Supporting schools and academies with all aspects of finance
Phase: Nursery/Primary/Secondary/PRUGovernance: Maintained/AcademyLocality: NationalContract type: Annual Contract
You will have expert advice available from our School Support Officers and Accountants. The helpdesk is available via telephone or email, five days per week. You will also receive DfE updates, a finance newsletter, networking, and an invitation to our mini conference which is free with this service.
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Phase: Nursery/Primary/Secondary/Special/PRU/PVIGovernance: Maintained/Academy/MAT/Federation/IndependentLocality: Barnet, Cumbria and StaffordshireContract type: Annual Contract
An experienced accountant will support with a range of tasks:
Strategic planning and support
Integrated Curriculum Financial Planning
Staffing restructure and scenario planning
Preparation and review of financial policies and procedures
Pre-audit review
Support for completion of SFVS
Budget preparation
Preparation of three-year plan
Support for completion of year end budget forecasts
Assisting with preparation of year-end
Balancing school accounts to the LA accounts
Recruitment and selection for finance related posts
Setting up and auditing of lettings systems and private funds
Phase: Nursery/Primary/Secondary/Special/PRUGovernance: Maintained/Academy/MAT/Federation/IndependentLocality: NationalContract type: Pay as you go
We can offer cost effective financial management without the risks and costs associated with employing your own finance team or cover when your finance team are not available for whatever reason.
Peripatetic accountant service
Our Accountants can provide the full range of expert support including producing full management accounts and benchmarking reports, budgets and forecasts, advising on cost reduction strategies and much more.
Peripatetic finance director service
Our highly experienced senior accountants can work with you as your Finance Director to advise on such things as academisation, organisational structure, financial strategy and much more. Each purchase of this product entitles you to one full day of support.
Peripatetic business manager/bursar service
Our Business Manager/Bursar service can provide the full range of expert support for your school or academy.
Peripatetic finance/admin assistant
Our support service can provide all your transactional support required.
This service provides additional support in order to relieve pressure or to provide expertise in key areas. An Accountant will be allocated to the school, although they may be assisted by other colleagues with experience/expertise in some areas. Schools are offered support in five possible areas:
Management support
Finance/accountancy/HR administration
Risk management/ health and safety
Procurement and contract management.
Because of the time limited nature of the service it is necessary for the school to give an indication of priorities - preferably two or three key areas and recognise that the service cannot cover all five areas.
Phase: Nursery/Primary/Secondary/Special/PRU/PVIGovernance: Maintained/Academy/MAT/Federation/IndependentLocality: Staffordshire/Midlands (virtual support is available nationally)Contract type: Annual Contract
On-site finance support visits to deal with everything from processing orders/invoices to assistance with three-year budget modelling. Support officer visits to the school can include:
Routine financial administration
Strategic financial support
Budget reporting
One-to-one training provided by support officers for new starters, refresher training or an opportunity to increase skills.
Benefits to your school include flexibility to choose the number of visits to suit your needs and freedom to use your finance support where and when you need it.
Phase: Nursery/Primary/Secondary/Special/PRUGovernance: Maintained/Academy/MAT/Federation/IndependentLocality: NationalContract Type: Annual Contract
To ensure your peace of mind, our flagship offer is a fully managed service which includes a budgeting system along with a finance officer and accountant support throughout the year.
This service includes flexible support when and where you need it, qualified accountants and accounting technicians with extensive knowledge of education funding.
A budgeting and finance system complete with maintenance, upgrades and support
Weekly BACS payments
Debt collection
Independent bank reconciliation
Payroll reconciliation
Transactional and strategic support
Newsletters and briefings
Accountant and finance officer visits for budgeting
Monthly management accounts
Forecasting
Year-end
SFVS return/VMFI returns
DfE statutory returns
Multiyear budgeting software including salary modelling
Access to helpdesk service (Monday - Thursdays 9am to 5pm, Friday 9am to 4.30pm)
Phase: Nursery/Primary/Secondary/Special/PRUGovernance: Maintained/Academy/MAT/Federation/IndependentLocality: CumbriaContract type: Annual contract
We understand that each school is different, that’s why we offer four different levels of bursary support.
Level 4
1.5 full days every month
Onsite scheduled appointments
Monthly financial report
Services:
Budget preparation service – complete budget submission (May)
Formula budget allocation calculation check
Final yearend financial statement
Mid-year budget review service – complete revised budget submission (autumn term)
April-May staffing budgetary control report to highlight any variances from the budget submission at the earliest opportunity; liaison with payroll if required
June budgetary control report
August budgetary control report
October to February budgetary control report each month
Level 3
1 full day every month
Input of budget
Level 2
2 visits (max 3 hours each)
Final year-end financial statement
Level 1
Phase: Nursery/Primary/Secondary/Special/PRUGovernance: Maintained/Academy/MAT/Federation/IndependentLocality: CumbriaContract type: Annual
Your bursar will support school staff on financial matters, working with you either onsite or remotely for up to 8 3/4 hours per month.
Verification/review of monthly bank reconciliation and VAT reclaim
Budget preparation service – complete annual budget submission (May)
ISBF and ISBD return to LA
April-May staffing budgetary control report
ISBQ1 return to LA
Mid-year budget review service – complete annual budget submission (autumn term)
ISBQ2 return to LA
November budgetary control report
December budgetary control report
ISBQ3 return to LA
January budgetary control report
February budgetary control report
The school would also have telephone contact with an assigned bursar. Additional support outside the hours covered by this agreement can be provided at the prevailing hourly rate.
Your monthly visit could include assistance with:
Special needs financial monitoring
Earmarked funding monitoring
Individual financial training
Review of internal scheme of delegation
Financial benchmarking
Phase: Nursery/Primary/Secondary/Special/PRUGovernance: Maintained/Academy/Federation/IndependentLocality: NationalContract type: Pay as you go
ICFP is a tool that links curriculum and financial planning, and can help schools deliver the best curriculum possible, whilst achieving educational success and financial sustainability. Entrust have been recognised by the DfE and have been included on their list of providers of ICFP advice.
ICFP looks at key metrics and those metrics inform and influence the key decisions being made by school leaders. Entrust have produced an Entrust ICFP Tool which will allow schools to introduce and implement ICFP with confidence by calculating these key metrics and using them to produce an ideal staffing structure. In addition, you will receive an Entrust webinar that will teach what these metrics mean, along with allowing members of your school to learn about ICFP, and how it can positively affect your schools financial planning.
Our Integrated Curriculum Financial Planning (ICFP) Tool helps you to easily analyse your data, showing you where you are over-spending and under-resourced while helping to ensure you curriculum is fit for purpose. The tool is simpler and quicker to complete than other tools while ensuring you get the same outcome and data you require. You will be invited to attend a half day workshop where we will provide an in-depth overview of ICFP, ensuring you understand how to gather your data, how to input it into the tool and the key metrics you need to report on.Included in this offer is access to our finance helpdesk. You can use the helpdesk for all general questions relating to ICFP, DfE/other statutory returns and internal audit. Help and guidance is available via email and all requests will be responded to within 72 hours.
We'll complete your Integrated Curriculum Financial Planning (ICFP) on your behalf and provide you with a full report for your trustees or governing board.
We will help you understand how your budget can be better aligned to your curriculum, and enable you to be better prepared so you can manage unexpected costs, meet DfE guidance, support recommendations for savings and/or identify where more support/spend is required.
Entrust have been recognised by the DfE and have been included on their list of providers of ICFP advice.
Phase: Nursery/Primary/Secondary/Special/PRU/PVIGovernance: Maintained/Academy/MAT/Federation/IndependentLocality: BarnetContract type: Annual contract
Visits from a Finance Assistant to maintain the school’s computerised accounts including:
Payment of invoices, staff reimbursements etc
Recording of income and bank reconciliations
Month end returns to the LA.
The monthly visit charges are based on 11 monthly visits by a Schools Accountant for a primary, nursery, special school or a secondary school.
Services provided can include salaries and budget monitoring, dealing with other financial queries, assistance with financial forecasts and year end returns.
Phase: Nursery/Primary/Secondary/Special/PRU/PVIGovernance: Maintained/Academy/MAT/Federation/IndependentLocality: NationalContract type: Annual Contract
Manage your day-to-day financial transactions securely and cost effectively with our Bacs Bureau Service. It is accurate, quick and simple and includes:
Payroll
Creditor and supplier payments
Payment collection
Fees refunds
Why choose Entrust?
Entrust is registered as a Bacs Approved Bureau and has been tested for security, reliability and contingency arrangements. We’ll ensure only authorised users access the system, and we have a full Bacs recovery system should it ever be required.
We know how many financial payments schools and academies must make and how time sensitive they can be. We ensure a quick and streamlined process. You won’t need a swipe-card or any special software installing. Simply upload your file to our website and we’ll do the rest!
Bacs payments and cash collections can be easily integrated into your existing financial management system in flexible data formats to meet your specific requirements. We can process Bacs payments from Access, FMS, SAGE, PS Financial and many more!
Phase: Nursery/Primary/Secondary/Special/PRUGovernance: Maintained/Academy/Federation/IndependentLocality: NationalContract type: Multi-year Contract
Access Budgeting is an intuitive, cloud-based financial planning tool trusted by over 7,000 schools and academies. It has been exclusively designed by education finance specialists and helps schools and academies plan how to use their money. It can be used to forecast budgets up to five years in advance and allows you to plan for changing circumstances, such as funding cuts or staffing cost increases.
Benefits of using the budgeting tool:
Everything is accessed on one system, saving time and resource as opposed to the spreadsheet system currently usedThe tool includes an excellent salary modeller along with a five-year budget modeller
It allows you to plan multiple scenarios around your school finances, looking at impact that salary changes, pupil intake, school funding and expenditure will have on a cumulative basis
It provides comprehensive reports at the click of a button without the need for data manipulation
Access to our Finance Helpdesk. You will receive expert advice from our School Support Officers and Accountants. You will also receive ESFA updates, a finance newsletter, networking, and an invitation to our mini conference which is free with this service. The helpdesk is available via telephone or email, five days per week.
Access Education Finance is designed exclusively for the education sector. We’ve worked with school finance managers and leading education figures to make our school and academy accounting software fit for purpose, easy to use and fully compliant with DfE requirements.
And, because all our software is delivered through our cloud-based platform, Access Workspace, it can be accessed all in one place, anytime, anywhere, on any device – with no extra IT costs and single sign on.
