Keeping on top of academy trust Land and Building Collection

The Land and Building Collection submission needs to be completed by multi-academy trusts every year. Since this is something that will roll around every year at a consistent date, there’s no excuse not to be prepared ahead of time.

It’s always the right time to get on top of your Land and Building Collection. If you’re not prepared ahead of time, it can be difficult to pull together all the information you need to complete your difficult to complete your submission. It’s best to be prepared – keep your building data updated throughout the year so you’re not blindsided with work at the last moment. It’s much easier!

Note that this is separate to the land and building valuation that new academy schools need to complete within 6 weeks of opening.

When is the submission?

You will need to submit your details in early November – however, check the gov.uk site for the current date, as this is subject to change.

However, this doesn’t mean that you should leave this until the last minute.

What do I need to do?

You will need to provide specific information via the Land and Building Collection Tool (LBCT). If you completed last year’s submission, this data will already be included in the collection tool; if it’s still accurate, all you need to do is confirm this.

However, any changes will need to be noted, and it’s important that you get this right.

If you have acquired any existing academies from other trusts since the 1st of September, their old trust will need to complete a return to cover that school, but this responsibility will transfer to you for next year’s submission. However, if any new academies join your trust, it will be your responsibility to include them in your submission.

What about new academy trusts?

This submission applies to all trusts. You will need to ensure that you have set up your users in the government’s IDAMs system.

Submission for diocese

If your trust has use of any church-owned land, your nominated diocesan user must also review your Land and Building submission, so build this expectation into your plans and ensure there’s plenty of time for them to review. If you’re a new trust, you will need to arrange a nominated diocesan user with your local diocese.

There is a separate dashboard built into the LBCT to help you effectively manage your return.

How to make submission easier

Thanks to modern advances, powerful asset management software can now be relied upon to pull your submissions data through to the DfE. This completely changes what would otherwise be a laborious manual process.

It also means you can give a clear, accurate picture of your land and building to the DfE.

Using an Assets Management system – Norwich Diocese

Norwich Diocese rely on IRIS Assets software to manage their assets for a large number of sites across East Anglia. Because of this, when it comes time to complete their land and building submission, it’s as easy as clicking a button and exporting the data they need.

If you’re interested in how technology can manage your trust’s compliance, you can contact us today for a free demonstration of IRIS Assets. Take advantage of its comprehensive tools to help you automate the submission process.

Don’t be blindsided by last-minute submissions – stay on top of your compliance all year round with IRIS Assets.