DfE Governance Handbook Replaced by the Governance Guides

Q: Where is the list of statutory policies for schools now?

DfE incorporated the policy and document links into the Guidance and other resources section of each current governance guide. DfE says the list is not exhaustive, so boards must still check the requirements applying to their setting.

For the academy-specific tiers described in the current guide, see the practical MAT governance structure covering members, trustees, local committees, executive leaders and the scheme of delegation.

The DfE Governance Handbook was replaced in March 2024 by two separate governance guides: one for local-authority-maintained schools and one for academy trusts. The current editions were published in November 2025 and updated in July 2026, so boards should use the guide for their legal structure rather than the withdrawn handbook.

The change is more than a new title. The Department for Education now presents maintained-school and academy-trust governance separately, reflecting their different legal structures, accountabilities and financial frameworks. Both current publications are non-statutory guidance, but each identifies legal or regulatory duties with the word must and minimum good practice with should.

What happened to the DfE Governance Handbook?

The former Governance Handbook and competency framework page is now marked withdrawn. The sequence is:

Before March 2024: the Governance Handbook was the shared reference document for maintained-school governing bodies and academy trust boards.
7 March 2024: DfE introduced separate maintained schools and academy trust governance guides. The National Governance Association described them as replacing the longstanding handbook.
19 November 2025: DfE published restructured editions of the Maintained schools: governance guide and Academy trusts: governance guide.
15 July 2026: DfE updated the maintained-schools guide.
20 July 2026: DfE updated the academy-trust guide.

The withdrawn handbook remains useful as a historical search term, but it should no longer be cited in board papers, policies, induction packs or governance reviews as the current DfE source.

Maintained schools guide vs academy trust guide

Boards should start with the guide matching their legal structure.

Current guide	Who it applies to	Accountable body and context
Maintained schools: governance guide	Governors, senior leaders, governance professionals and associate members in local-authority-maintained schools, including maintained special, nursery, foundation and voluntary schools	The governing body is the accountable strategic body. Its constitution, functions and many procedures are set by maintained-school legislation.
Academy trusts: governance guide	Trustees, executive leaders, local committee governors, governance professionals and members in academy trusts, including free schools and UTCs	The academy trust is one charitable company and legal entity. The trust board is accountable for every academy and works through its articles, funding agreement, the Academy Trust Handbook and an approved scheme of delegation.

A local governing body in a multi-academy trust is a committee of the trust board, not the equivalent of a maintained-school governing body with independent statutory powers. Its authority comes from the trust's scheme of delegation. The trust board remains accountable for decisions and functions it delegates.

Both guides explain effective governance, strategy, accountability, people, structures, evaluation and compliance. Their organisation and examples differ because the underlying responsibilities differ. A board should not combine selected wording from both guides into a hybrid checklist without checking which duties apply.

What changed in July 2026?

The current guides contain their own “What has changed” sections. They should be the source of truth for an update review.

Maintained schools update

The maintained-schools guide added material on the maximising value for pupils programme, the free school meal expansion grant, the inclusive mainstream fund, digital and technology infrastructure, and sustainability leadership and climate action plans.

DfE also records meaningful updates on equality, diversity and inclusion; supporting pupils with medical conditions to reflect new allergy safety duties; and the new limit on branded school-uniform and PE-kit items. It added links on preventing and tackling bullying and harassment of staff and on cyber-security hubs. The publication page says the update reflects new duties coming into force from 1 September 2026.

Academy trust update

The academy-trust guide added material on the new trust standards, maximising value for pupils, an energy-procurement requirement from September 2026, the free school meal expansion grant, the inclusive mainstream fund, digital infrastructure, and sustainability leadership and climate action plans.

Its other meaningful updates cover board financial knowledge and training, executive pay, the supply-teacher and education-recruitment framework duty, inclusion and SEND, allergy safety duties, and the branded-items limit for school uniform. It also added the staff bullying and cyber-security links.

These summaries are not substitutes for reading the applicable section. Boards should record which change applies, who owns the response, what policy or process is affected and when assurance will return to the board.

Are the governance guides statutory?

No. GOV.UK labels both publications non-statutory guidance. That does not make the legal duties described inside them optional.

Each guide uses must for a legal or regulatory requirement and should for minimum good practice unless an alternative approach better suits the circumstances. The maintained guide, for example, points to the statutory core functions in the School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013, safeguarding duties, equality law and the School Premises (England) Regulations 2012. The academy guide points to company and charity law, the trust's funding agreement, its articles and the Academy Trust Handbook, alongside education, safeguarding and health-and-safety requirements.

The practical distinction is important. A board should not minute that it has “complied with the guide” as if the guide were one statutory instrument. It should identify the underlying duty, confirm how it applies to the school or trust and retain evidence of the decision or assurance received.

Statutory policies are now listed in the guides

The former standalone DfE list of statutory policies is now incorporated into the “Guidance and other resources” section of each governance guide. DfE says the lists are not intended to be complete. They link boards to the relevant guidance and, where available, model policies.

The maintained guide says governing bodies decide whether and how to delegate creation, maintenance and approval unless another requirement says otherwise, while remaining accountable for the documents. The academy guide makes the same accountability point for trust boards.

Use the current guide as the official starting point, then maintain a local register that records applicability, owner, approval route, current version, review point and publication status. See the statutory school policies checklist for governors and what policies UK schools need for practical ways to structure that work.

What happened to the competency framework for governance?

The DfE competency framework for governance is withdrawn alongside the old handbook. It should not be presented as a current DfE requirement.

Boards still need to understand their collective skills and development needs. The current guides discuss board composition, skills audits, induction, training, succession and evaluation. DfE's current effective governance resources provide development material for governing bodies and academy trust boards. The maintained guide also links to a current competency framework from the Chartered Governance Institute for evaluating governance-professional performance, which is different from the withdrawn DfE board framework.

A sensible board record therefore identifies the skills needed to deliver its strategy, the gaps found through evaluation, and the recruitment, induction or development action agreed. It should not simply attach the withdrawn framework and treat completion as assurance.

What governing boards should update now

Use the replacement as a controlled governance update rather than a global find-and-replace exercise.

Board and committee papers: replace links to the withdrawn handbook with the correct maintained-school or academy-trust guide. Where a paper relies on a statutory duty, link to the underlying legislation or statutory guidance too.
Policy register: check source columns and policy notes for old handbook references. Confirm whether the applicable current guide changes the approval route, review prompt or publication requirement.
Induction pack: explain which guide applies, what must and should mean, and how the board accesses updates. Academy trusts should also explain the relationship with the articles, funding agreement, Academy Trust Handbook and scheme of delegation.
Scheme of delegation and committee terms: academy trusts should confirm that local roles and escalation routes remain clear. Maintained governing bodies should verify that delegated functions still sit within their legal framework.
Governance-professional guidance log: record the July 2026 review, the sections considered, applicability decisions, owners and completion evidence.
Annual governance calendar: schedule a review of the applicable guide and related statutory changes rather than waiting for a major edition to be announced.

Edvance can help a school or trust keep the board's review, decision, owner and follow-up evidence connected. It does not determine which duty applies or replace the official guide, legal advice or the board's governance professional.

Monitoring future DfE governance updates

The volume and timing of DfE publications make an explicit monitoring process more reliable than assuming someone will notice a change.

Assign a source owner

Name a person—often the governance professional, headteacher, trust governance lead or school business leader—to monitor the official publication pages. The owner coordinates the process; they do not absorb the board's accountability.

Record an applicability decision

For each material update, record the source URL and date, the school or trust entities affected, whether a must duty or should practice is involved, and the policy, process or governance document that may need review. If the answer is “not applicable”, retain the reason.

Put material changes before the right body

Use a governance update report or standing agenda item to present only changes needing oversight or a decision. Distinguish information, assurance, approval and action. In a trust, route matters according to the scheme of delegation instead of sending every update to every local committee.

Keep the follow-up visible

Minutes should record what the board considered and decided. The action log should name the owner and target date, and the completion record should link to the revised policy, training, published information or other evidence. A list of incoming guidance with no response trail does not show that the change was implemented.

For a specific assurance request, use the DfE compliance audit readiness checklist. For trust-wide accountability, use the MAT governance hub alongside the trust's own governing documents.

Frequently asked questions

Has the DfE Governance Handbook been replaced?

Yes. DfE replaced the Governance Handbook in March 2024 with separate governance guides for maintained schools and academy trusts. The current GOV.UK editions were published in November 2025 and updated in July 2026.

Is the governance guide statutory?

No. Both current guides are non-statutory guidance. They use must to identify legal or regulatory requirements found in legislation, statutory guidance, funding agreements or other binding sources, and should for minimum good practice.

What is the difference between the maintained schools and academy trust governance guides?

The maintained-schools guide addresses governing bodies operating under maintained-school legislation. The academy-trust guide addresses trust boards governing charitable companies through articles, funding agreements, the Academy Trust Handbook and schemes of delegation.

Where is the list of statutory policies for schools now?

DfE incorporated the policy and document links into the “Guidance and other resources” section of each current governance guide. DfE says the list is not exhaustive, so boards must still check the requirements applying to their setting.