Our dedicated team supports academies through tailored school accounting services, helping you navigate VAT, pension obligations, charitable activities and compliance with confidence.
We also emphasise the importance of schools financial benchmarking, by comparing your academy’s income, expenditure and efficiencies with peers, you can identify opportunities to allocate resources smarter, improve value and strengthen financial performance.
Choose Duncan & Toplis as your trusted partner.
Transitioning to academy status grants academy trusts and education providers greater autonomy and financial control. However, this independence brings increased responsibilities, particularly in managing finances and ensuring compliance. At Duncan & Toplis, we partner with academies and schools to provide expert accounting for schools, along with continued guidance and practical support to help you meet these challenges head-on.
We work with Single Academy Trusts (SATs), Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs), independent schools and Local Authority schools, supporting organisations of varying sizes and complexity.
We provide a broad range of specialist services designed to support the financial health, governance and compliance requirements of education providers, academies and schools, including:
Our team works closely with schools and academy trusts to help simplify complex regulatory requirements while identifying opportunities to strengthen financial performance.
Deciding whether to register with HMRC for VAT is crucial. Even if your academy does not exceed the registration threshold, voluntary VAT registration and the partial exemption rules can mean that VAT registration produces a more tax-efficient result than submitting periodic VAT reclaim submissions.
Income-generating activities such as letting community groups use your sports facilities can often be treated as charitable and therefore tax-exempt. To achieve this, academies may need to update their articles so these activities align with their charitable objectives.
Many academies hold significant cash balances but also face growing pension deficits after separating from local government schemes. A thorough analysis of your academy’s finances can uncover ways to improve efficiency, strengthen reserves, and identify savings opportunities.
Understanding how your academy’s financial performance compares to others is vital. Through schools’ financial benchmarking, our professional education accountants will help you assess your income and expenditure against similar institutions, highlighting areas for improvement and ensuring efficient use of resources.
Accurate, compliant financial reporting is essential for academies and trusts. Our team specialises in education and academy trust accounting, ensuring your financial statements meet all regulatory standards while giving leadership teams clear visibility over financial performance.
We also support organisations with changing reporting requirements, governance obligations and wider financial planning needs.
While we have strong regional roots, we work with education organisations across the UK. Our team supports academy trusts and schools throughout the country, providing specialist expertise regardless of location.
This allows us to combine national sector experience with responsive, relationship-led support.
With extensive experience across the education and charity sectors, we support primary schools, secondary schools, Single Academy Trusts, Multi-Academy Trusts, independent schools and Local Authority schools. across the academies sector.
We act as more than accountants and auditors; we work as trusted business advisers, helping education leaders make informed decisions that strengthen financial resilience.
As founder members of the Kreston Academies Group, which brings together academy specialists from the UK members of our international network, Kreston Global, we advise over 300 academies. This collaboration allows us to share experiences and expertise that directly benefit our clients. We encourage you to download the Kreston Academies Benchmark Report 2026 to gain a more detailed understanding of your academy’s financial performance by comparing it with those of a similar size and structure.
Choosing the right financial partner is crucial for your academy’s success. At Duncan & Toplis, we’re committed to providing the expertise, insight, and support you need to thrive.
If you're looking for a supportive, reliable and professional team, contact our specialist education accountants today to find out how our academy specialists can help your school or trust achieve its goals.
