Accountants and Auditors for Academy Trusts
Get in touch with us today by calling us on 0161 399 0121 (Manchester), 0151 303 3122 (Liverpool) or emailing us at info@uhy-williamsoncroft.com to learn more about us, and what we can do for your Academy Trust.
ACADEMY TRUSTS
Accountancy & Audit Services for Academy Trusts
Academy trust finance has never been more demanding. With the closure of the ESFA and oversight now centralised under the DfE’s Regions Group, tightening budgets and evolving reporting requirements, trust leaders need an accountancy partner who knows the sector inside out – and can keep pace with the changes as they happen.
Williamson & Croft is an independently owned firm and a proud member of the UHY Hacker Young network. That membership gives our clients direct access to one of the UK’s most experienced teams of academy specialists – a network that acts for over 500 academies and free schools nationally and is ranked among the top three audit providers in England by total number of trusts.
SPECIALIST ADVICE MATTERS
A sector unlike any other
Academy trusts operate under a unique and demanding financial framework. You are simultaneously a charity, a company limited by guarantee, and a recipient of public funding – all of which carry distinct governance and reporting obligations. The Academy Trust Handbook sets the standard; the DfE’s Regions Group monitors compliance; and the Budget Forecast Return remains the primary indicator by which financial pressure is assessed and intervention triggered.
Add to that the practical challenges – managing the Local Government Pension Scheme, navigating VAT recovery, meeting internal scrutiny requirements, and preparing accounts in line with both the Accounts Direction and the Charity SORP – and it becomes clear why specialist advice matters.
Our team follows the sector closely. We publish regular insight and guidance on academy finance topics, and through our UHY network connections we have access to a nationally recognised annual benchmarking report drawing on data from over 1,500 academies across England – a resource we can use to help you understand where your trust stands relative to the sector.
Our services to academy trusts
A thorough, partner-led audit carried out in line with the Accounts Direction and the requirements of the DfE and the Charity Commission. Efficient, well-communicated, and designed around your year-end timetable.
The Academy Trust Handbook requires all trusts to maintain a programme of internal scrutiny to provide independent assurance to the board. We can design and deliver a programme of internal scrutiny visits tailored to your trust’s size, risk profile and priorities.
Preparation of your statutory accounts in accordance with the Accounts Direction and Charity SORP, including completion of the Academy Return and any March Accounts submission.
Academies benefit from a partial exemption from VAT, but the position is rarely straightforward. We can review your VAT recovery position and advise on the most advantageous approach for your trust.
School-based payroll is a specialist area, covering teachers’ pay regulations, TPS contributions, support staff terms and conditions and LGPS obligations. Our payroll team has experience across all of these.
From conversion to academy status and due diligence on joining or expanding a trust, through to supporting a trust through a period of financial challenge or leadership change – we provide hands-on advisory support when it is needed most.
HELPING YOU PROSPER
The backing of a national network
As members of the UHY Hacker Young network, Williamson & Croft brings the resources and sector depth of one of the UK’s leading academy advisers to clients across the North West. The UHY network acts for over 500 academies and free schools, is ranked third in England by number of trusts audited, and is one of a small number of firms approved as national audit suppliers on the Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) Framework – the principal purchasing framework for academy schools in England. That expertise sits behind every piece of advice we give.
Whether you are an existing trust looking to move to a new auditor or adviser, a school at the start of the conversion process, or a trust navigating a period of particular complexity, we would welcome the opportunity to understand your situation and explain how we can help.
Get in touch with our team in Manchester or Liverpool.
