employeeMust
- Gives each person's name, date of appointment and term of office in the registerMust
- Records directorships, partnerships and employments with businessesMust
- Records trusteeships and governorships at other educational institutions and charitiesMust
- Gives the name, nature and start date of each interest in the registerMust
- Identifies relevant interests arising from close family relationshipsMust
What the official sources say
Set out in 1 official source:
Academy Trust Handbook 2025
1.46. 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
Must§ 1.46
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.
Must§ 1.48
Section 6 of 6
Trustee appointment details
The trust must name each trustee with their date of appointment / term, the appointing body and the date they stepped down where that applies.
- Academies: Must
The register sets this section for academies only.
What it must contain
4 parts- Names every trust member and academy trusteeMust
- Gives each trustee's date of appointment and term of officeMust
- Names who appointed each trusteeMust
- Gives the date a trustee stepped down, when one has during the period coveredMust
What the official sources say
Set out in 1 official source:
Academy Trust Handbook 2025
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:
Must§ 1.46
2.8. The board of trustees must : – ensure that financial plans are prepared and monitored, satisfying itself that the trust remains a going concern and financially sustainable – take a longer term view of the trust’s financial plans consistent with the requirement to submit three-year budget forecasts to DfE – set a policy for holding reserves, and explain it in its annual report, including a clear plan for managing reserves
Must§ 2.8
Questions schools ask
Does every school have to publish the trust governance information?
Structure and scheme of delegation: Academies must publish it. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools. Chairs named: Academies must publish it. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools. Members named: Academies must publish it. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools. Attendance records: Academies must publish it. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools. Register of interests: Academies must publish it. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools. Trustee appointment details: Academies must publish it. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools.
When does the trust governance information need to be published?
Renewal: No fixed date. The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.
What must the trust governance information include?
Sets out the structure and remit of members, trustees, committees and local boards; Sets out the scheme of delegation for governance functions; Gives an assessment of its governance structure, including a review of the board; Names the chair of each committee and local governing board; Gives the name and contact details of the chair of the governing body; Gives each local governor's attendance record at meetings last academic year, when it has local boards; and 10 more parts listed above.
Where does the requirement for the trust governance information come from?
It is set out in Academy Trust Handbook 2025 and What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online.
Changes to the official sources
Dated change notes published by the Department for Education on the sources above.
17 September 2026 · Academy Trust Handbook 2025
We have updated the Academy Trust Handbook 2026 to clarify procurement requirements for energy and management information systems (MIS) in paragraphs 2.29 and 2.30 and reflected this in the ‘What has changed’ section.
15 July 2026 · Academy Trust Handbook 2025
Added 'Academy trust handbook 2026: effective from 1 October 2026' and 'Schedule of musts 2026'.
24 October 2024 · What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online
We have updated the ‘test, exam and assessment results’ section. Some of the information which academies and FE colleges should publish has changed in that section. We have added a section on the information that FE colleges in intervention must publish. We have updated information for academies in the ‘behaviour policy’ section. We have also made changes to the ‘pupil premium’, ‘PE and sport premium’, ‘complaints policy’ and ‘governance information’ sections.
19 July 2024 · What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online
Updated 'Governance information' section.
17 April 2023 · What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online
A section has been added on collecting and publishing trust board diversity data.
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 (1)
2.4. The board cannot delegate overall responsibility for the academy trust’s funds. However, it must approve a written scheme of delegation of financial powers that maintains robust internal controls.
Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4