Key performance indicators (KPIs): requirements and guidance for academy trusts

Academy trusts must set financial key performance indicators (KPIs), and report on them to trustees. It's also a good idea to set other KPIs as part of your improvement planning. Have a look at examples of KPIs you might use, and see approaches from other trusts.

Last reviewed on 7 April 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 40743
Contents
  1. You must set financial KPIs
  2. Setting and monitoring other KPIs 
  3. MAT examples

We wrote this article with the help of David New and Graeme Hornsby, our associate education experts. 

You must set financial KPIs

Your trust is required to:

  • Select key financial performance indicators
  • Measure its performance against them regularly
  • Include analysis in the annual trustees’ report

This is explained in the Academy Trust Handbook (see paragraph 2.22). 

Our template CEO report to trustees has a section that lets your CEO record your trust's performance against its KPIs. 

The handbook doesn't specify any particular KPIs

However, some you could use for financial performance include:

  • Spending on particular areas as a percentage of total expenditure (e.g. on teaching staff, supply staff, premises, teaching resources and energy)
  • In-year balance as a percentage of total income
  • Revenue reserves as a percentage of total income
  • Average teacher cost

Remember that everything your trust spends is about improving outcomes for

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