The Academy Trust Handbook is issued by the Department for Education (DfE) and sets out the financial management and governance requirements every academy trust in England must follow. Compliance with it is a condition of each trust's funding agreement, and the handbook is updated on a regular basis, so each new version tends to bring changes that HR and recruiting teams need to act on.
The Academy Trust Handbook 2026 takes effect from 1 October 2026. While it is not a wholesale rewrite of the previous version, several of the changes it introduces land directly on HR, payroll and recruitment desks.
Key HR, pay and recruitment changes in the DfE Academy Trust Handbook 2026 include:
CFO recruitment specs. Trusts educating more than 3,000 pupils should specify a recognised accountancy qualification, such as ICAEW, ACCA, CIMA or CIPFA, or the CIPFA Level 7 qualification, for any CFO recruitment campaign launched on or after 1 October 2026. This becomes mandatory from 1 September 2027, so job descriptions and person specifications need reviewing ahead of that date.
Senior pay approval. New appointments paying more than £174,000, or offering performance-related pay above £25,000, now need DfE approval before the role is even advertised, not after an offer is made. Recruitment timelines for senior roles will need to build this sign-off in.
Supply staffing framework. Trusts must generally use the Government Commercial Agency's Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment framework, unless an existing alternative agreement offers rates no higher than the framework. Current supply arrangements are worth reviewing against the framework's rates sooner rather than later.
Pension alternatives. Proposing anything other than the Teachers' Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme now requires prior DfE approval, sought before staff are told, which affects how HR teams plan and communicate any pension changes.
Severance payments. Settlements above statutory entitlement need a solid legal and financial justification, not just informal agreement, reinforcing the documentation HR teams need to keep for any exit arrangement.
This is a summary of the priority HR and recruiting changes. For the full breakdown across finance, HR, payroll, supply and audit, read our complete guide to the Academy Trust Handbook 2026.
These changes affect anyone responsible for recruitment, workforce planning, pay decisions or HR compliance within a trust, including HR leads, recruiting managers and those responsible for supply staffing arrangements. Reviewing job specifications for senior finance roles, supply staffing contracts and pension-related processes against the 2026 changes now, rather than closer to the 1 October effective date, will help avoid a last-minute scramble.
We've turned the detail of the Academy Trust Handbook 2026 into a free, jargon-free playbook, highlighting the HR and recruitment changes that matter most, in plain English, with practical actions your team can take now.