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Financial support and oversight from the DfE's Regions Group: summary of guidance

Be clear on how the Department for Education (DfE) will work with trusts to identify any financial issues, put support in place and take action if there are concerns.

New
on 30 June 2025
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 45445
Contents
  1. How will the DfE identify financial issues?
  2. Support will be offered to trusts struggling financially
  3. A Notice to Improve (NtI) can be issued due to financial concerns

This article refers to the Department for Education’s (DfE) financial support and oversight for academy trusts guidance. 

This guidance sets out:

  • How the DfE will work with trusts where there are financial concerns
  • What support is available to trusts and how the DfE will intervene via its Regions Group

How will the DfE identify financial issues?

The DfE will look at the latest budget forecast return (BFR) information to identify any trusts at risk of deteriorating financial health.

Contacting the Regions Group may feel like a daunting step to take, but it's better to ask for help than to allow problems to escalate, further increasing the risk of disruption