From 1 October 2026, Multi Academy Trusts will be required to publish a Trust Summary Statement on their website alongside their audited financial statements.
The new requirement has been introduced by the Department for Education to improve transparency and make financial information more accessible to parents, staff and other stakeholders.
The statement is intended to provide a clear and accessible overview of a trust’s financial arrangements without requiring readers to interpret a full set of statutory accounts.
It should summarise key aspects of the trust’s financial position and governance in a format that is easier for non-specialists to understand.
The DfE wants to improve openness and accountability across the academy sector by making financial information more understandable and readily available.
While trusts already publish their audited accounts, the summary statement provides additional context in a more accessible format.
Although the requirement comes into effect from October, trusts should begin planning now by:
Considering who will prepare and approve the statement.
Ensuring website publication processes are in place.
Incorporating the new requirement into year-end reporting timetables.
Be aware that your summary statement must clearly explain how funding flows across your trust, including:
whether you pool any income or reserves
how central services are funded
how much is spent on each academy
When publishing your statement, you should ensure that:
it aligns with your annual audited accounts, including any notes relating to central services and funding
it is published alongside the accounts on your website
information is presented clearly and is accessible to parents, carers and the local community’’
If you would like support understanding the new requirements or preparing for your next reporting cycle, our academies specialists would be pleased to help.
Source: Department for Education – Publish a Summary of Your Academy Trust’s Financial Arrangements.
All data and figures referred to in our news section are correct at the date of publishing and should not be relied upon as still current.
