Schemes of financial delegation for multi-academy trusts (MATs)

You must have a scheme of financial delegation, but what that looks like depends on how your trust manages its finances. Read expert advice, see an example of how to delegate to different roles, and view examples from other schools.

Last reviewed on 21 April 2022
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 44018
Contents
  1. You must have a written scheme of financial delegation
  2. Your MAT arrangement is the biggest consideration
  3. Delegating by role: who does what?
  4. See examples of other schemes

You must have a written scheme of financial delegation

This is set out in the Academy Trust Handbook (see section 2.4). The scheme must be approved by the board of trustees, and must:

  • Maintain robust internal controls
  • Be reviewed annually
  • Be reviewed immediately following a change in trust management or organisational structure

The board can't delegate overall responsibility for the trusts’ finances, and so remains responsible for any annual or immediate reviews.

Sections 2.6 and 2.7 of the same guidance explain that good internal controls include:

Note, having a scheme of financial delegation is one part of having a general scheme of delegation. Your board of trustees must publish the scheme of delegation on its website. This is explained