Academies Accounts Direction and submitting your audited 2021 to 2022 financial statements
Guidance for academy trusts, external auditors and reporting accountants on preparing, auditing and submitting an academy trust's annual financial statements.
Applies to England
Overview
The Academies Accounts Direction is used by academy trusts, their auditors and reporting accountants to prepare and audit financial statements for the accounting period ending on 31 August annually.
In addition to the Accounts Direction, two further documents have been published:
- a model set of accounts for academy trusts (known commonly as the “Coketown model”)
- an auditor framework and guide, primarily for use by academy trust external auditors and reporting accountants.
ESFA published a supplementary bulletin to the Accounts Direction in 2020/21 which addressed the impacts of COVID-19 and this remains extant. ESFA does not intend to issue a further supplementary bulletin for the year 2021/22.
The Accounts Direction and model set of accounts have the same contractual status, and compliance with both documents is a requirement of an academy trust’s funding agreement.
The Accounts Direction outlines the requirements for each academy trust to:
- prepare an annual report and financial statements to 31 August
- have these accounts audited annually by independent registered auditors
- produce a statement of regularity, propriety and compliance and obtain a regularity assurance report on this statement from the auditor
- submit the audited accounts and auditor’s regularity assurance report to ESFA by 31 December
- file the accounts with the Companies Registrar as required under the Companies Act 2006
- publish the audited accounts on the trust’s website by 31 January.
Trusts should also refer to the Academy Trust Handbook 2021.
Feedback
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Academies Accounts Direction 2021 to 2022
Model set of accounts for academy trusts
Framework and guide for external auditors and reporting accountants of academy trusts
Academies Accounts Direction supplementary bulletin: July 2021
The Academies Accounts Direction: supplementary bulletin July 2021 provides guidance to trustees, accounting officers and their external auditors on matters arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have an impact on the accounts.
Submitting your 20202021 to 20212022 financial statements
The accounts submission coversheet online form is open.
To access the form use this link:
Please do not use your DfE sign-in or IDAMS registration details. They will not work with this form.
If you have used this type of online form before (for example, the last time you submitted your ASC or the schools resource management self-assessment tool checklist), you can log in using the same details.
You can also “sign up” to create a new password for the ASC.checklist return.
The deadline for submission wasis 31 December 2021.2022.
You must upload your audited financial statements, auditor’s management letter and your internal scrutiny annual summary internal scrutiny report within the accountsaccounts’ submission coversheet.
Additionally, you must publish your accounts on your academy trust’s website as soon as possible after approval by the trustees and by 31 January 2022.2023.
You must also file these accounts with Companies House within 9 months of the end of the accounting period. For most trusts, this will be 31 May 2022.2023.
Submitting your 2021 to 2022 financial statements
Details of completing the accounts submission coversheet online will be provided here when the online form is open. The deadline for submission is 31 December 2022.
Academies Accounts Direction 2020 to 2021
The Academies Accounts Direction 2020 to 2021 explained how to prepare and submit financial statements for the period ending 31 August 2020. In addition to the Accounts Direction, two further documents were published - a model set of accounts and an auditor framework and guide.
Model set of accounts for academy trusts
Framework and guide for external auditors and reporting accountants of academy trusts
Academies Accounts Direction supplementary bulletin: July 2021
The Academies Accounts Direction: supplementary bulletin July 2021 provides guidance to trustees, accounting officers and their external auditors on matters arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have an impact on the accounts.
ESFA enquiries
Contact form https://form.education...
For all enquiries for the Education and Skills Funding Agency
Last updated
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We have added guidance for submitting academy trust audited financial statements for 2021 to 2022.
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We have added the Academies Accounts Direction for 2021 to 2022 with supporting documents.
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We have updated this page with information for academy trusts about how to submit their financial statements by 31 December 2021.
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We have added a supplementary bulletin covering matters arising from the COVID-19 pandemic which may impact on the 2020 to 2021 academy accounts.
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We have added the Academies Accounts Direction for 2020 to 2021 with supporting documents.
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We have updated this page with guidance for academy trusts on submitting their audited financial statements for 2019 to 2020.
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We have updated the page to change the deadline for submitting financial statements, audit findings, accounts submission coversheet and annual internal scrutiny report for the year ending 31 August 2020 to 31 January 2021.
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Page updated with a supplementary bulletin to the Academies Accounts Direction. This provides guidance to trustees, accounting officers and their external auditors on matters arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, which may impact on the 2019/2020 accounts.
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Uploaded Academies Accounts Direction (AAD) for 2019 to 2020.
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Updated with the guide to submitting academy trust financial statements for 2018-19 and a link to the online form. The deadline is 31 December 2019.
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Page updated with the Academies Accounts Direction for the period ending 31 August 2019.
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Page updated with information about how academy trusts submit their 2017 to 2018 audited financial statements.
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The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has published the Academies Accounts Direction 2017 to 2018. This is the reference pack for academy trusts preparing and submitting financial statements to EFA for the year ending 31 August 2018.
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Updated the page to include a guidance video for preparing academy trust financial statements.
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Updated with information about additional questions in the accounts submission coversheet online form about financial planning, monitoring, support and challenge.
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Page updated with information about how academy trusts submit their 2016 to 2017 financial statements.
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The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has published the Academies Accounts Direction 2016 to 2017. This is the reference pack for academy trusts preparing and submitting financial statements to EFA for the year ending 31 August 2017.
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EFA has updated this page to replace the links to video guides, which can now be watched on this page.
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Updated with link to the online submission cover sheet and guide to submitting your accounts.
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The Education Funding Agency (EFA) has published the 2015 to 2016 update to the Academies Accounts Direction. This is the reference pack for academy trusts preparing and submitting financial statements to EFA for the year ending 31 August 2016.
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The Education Funding Agency (EFA) has updated the guide to submitting academy trusts' audited accounts with additional information to help trusts upload their documents to the Document Exchange. There are no other changes to the page.
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The Education Funding Agency (EFA) has published a guide for academy trusts to help them submit their accounts for the year ending 31 August 2015 to EFA by the deadline of 31 December 2015. Trusts will also need to complete a short online cover form.
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The Education Funding Agency has published additional resources for trusts using the Academies Accounts Direction 2014 to 2015 (SORP 2015).
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First published.