15 Changes: The Trust Handbook 2026's £174,000 Pay Rule

"The new handbook is effective from the first of October — no significant changes for us." The Academy trust handbook 2026's own change list has fifteen items, and a reader and a chair of trustees take them as five pillars: inclusion (a designated trustee, and a duty to cooperate with the council), buying (supply framework, Department energy deals, MIS by September 2027), pay (approval before advertising any post over £174,000), leaving (confidentiality clauses need Department approval, every time) and a 31 January deadline to publish how the trust shares its money. Academy trusts only — said in the first minute.

Sources: DfE — Academy trust handbook 2026: effective from 1 October 2026 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-handbook/academy-trust-handbook-2026-effective-from-1-october-2026

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