Financial monitoring & reporting
- Academy Trust Handbook: changes from September 2021 The Academies Financial Handbook has been refreshed and renamed. There are no major changes, but you should still be familiar with what’s different in the new handbook. Use our summary to get up to speed.
- Financial transparency: requirements for maintained schools Get up to speed with the changes to financial regulations for maintained schools to improve financial transparency. Find out what your school is required to do, so you can monitor compliance.
- How to interrogate a finance report Read our step-by-step guide to monitoring the finance report so you're clear on what the numbers mean, what to look out for and what questions to ask your school business manager in your finance committee meeting.
- How to monitor and scrutinise your school's education recovery plan UpdatedBe clear on how you can go about monitoring education recovery in your school. Find out what questions to ask to scrutinise your school’s use of the different types of funding, so you’re assured the money is well spent.
- How to monitor your LGBs' delegated financial responsibilities Find out how you can make sure your local governing bodies uphold their delegated financial responsibilities, so that you maintain oversight of what's going on across your trust.
- How to monitor your school's pupil premium report UpdatedLearn about your school's pupil premium reporting requirements for 2022-23, and see examples of other schools' published strategy statements.
- How to support your school through the cost-of-living crisis NewAs schools navigate the cost-of-living and energy crisis, understand what your role is and what questions to ask senior leaders, so you can provide challenge and support.
- How to use financial benchmarking Get a handle on how to use the DfE's financial benchmarking website, so you can see how your school compares with others and ask your school business manager the right kinds of questions.
- Monitoring school finance: an overview Financial oversight is one of the governing board's core functions. Get more detail on what your board's key responsibilities are, and learn what financial oversight means in practice, so you can monitor effectively.
- Pupil premium: ensuring value for money How can we monitor pupil premium spending? We relay guidance from one of our associate experts on how governors can monitor pupil premium spending. We also link to information and tools from Ofsted to help monitor the funding, and a case study from FASNA.
- Pupil premium spending: report to governors Know what info to look out for in pupil premium reports from your school, so you can effectively monitor spending.
- Risk registers: summary and guidance Don't know your risk register from your risk assessment? Understand what needs to be included and who has responsibility for the register.
- School resource management self-assessment: summary and questions to ask Academy trusts must complete the self-assessment checklist annually. Find out what questions you can ask your trust leaders to make sure your trust meets good financial standards. The next checklist deadline is 15 March 2022.
- Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS): summary and questions to ask Maintained schools must complete the SFVS every year. Here's a rundown of what it covers and how you're involved. Also, find out what questions you can ask your school leaders to make sure your school meets good financial standards.
- The third core function: overseeing financial performance All governors have a part to play in monitoring school finance. Get a concise overview of what your role is and what you're monitoring, so you can make sure money's well spent.