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Risk registers: summary and guidance

Understand the difference between a risk assessment and risk register, and find out what a register should include and who has responsibility for it.

Last reviewed on 24 July 2024
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 4347
Contents
  1. Risk registers are mandatory for academy trusts
  2. Maintained schools should produce risk registers
  3. Risk registers should focus on your strategic objectives
  4. Who's responsible for the risk register?

Risk registers are documents that allow a school's or trust's leadership – which includes the governing board – to plan for, track, and monitor key risks and risk controls for the whole school or trust.

Risk registers are mandatory for academy trusts

This is set out in paragraph 2.35 of the Academy Trust Handbook

If you're in a multi-academy trust (MAT), there's no rule on whether you need school-level registers as well. It's about what works for you as a trust.

Keeping 1 trust-wide register means fewer documents. It also reinforces the fact that your trust is 1 organisation, not lots of separate entities.

Maintained