School Finance & Audit

Managing school finances is one of the most complex and time-consuming tasks for any school or academy, especially with the legal complexities and strict regulations that surround it.

Our School Finance Team are here to support you with this by providing trusted financial support and advice, helping you ensure the best use of your budget and resources. We are a dedicated team of friendly, professionally qualified staff with many years’ experience of working with schools and academies along with a proven track record of providing comprehensive support, advice, guidance and training covering all aspects of managing your school’s finances.

The principles of financial management may be standard, but we recognise that the skills, knowledge and experience of those managing them are not. Our support is tailored to meet your needs. As well as covering your statutory requirements, we also offer a range of sold services.

What we offer:

Our Basic financial support package* includes:

Dedicated telephone helpline (0115 977 2211) - open 9am-4:30pm during term time and 10am-3pm in school holidays (until 1pm 24^th December & closed between Christmas and New Year)
Remote access to SIMS FMS to enable us to deal with complex queries
Speedy resolution of financial transaction queries
Integrated salary calculator and multi-year budget planning tool
Comprehensive guides for budget setting and reforecasting
Cashflow spreadsheet
Final accounts guidance and production of year end governor report in Consistent Financial Reporting format
Submission of Consistent Financial Report to the DfE
Regularly updated financial guidance and procedure notes
Strategic financial guidance from experienced officers when required
Advice and guidance if you amalgamate/federate or academise, including ongoing support after the process
Support on the Local Bank Account Scheme
Leasing support and approval
A 1.5 hour one to one session for new Headteachers and Business/Office managers

*Please note the basic financial support package is currently only available to LA maintained schools, although the Budget Planner may be purchased separately.

On-Site Support

Select half or full day visits - the combination, number and content is for you to decide, but advice on what can be covered is always available
We aim for visits to be delivered by a named finance contact to ensure continuity and that an understanding of your needs is maintained
Visits can be extended on an hourly basis, depending on the availability of your Finance Officer
A bursar service is available if required
A bespoke service to provide financial support can be provided on request if your Office Manager is absent. This is subject to availability
Assistance with completion of the REC1 return. This can be done either onsite or remotely

Training

We offer a variety of training courses throughout the year for new and more experienced staff. The courses normally available, and months in which they usually take place, include:

Introduction to Finance and Budgeting – September
FMS training – September and January
Reforecasting – October
Final Accounts – February
Budget setting – February and March

We will also prepare new training courses whenever there are substantial changes to accounting or reporting regulations or new financial reports are required by the DfE.

School Audit

The NCC Internal Audit service for schools was combined with the School Finance Team on 1^st April 2019. We now provide an independent and supportive audit service delivered by professionally qualified and highly experienced staff.

All primary and special schools are required to have an audit of their financial controls and procedures every five years, and secondary schools every three years. We will create a suggested contract in the S4S portal for all schools due for an audit this coming year.

Academy Support

Schools converting to academy receive strategic support from the School Finance team for closing the accounts of the maintained school and advice on finalising their old financial system.

Academies can then purchase ongoing support by the day or half day as required or in the form of a bursar service.

Our Budget Planner is also available for academies to purchase.

"I have worked with the NCC Finance team for over 4 years. The support and guidance they provide is second to none and the help they offer is always of the highest quality. The team are always exceptionally friendly and extremely knowledgeable in their field of expertise. All the courses I have attended have been run to a very high standard, touching on the key areas we need to run the school finances affectively. They have and still remain a huge support network for me and Misson School." Julie Mitchell, Office Manager, Misson Primary School

"The NCC School Finance Team always provide outstanding service. The Team are professional, conscientious, they do everything they can to make sure that you are supported throughout all the financial challenges schools are faced with. I cannot recommend them highly enough, quite simply the best at what they do." Karen Kelley, Office Manager, Manor Park Infant School and Nursery

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