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Address
Old Station Road,
Loughton, Essex IG10 4PLTelephone
020 8418 3333
Email
We offer audit, accounting, tax and business support services to academies, multi-academy trusts (MATS) and independent schools. Led by an experienced education team.
With an in-depth understanding of the issues facing the education sector, our specialist team works with independent schools, academies and MATs.
From the establishment of new schools, academies and MATs to the ongoing responsibilities, we’re here to provide the support you need to run your setting effectively and compliantly.
With an in-depth understanding of the issues facing the education sector, our specialist team works with independent schools, academies and MATs. From the establishment of new schools, academies and MATs to the ongoing responsibilities, we’re here to provide the support you need to run your setting effectively and compliantly.
The Haslers Difference:
We were amongst the first firms to develop an academies audit findings report. This document was presented to the
Minister of Education and subsequently included as a requirement in the Academy Trust Handbook.
We hold direct links to the ESFA and are members of the auditor forum.
A successful Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) has a clear vision, strong leadership, a focus on high-quality teaching, robust governance, effective financial management, and collaborative sharing of best practices among member schools, all geared towards improving educational outcomes of its students.
Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) are groups of academies and schools that have come together to form a charitable company, with a single group of ‘members’ (who have an overview of the governance arrangements) and a single Board of Trustees.
The optimum size for a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) varies but often falls between 5 to 15 schools. This allows for collaboration, efficient resource sharing, and centralised support while maintaining a sense of community and permitting a local identity within the member schools.
Once a school has joined a MAT, it cannot choose to leave a MAT voluntarily, whether that’s to rejoin the local authority or to join another MAT. However, should a MAT trust collapse, or be forced to give up a school by the Government, the school will be transferred to a new trust, without the input of parents and staff.
Church schools can only join a MAT with appropriate Church governance. The relevant diocese must approve the application for a church school to join an existing MAT without appropriate church governance. There are Church-school specific MATs, which may be a preferred option.
An academy receives their funding directly from the government instead of receiving it through the local authority like a “traditional” state funded school. This means that an academy is directly accountable to the Department for Education. They are however, still inspected by Ofsted.
The board of trustees has responsibility for all of the academies operated by the MAT. The MAT Board can also establish a ‘local governing body’ for each academy (or to oversee two or more academies).
Academies, Local Authority funded schools, and charities are outside the scope of VAT non business supplies. In contrast, commercial provider of education are VAT exempt supplies.
Generally being either non-business or exempt supplies means you cannot register for VAT and cannot reclaim any VAT on your expenditure. However special rules apply to academies and LA funded schools which allow them to claim VAT on costs associated with their core supplies of education.
Get in touch to find out more about our education services.
We're here and ready to answer your questions. Call, email or live chat with us today.
Old Station Road,
Loughton, Essex IG10 4PL
020 8418 3333
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