3rd October 2022
School Governance Updates for England: September 2022
New Government Updates for England issued on September 29th
Energy bill relief scheme
A new government scheme will see energy prices cut for non-domestic energy customers such as businesses, charities and public sector organisations, including schools – protecting them from rising energy costs. The government work with suppliers will reduce wholesale energy costs – and the significant rises in bills that schools have seen.
Publication of the Academy Trust Handbook 2022
The new Academy Trust Handbook 2022, came into effect on 1 September 2022. The handbook is available as a PDF to download, with the changes to the 2022 edition summarised on page 8. This includes new information about:
- Financial reporting: confirming the withdrawal of the budget forecast return outturn (BFRO);
- Indemnities: confirming that trusts will be able to enter into indemnities which are in the normal course of business without seeking approval (fu andrther guidance to follow);
- Indemnities: confirming that trusts will be able to enter into indemnities which are in the normal course of business without seeking approval (further guidance to follow)
- Religious character: extending the scope from dioceses to all religious authorities in relation to ‘at cost.’
Publication of guidance for federations
The government have published updated guidance on governance processes in federations, which is now available to access.
This guidance applies to all maintained schools and maintained nursery schools. It is for
- Governing bodies in maintained schools, including governance professionals;
- School leaders;
- Local authorities; and
- Diocesan authorities or other equivalent religious bodies.
Find volunteers to become school governors
The Inspiring Governance online service connects schools and trusts with skilled volunteers in their area who are interested in becoming a maintained school governor or to serve on a local governing body of an academy trust. It is a free service open to all state-funded educational institutions in England that provide education to pupils of compulsory school age. People can register their details if they are interested in volunteering.
Your views requested: school food guidance and training
The goivernment are seeking the views of governors and trustees on their involvement with school food. In February 2022, the Levelling Up the United Kingdom White Paper outlined several things Department for Education (DfE) is doing to strengthen adherence with the school food standards. This includes investing up to £200,000 in a pilot governor training scheme. We would be grateful for your views on the current school food guidance, and what more can be done to support you in this area. The school food survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete and closes at midnight on 14 October 2022.
Risk Protection Arrangement members - cyber cover and regulatory mock trials
There is a reminder to all Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) members that, to ensure your school is covered for cyber incidents, the school/trust must:
- Have offline backups;
- Register with Police CyberAlarm;
- Have a cyber response plan in place; and
This should be actioned by the person who is responsible for the RPA in their school or trust. All employees or governors who have access to the member’s information technology system must also undertake NCSC cyber security training. For more information, see the cyber guidance note. Additionally, DfE, with Willis Towers Watson, has developed the Regulatory Mock Trial, to assist governors, trustees, and senior leadership teams to:
- Understand the challenges in implementing compliant health and safety management systems
- Enhance the prospects of avoiding enforcement action
- Improve the school’s defensive capabilities where a prosecution is pursued
Places will be allocated on a first-come, first served basis and will be limited to one place per member academy. You can reserve your place through the link below