The Department told us that it collected information about academy trust governance arrangements. However, the Department told us that it is more likely to use the information collected from ESFA’s monitoring and assessments over financial performance and other data collected from trusts as a means for monitoring the composition of trust boards. For example, a deterioration in financial health may trigger a closer look at the composition of the board. The ESFA informed us that whilst it may engage directly with trusts if it has specific concerns, its emphasis was on prevention and early intervention, and support and training.84