This article refers to the academy trust governance guide, the DfE’s primary source of governance information for academy governors and trustees.
The guide contains 7 main sections. There's a section at the beginning explaining the government's intention to publish new trust standards that will build on the current trust quality descriptors (as announced in the schools white paper 2026). The existing quality descriptors will continue to apply until the trust standards are published.
Changes in the July 2026 update Some of the changes reflect changes to the Academy Trust Handbook (ATH) which will be in effect from 1 October 2026. Section 1 Section 1.1.5 now sets out that boards may choose to collect and review diversity data to support compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). This includes data on: The board itself The wider trust workforce If your board chooses to do this, it must comply