The Governance Handbook 2019 has been replaced by two new Governance Guides, one for academy trusts and one for maintained schools. The guides have been developed with sector stakeholders and users to provide clearer more concise guidance, bringing together essential information on the board’s roles and legal responsibilities. Importantly, the new guides do not introduce new policy.

The academy trust guide aligns closely with the high quality trust descriptors and the Academy Trust Handbook, demonstrating our continued commitment to high quality governance. Additionally, the statutory policies guidance is now included in each guide, rather than on a separate webpage. The policies list has been updated and more emphasis placed on boards delegating the responsibility for creating and reviewing policies.

We encourage everyone involved in school and trust governance to explore these new guides.