The Comptroller and Auditor General is the appointed auditor of the Department for Education’s Academies Sector Annual Report & Account (SARA). The National Audit Office performs this audit on his behalf.

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The Department is required to consolidate all academy trusts that were open during the relevant academic year into a set of consolidated financial statements with a 31 August year-end, known as the Academies Sector Annual Report & Account (SARA).

The Comptroller and Auditor General is the appointed auditor of the SARA and the National Audit Office performs these audits on his behalf. We, as group auditors, have issued this document in relation to academy accounts for the relevant reporting period. The amount and nature of the data that the Department is collecting from academies has not changed substantially from last year, therefore the degree of assurance work will be similar.

The document aims to provide an understanding of: an academy auditor’s role in the SARA; the NAO’s expectation of them in our role as group auditor; and an understanding of the risks of material misstatement in the group financial statements. The document captures our requirements, as group auditor, in accordance with International Standards on Auditing and Practice Note 10.

For more information:
Department Academies Accounts Direction 2020-21 (external link to GOV.UK Guidance)

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