Academy guide July 2014

ACADEMY guide july 2014

A CHANGING ROLE? BRING IT ON! Preparing for a whole new way of working

A SHINING STAR IN THE CUMBRIAN SKY The role that a governing body played in one academy’s success

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EDUCATION EXECUTIVE

THE BIG MAT QUESTION The benefits – and risks – of joining a multi-academy trust

Welcome Decisions, decisions When it comes to academy conversion, nothing’s ever completely straightforward – as you’re probably all aware. But as well as increased responsibilities for the school business manager, there’s also the critical question of what kind of academy you want to be. Is yours the type of school that sees itself as a trailblazer, a pioneer in its educational offering? Or do you want to take advantage of the security and economies of scale offered by being part of a multi-academy trust (MAT)?

The benefits can be huge. Whichever you decide, these are big decisions and will involve every school stakeholder; on page eight we explore why so many schools are joining MATs. You might find yourself a MAT convert too.

But that’s not all: elsewhere in this issue, we also speak to an experienced SBM who has made academy conversion work for his Cumbrian primary school (p12), and find out to make sure your accounting skills are up to the conversion process (p17).

There are now more than 3,900 academies open in England, and this number looks set to rise in the coming year as the power of local authorities diminishes. Will you be joining the next wave of converting schools? If so, what are your main reservations? Email me and I’ll make sure we include expert advice in an upcoming issue – jessica.pike@ intelligentmedia.co.uk. Have a wonderful summer!

UPDATE 04 NEWS The latest news and developments in the world of academies

08 MULTITUDINOUS BENEFITS OF BEING PART OF A MAT The advantages and risks of joining a multi-academy trust

TRANSITION 10 SAVVY AT SIRIUS We hear from finance director Tim Priestley about his role, the efficiency savings his academy has made and his advice for other SBMs facing conversion

12 A SHINING STAR IN THE CUMBRIAN SKY We speak to one academy’s business manager about how the governing body has played a crucial role in its success

FINANCE 17 DIVING IN Jan Jones takes a look at the accountancy challenges that SBMs face post-conversion and asks the experts how they can hone their accountancy skills

U P D A T E

news School governors: call to recruit more widely A campaign to improve the quality and number of school governors has been launched by a group of school leaders, employers and governors’ organisations.

The Inspiring Governors Alliance wants to encourage more “high-calibre people” to volunteer. The recruitment drive is supported by the ASCL and NAHT head teachers’ organisations, the National Governors’ Association, the CBI employers group and the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

There are currently 350,000 governors in England - volunteers who have a major role in overseeing £46bn of school spending.

The Inspiring Governors Alliance says that the expertise provided by governors to the school system has the value of £1bn per year. But the accompanying report says that recruiting can be difficult in the disadvantaged areas where effective governors are most needed. To encourage more people to come forward, governors say that there needs to be a

clearer public recognition of their value.

About a quarter of governors who had jobs said they were allowed to take paid time off - with one in 20 not allowed any time off by their employers. The typical amount of time spent on school governance was between four and 16 hours per month.

Introducing the report, Nick Chambers, director of the Education and Employers Taskforce, said it acknowledged “the work of hundreds of thousands of individuals who volunteer their time, free of charge, to provide leadership and accountability within our schools”.

He said there should now be “a new call to action to make it as easy as possible for all schools to find people, willing and able, to strengthen governing bodies across the country”.

Neil Carberry, the CBI’s director for employment and skills, said: “There’s no better or more strategic way for business to support and influence the education system and our future workforce than through school governance.”

Academy status can boost primary schools, says education chief Schools are less likely to fail if they group together as part of an academy trust, according to a government-appointed schools chief.

Frank Green, the schools commissioner for England, spoke to an audience of headteachers and governors in Colchester, Essex in June. The event was held with the purpose of encouraging more of the county’s schools to consider becoming an academy.

Mr Green said: “The chances of schools failing falls when you put them in a trust. Outstanding leadership at the top, and at classroom level, will benefit all the schools in the group.”

FAST

FACT

73%

Almost three quarters of school leaders feel that their school’s governing body is effective at holding the headteacher to account

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U P D A T E

Primary academy extends hours and wins ‘good’ Ofsted rating A primary school has been awarded a ‘good’ rating by Ofsted after introducing a compulsory nine-hour day.

Older children at Great Yarmouth Primary Academy are required to begin school at 8.55am and stay until 6pm to take part in a free programme of activities and complete homework under supervision.

The school – previously one of the worst-performing in the country – introduced the 45-hour week to give pupils the same opportunities as those from private schools and wealthy backgrounds. It has now earned a ‘good’ rating by Ofsted – the secondhighest available.

The watchdog highlighted the extended day as a key factor in the school’s success, praising its ‘outstanding leadership’ and remarking that the timetable was improving pupils’ life skills and commitment to education.

In its former incarnation as Greenacre Primary, the Norfolk school was among the bottom 200 performers out of 15,000 nationally and was condemned by inspectors as failing in 2010.

THEY SAID

The extended week was introduced in 2012 as the school became an academy sponsored by millionaire businessman Theodore Agnew. Lessons finish at 3.30pm but those aged seven to 11 stay until 5pm for activities including horse-riding, cookery, cello lessons, first aid, dance and trips to Cambridge University. Those aged nine to 11 then spend a further hour on homework or reading under supervision.

Education secretary Michael Gove supports longer school days, but many in education oppose the idea.

Dr Tim Hands, chairman of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference, which represents leading independent schools, says it undermines a “proper childhood”.

But Bill Holledge, head of Great Yarmouth, said: “This is certainly not some Gradgrindian regime. Pupils are happy and engaged and bounce out of school at the end of the day.”

The extended timetable is funded partly through the pupil premium, and donations from Mr Agnew.

Mr Agnew, who has been touted as a possible successor to Baroness (Sally) Morgan as chair of Ofsted, said: “I am determined to end the apartheid in education so commonplace in this country.”

N EW S IN BRIEF

Dudley’s top school set to take academy status Dudley’s best state school is to become an academy as part of a group responsible for teaching more than 3,000 pupils.

Ellowes Hall Sports College is planning to leave the control of Dudley Council and team up with three other schools to form the Invictus Trust. Ellowes Hall is the top school of its type in England and last year recorded a verified 80% pass rate of five GCSEs including English and maths.

Headteacher Andy Griffiths said: “It is about providing an elite experience; it is not about being elite and exclusive. I am confident this is a really good thing; I am obsessive about this place and would do anything in its best interest.

“These are good schools and my governors have taken the view that working with these will help us to stay outstanding. I don’t think it is possible to stand still, you either move forward or move back.”

The final decision on the change at the 1,100 pupil school will be made by Michael Gove.

“Academy status aims to give more control over decision-making directly to the school. In short, academies have greater freedom to achieve best value for their students. As an academy we would have greater control over the way in which we spend our budget and the types of project that we would like to engage in. This ranges from being able to apply more directly to central government for funds relating to building projects, to choosing the types of school improvement partnerships we want to develop.”

Hove Park head Derek Trimmer

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U P D A T E

PLANNING THE PERFECT SUMMER FÊTE It’s summertime, the sun’s out and it’s the perfect time to hold a school fête.

But what do school business managers need to consider in the run up to the big day? Jon Taylor, head of education at insurance broker Marsh, explains

S

ummer fêtes, fairs or garden parties can be a lovely way to make the most of summer; mingling with parents and pupils, having fun, promoting and raising funds for your school.

All the same, there are many things to think about to ensure your event goes without a hitch – especially making sure your premises, including gardens, entrances, exits, and any equipment and substances, are safe for your visitors, volunteers and employees.

To help you plan an event, we’ve summarised five key things to think about.

1. YOUR SCHOOL AS A VENUE Where will you be holding the event? Make sure the location is suitable – is it big enough for the numbers you expect? Is it accessible for your attendees and for anyone providing equipment?

How will you control your site to ensure people don’t stray from the ‘event area’? Are there any potential hazards, like swimming pools or ponds, which should be secured?

2. THE LAYOUT How you arrange your activities can go a long way towards making the event a success.

Firstly, make sure the site is not overcrowded and pedestrian routes won’t become congested, and ensure that pedestrian and vehicle traffic is well segregated.

Secondly, any rides or ‘arena events’ should be cordoned off with clear entry and exit points. Finally, whilst no one likes to think of something serious going wrong, it’s also important to make sure that there’s clear access for emergency vehicles in case they are needed.

3. THE RISKS Think about what’s planned for the event and about the venue you’re using – what else can you do to make sure no one gets hurt? Ensure you undertake a risk assessment for the event as a whole and specifically for activities such as rides, bouncy castles, climbing walls, and cooking. If you’re using any portable electrical equipment, is it in good working order? How many people will be attending? Do you need crowd marshalls or someone on traffic duty?

4. THIRD-PARTY SUPPLIERS If external operators are providing and operating bouncy castles, fairground rides, food and drink, and other activities, you need to check that they’re suitably experienced and hold adequate public liability insurance to cover property and accidents or injuries to members of the public.

5. LEGISLATION Does any legislation apply to your event? For example, will there be a ‘beer tent’ or are you providing live entertainment? If you’re unsure, or need help with compliance, your local authority’s licensing officer can advise.

Thinking about all these important points, and planning everything in advance, will help make your school event a success, so you can concentrate on enjoying the cupcakes!

Further information and guidance notes on how to plan your school events can be found at the Marsh UK Education Forum on LinkedIn. Marsh Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Copyright © 2014 Marsh Ltd All rights reserved.

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U P D A T E

T h e

m u l ti tud i nou s

b ene fi ts

of

p a rt

a

of

b ei n g M AT

For many schools, joining a multi-academy trust is rather an attractive prospect. But what are the advantages of joining this kind of structure and what are the potential risks? Jess Pike investigates

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U P D A T E

F

or schools considering the conversion process one of the first and most important questions to ask is whether you’ll be setting out on your own or joining an established group of academies. With so many structural options available the decision can be a complex one; there are now co-operations, soft and hard federations, umbrella trusts and multiacademy trusts (MATs) out there, and it can quickly feel a little overwhelming. But fear not, we’re here to help!

First things first. A MAT is the most formalised type of collaborative structure available for academies and, unlike the umbrella trust structure where each individual academy has its own academy trust under an umbrella body, all schools in a MAT are governed by a single academy trust. The MAT is responsible and accountable for the performance of each of the academies in the group and can delegate its decisionmaking powers to the governing boards of the individual academies if it wishes.

There are clear benefits to joining a MAT as well as risks to consider, as Lucy Hughes, associate in the education group at law firm Walker Morris, explains. “As a MAT is a single entity, schools within a MAT can achieve strong collaboration and drive up standards by having a consistent strategy and vision across a group of schools working together,” she says. “Plus, due to economies of scale, MATs can often negotiate contracts and services that achieve better value for money than would be the case if the academies negotiated these individually.”

Elaine Fischer is an expert researcher specialising in this area at The Key, the service for school leaders. She says: “The

situation obviously differs if a school joins a great big MAT as a sponsored academy as opposed to just one or two academies setting up their own MAT in a more organic way,” she explains. “There are some real advantages to joining a larger MAT. For example, you’d gain the support of the trust and if you were working with lots of schools you might be able to pool your resources, including your teachers.”

CHOOSING TO BE A SINGLE CONVERTER DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN NEVER BECOME A MAT OR JOIN A MAT IN THE FUTURE If yours is a weaker academy, joining a larger MAT might also offer the chance for the professional development of staff, enabling the school to retain their more valuable staff members. And, as all staff are employed by one employer – the MAT – staff resources can be easily moved between academies when a particular member of the team is off sick, for example. “Certain roles can be cross-school roles,” says Hughes. “Any careers service provided to the students could run across schools, as well as teacher or co-ordinator roles. This enables each school in the MAT to benefit from the expertise and knowledge of a much wider pool of employees.”

REALISTIC CONSIDERATIONS Unfortunately, as you won’t have failed to

notice, certain trusts haven’t always been the recipients of glowing press in recent months.

Whether deserved or undeserved, this negative media attention impacts upon every member of the MAT in question, as Fischer points out. “There’s a lot more emphasis on the trust itself and being associated with the trust than if a school was part of the local authority,” she says. “So if some schools were failing or the trust was in the spotlight, it could reflect badly on other schools, even if they were doing well.”

Although there are clear benefits to working collaboratively it’s also crucial to choose a structure that works best for your school. “Choosing to be a single converter (if that’s best for your school) doesn’t mean you can never become a MAT or join a MAT in the future,” says Hughes. “We’ve seen a rise in the number of single converters deciding to change their status and become MATs, mainly to enable them to sponsor other local schools in an attempt to assist with the provision of better education in their area (for example, some secondary schools wanted their feeder primary schools to improve).”

For some schools, joining a MAT has been a decision made for them by the Department for Education; for others, it’s a new challenge that they see as an opportunity to raise standards and realise the benefits of collaboration. Either way, it’s a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The key to choosing the right option for your school is to consider your long and short-term plans and make sure you’ve looked at every option available.

Without a doubt, MATs will be a dominant force in education going forward, and the level of centralisation and potential for cost saving will be hugely appealing to many.

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T R A N S I T I O N

S AV V Y AT S I R I U S Sirius Academy is a successful academy based in Hull that has recently been awarded ‘outstanding’ status by Ofsted. Nikki Withers speaks to finance director Tim Priestley about his role, the efficiency savings the academy has made and his advice for other school business managers facing conversion

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ormerly known as Pickering High School, Sirius Academy is a 1,650-place secondary academy in west Hull with a budget of £11m and a pupil premium profile of 51%.

The academy was awarded ‘good’ status

by Ofsted in November 2011 and, less than three years later, in March this year, it was deemed to be ‘outstanding in all areas’. “It’s a real beacon of turning a challenging school around to an outstanding school,” says the academy’s finance director Tim Priestley, with a noticeable tone of pride. “We actually invited Ofsted in; that’s how confident we were that we’d moved from good to outstanding.”

Prior to his appointment at Sirius, Priestley had worked in accounting and management roles in both the public and private sectors.

He also spent 10 years working for the audit commission as an LEA inspector. “I worked on the Ofsted team inspecting councils, education departments, PCTs (primary care trusts) and health authorities and I was also the audit commission’s national lead for value for money and academy and school’s funding,” he tells me. “Ironically, I’m now implementing some of the policies and bureaucracies that I was involved in creating – I might have done some things differently had I known!”

VALUE FOR MONEY Priestley certainly isn’t afraid of stepping up to a challenge, nor is he scared of scrutinising a hefty contract. “I think what I’ve learnt from the private sector is that to make savings you’ve got to challenge the norm,” he says. “Our wins in value for money have been made by tackling the largest areas of spend.” He tells me that he makes sure expenditure requests are scrutinised and planned in advance to ensure every effort is made to obtain the best price and the appropriate quality at Sirius.

An example of this is the £250,000 annual saving achieved as a result of deciding to run and manage the facilities maintenance contract internally within the academy. “Three years ago we moved into a new £48.5m building under the Building Schools for the Future programme. This came with a facilities management contract and we were told that we had to have an external contractor to run the facilities management for the whole site.

We resisted, and decided to operate in house, which means dealing with the subcontractors that the lead contractor would have dealt with and it’s saved us so much money.”

Another example of Priestley’s savvy contract management skills is the way he scrutinised the existing catering contract.

“Again, we had an external contractor providing the catering and I insisted on seeing their profit and loss accounts. By exposing the profit within the contract we negotiated a reduction in the price of a free school meal from £2.30 to £1.90 without reducing the size or quality of the meal. We now invest this money back into the building so the catering provider benefits and the pupils get a better experience.”

BY EXPOSING THE PROFIT WITHIN THE CONTRACT WE NEGOTIATED A REDUCTION IN THE PRICE OF A FREE SCHOOL MEAL

KEEPING PACE Although Priestley’s a keen advocate of academies – he says the main benefit is the freedom to look at things differently – he’s well aware of the challenges that finance directors and school business managers face during conversion and going forward.

“Generally, the initial challenge is down to the speed of conversion,” he says. “Systems are usually implemented far too quickly and so the accounting and assurance sides have to catch up. The other main challenge is the breadth of experience that a person has.

Local authority accounting is very much carried out as a central finance function that maintained schools may not have had to deal with. This means that converting academy SBMs suddenly have to negotiate the business side of contracts – catering contracts and facilities management contracts, for example – which they may have been protected from in the past.”

He also points out that, in the future, there’s going to be a lot of tension around budget reductions. “We have to do the same with less,” he explains. “Value for money will move centre stage but you also need to ensure that you can maintain high standards, which inevitably means having high-quality teachers. It means that you’ll have to look to other areas of your budget to maintain your staffing structures.”

NETWORKING TO SUCCESS The finance director’s advice to other school business managers is to make the most of networking opportunities. “Network with other established business managers and finance directors,” he advises. “Sharing information and advice openly can be so helpful. I’m a big believer in people supporting each other.”

With plenty of successes under his belt, what’s the next challenge for Priestley?

“It’s likely that the next stage for most single academies like Sirius will be joining a group structure, as this appears to be the Department for Education’s preferred direction of travel,” he says. “But moving from a single legal entity with its own financial autonomy to any group financial structure brings with it new financial, governance and assurance risks.”

It’s almost refreshing to hear that Priestley is, like me and you, only human and has some challenges ahead. But I have no doubt in his abilities and can only see Sirius Academy going from strength to strength in the future.

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A SHINING S TA R I N T H E CUMBRIAN SKY

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Eaglesfield Paddle CE Primary School in Cumbria has gone from strength to strength since its conversion to academy status in 2011. Jess Pike speaks to business manager Paul Robson about how the governing body has played a crucial role in its success

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hen I called Eaglesfield Paddle Academy’s business manager in late May I can barely get a word in edgeways: I realise very quickly that Paul Robson has a lot to say. But with a winning combination of soft, Liverpudlian tones and good sense of humour, this is quickly forgiven: his enthusiasm is clearly testament to how seriously he takes his role at Eaglesfield Paddle and how proud he is of the school’s historic and recent successes.

The term ‘leading light’, which Robson uses twice during our interview, is quite fitting for this 200-year-old primary, set in rural Cumbria in a village with only 500 inhabitants.

The school, which has 230 pupils on roll, has been judged to be outstanding by Ofsted, attracts children from 20 miles away and has become synonymous with excellent teaching and learning – and the school’s conversion to academy status, which took place in 2011, is undoubtedly a large part of its success.

When the school was approached with the option of conversion in 2010 the governing body, which Robson describes as being “very proactive strategically”, felt it could be highly advantageous. “They thought that we’d be better off from both

an operational and financial viewpoint,” he says. “The governing body, led by Neil Burns, thought it would allow for greater curricular freedom, better control of financial resources, and improve strategic decision making. In other words, the school would be run like any other company with accountability firmly lying with the members ie. the Carlisle Dioces and governing body.”

ROBSON TELLS ME THAT HIS TEAM AREN’T AFRAID TO DRIVE A HARD BARGAIN – AND I BELIEVE HIM LEADING FROM THE FRONT Robson’s a professional management accountant by trade and has worked in the public sector since the 1990s. However, his experience in schools is relatively fresh and he only joined Eaglesfield Paddle three years ago.

As a financial consultant, he’s self-employed and spends time working with a number of local academies helping to embed new accounting systems post-conversion.

He’s also a father to children who were educated at the school, and thus has strong

links to Eaglesfield Paddle; this, coupled with his financial expertise, made him the ideal person to take on the business manager role back in 2011. “Dawn Watson came to the academy in early 2012 as headteacher, and over the last couple of years we’ve built up an excellent working relationship together,” says Robson. “Dawn has great expertise and experience on the curriculum and educational needs of teaching and learning, whilst I concentrate on all the financial and business aspects of running the school from budgeting, final accounts, monitoring, tendering and payroll.”

Whilst converting to an academy hasn’t affected the day-to-day running of the classrooms, teachers are now more accountable for the resources they employ, ranging from use of teaching assistants through to classroom trips. This has, in turn, required an unexpected change of culture within the organisation. ”The teachers are becoming more strategic in their management of resources, to secure the best value for money for the school,” says Robson. “We’re now open 52 weeks a year, we’re registered with Company House and there are certain statutory requirements we have to adhere to.”

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TFU RPI AD N N AAS TINTE CI O E N

THE REAL CHANGE HAS BEEN IN THE BACK OFFICE, PARTICULARLY AROUND THE FINANCE

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Since converting, Robson – along with the head, key staff members and the governing body – has worked hard to secure funding for a number of building-related capital projects, and has recently been successful in securing funding to refurbish and improve the nursery and reception area.

“Over the years we’ve had some major expansion projects and we’re very lucky to have an architect on the governing body who generously gives his expertise and advice on all proposals with regard to design and planning issues,” explains Robson.

Forging strong relationships with governors as well as suppliers has been key to the school’s success. Robson recently oversaw the installation of a new wood pellet biomass boiler system. “During the tendering process we said to the company in question that we wanted to work in partnership for the next 20 years with them, we didn’t just want them disappearing once the project had been completed.

“This is the way we work with everyone – from our payroll provider, HR and legal, ICT, grounds maintenance, through to our catering suppliers. Even though our HR and legal provider is based in Yorkshire, which is quite a way away, we have a really strong connection with them and both understand the importance of partnership working.”

With suppliers, the focus has been on driving down cost and ensuring value for money. Robson tells me that his team aren’t afraid to drive a hard bargain – and I believe him. The school works with local plumbers and electricians who are more than happy to drop everything when needed. “These are the kind of suppliers who don’t disappear into the night,” says Robson. “And, with our 200th anniversary coming up, lots of them are keen to be part of our celebrations and all the promotion that comes with it.”

MASTERS OF THEIR OWN DESTINY Robson’s acutely aware that the school is always looking to improve the provision it provides to their pupils and community that they serve, to enable their pupils to “to be the best they can be”. One of their new initiatives is wraparound care, which is being introduced in September.

“We’re not resting on our laurels,” says Robson.

“Wraparound care is the future. We want to offer existing parents the opportunity to leave children with us before and after school. Going forward this will increase numbers as parents will be more likely to start them in the nursery and send them through the school.”

Despite his financial skillset Robson empathises with business managers facing conversion. The new financial systems will be unfamiliar and can often take time to get used to. “Conversion hasn’t really affected the teachers and teaching assistants too much – the real change has been in the back office, particularly around the finance. Some schools think you convert and that’s it – but it doesn’t work like that,” he says.

His cool, calm and collected approach to conversion has made Eaglesfield Paddle the ‘leading light’ that it clearly is; with the 200-year anniversary fast approaching there has already been interest from local TV and radio stations keen to put the spotlight on this rather impressive primary. So what advice does Robson have for school business managers looking to emulate Eaglesfield Paddle’s success? “Ensure that the educational experiences enable your community to ‘be the best you can be’ and beef up your central support and have a good accounting system in place. Make sure the budget holders know that the school is now effectively a business and every decision they make will have a ripple effect throughout the organisation.” So what are you waiting for? Make sure your back office is primed for the changes ahead and take a leaf from unflappable Robson’s book – the key to success is to focus on the finances and ensure your offering is head and shoulders above the rest.

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Diving in There’s a lot to think about when your school decides to convert to an academy. Jan Jones takes a look at the accountancy challenges that SBMs face post-conversion and asks the experts how they can hone their accountancy skills

D

eciding to tread the path to academy conversion will induce a heady mixture of excitement and terror – so many opportunities, so many pitfalls, so much work! More schools are now making that tumultuous decision and coming to terms with the very different world within which academies operate.

Val Andrew, ASCL business leadership specialist, says the quality of the conversion experience depends on where you start from.

“School business managers’ experience will depend on where their individual school begins this journey of conversion,” she says.

“In our experience, and in talking to our members, we know that experiences of the conversion process can vary significantly.”

SBMs emerging bleary-eyed on the other side of the academisation process agree that coming to terms with the financial and accounting side of the process is the thorniest issue. ”I think it’s fair to say that the biggest challenge is the change in financial

requirements and reporting. Understanding the terminology that comes with commercial accounts for some finance staff is all very new,” Adele France, business manager at Ecclesfield School in Sheffield, tells me. “There’s a significant shift from the financial information schools provide to the local authority compared to dealing with the administration and preparation of company accounts.”

Helen Rumsey, a partner at Ensors Chartered Accountants, pulls no punches when explaining what’s involved. “It’s important not to underestimate what the school is taking on. Post-conversion, the academy will be responsible for all aspects of its finances, accounting for all income and expenditure, payroll function, dealing with VAT and year-end procedures culminating in the production of compliant, audited statutory financial statements for filing on public record.”

Andrew paints an equally daunting picture.

“Academies are independent institutions with equivalent status to a central government

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FU PI D N AA T N E C E

THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT FROM WHAT IS REQUIRED BEING AN LA SCHOOL TO COMPANY ACCOUNTS, AND MANY FINANCE OFFICERS ARE OVERWHELMED BY THAT SHIFT

department. As accounting officer, the principal/head within a new academy becomes personally responsible to parliament, and to the EFA’s accounting officer, for the resources under the trust’s control.”

MORE HASTE, LESS SPEED One of the biggest stumbling blocks seems to be the almost indecent haste which accompanies many conversions; the conversion timeline agreed upon is often eye-wateringly short considering all that’s involved. “Planning the process is key preconversion but, for many business leaders, this is just one thing to deal with, so the pressure is immense,” says France. “There’s also the added pressure that some schools opt to convert within a very short timeline – just three or four months; systematic changes like financial systems are not possible in that period.” Rumsey agrees. “It’s important to allow sufficient time for the process, and to be well-prepared.”

How can SBMs faced with such challenges cope? One approach is to put those aspects which can be dealt with later on the back burner, and this can include financial and accounting processes. Schools can stick with their local authority for support in the first year while they deal with other issues, and there’s also the option of buying in professional external support. “Many schools

1 8 A C ADE MY G U I D E

buy in the additional services, such as for HR and payroll,” says France. Rumsey is keen to point out the value that external professional support can add: “Academies have to appoint a firm of accountants; they will review your accounting systems to ensure that they are appropriate and also consider your financial policies and controls to ensure they are adequate.”

STRONG STRUCTURE – RIGHT PEOPLE Getting the right people in post, and ensuring that they’re supported by the right structures and governance, is crucial. Rumsey says: “It’s important to consider the calibre and skills of the trustee board. They are now responsible for running a ‘business’ and they will need the support of a good school business manager to ensure that they are receiving quality, timely information on which to base decisions.”

Andrew adds: “Academies have to ensure that the person leading their financial operation is competent to deliver what is required of them because s/he will play both a technical and strategic leadership role.”

This chimes with France’s view. “Schools need a strong structure for financial management,” she explains. “My personal belief is that a business leader’s role should not be focused on operational aspects but on the medium/long-term strategic financial

position of the academy.”

The accountancy landscape of academies is far more detailed and complex than that of local authority schools and it’s ‘penny wise – pound foolish’ to think this aspect can be managed with the same level of finance team staffing as before. “I appointed a school accountant prior to conversion.

He’s responsible for operationally managing and leading the financial service in school.

He monitors the budget, manages the finance officers, produces the accounts for submission at year-end to EFA and links with me and the external auditors,” France says.

However, an effective SBM doesn’t have to be an accountancy genius to survive academy conversion. As France says: “I’m an experienced business manager, having been in schools for 20 years. However, I’m not a qualified accountant although I have financial management experience and partqualification which I transferred into the post.

There are many business managers across the country in the same position.”

You do have to be able to see the bigger picture, identify those things which need to be done now and those which can be left until later, get the right structures in place and secure external help or delegate appropriate aspects of the work to staff with the right experience. If you’re facing conversion in the near future, take heart and jump in!

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