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Accounting officer: role and responsibilities

Understand the accounting officer's responsibilities, what happens if they're absent and where to access training for this role.

Last reviewed on 20 August 2024See updates
School types: Academy•School phases: All•Ref: 32408
Contents
  1. Trustees must appoint an accounting officer 
  2. Main responsibilities
  3. See examples of training 

Trustees must appoint an accounting officer 

  • They should be an employee of your trust
  • They should be a senior executive leader:
    • In single academy trusts this should be the principal
    • In multi-academy trusts (MATs) it should be the chief executive or equivalent 
  • They must be a fit and suitable person for the role
  • The roles of senior executive leader and accounting officer must not rotate
  • The roles of accounting officer and chief financial officer should not be occupied by the same person
  • Your trust must get prior approval from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) if, in exceptional circumstances, it wants to appoint an accounting officer who isn't a trust employee 

This is outlined in paragraphs 1.28 and 1.29 of the Academy Trust Handbook (ATH) 2024.

Main responsibilities

Summary

  • This role is all about financial accountability and keeping proper financial records
  • The accounting officer primarily plays a leadership role

Responsibilities

Be personally responsible to Parliament, and to the ESFA's accounting officer, for the financial resources under