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Risk registers: summary, guidance and examples

Understand the difference between a risk assessment and risk register, and find out what a register should include and who has responsibility for it. Download our template and see some examples so you know what good looks like.

Last reviewed on 21 July 2025See updates
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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?
  5. Download our template
  6. See completed examples of risk registers 

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