The regulatory burden for academy trusts is significant. Accountants, auditors and reporting accountants need to embrace a raft of rules, including the Companies Act 2006; FRS 102 accounting standards, Charities SORP, Academies Accounts Direction (AAD) and the Academy Trust Handbook (ATH).

The Academies Accounts Direction is structured into three separate documents, which are updated annually.

Academies Accounts Direction (AAD) 2023-24 changes

There are very limited changes in the 2023-24 Academies Accounts Direction. No new rules have been introduced, and so changes are clarifications. The main changes are: