FEATURE FOCUS: SCHOOL FINANCE


The power of live data to drive better school budgeting decisions


W


hile news that the government is set to increase funding for schools could ease


the shortfall many have seen in recent years, education professionals are well aware that they must continue to maximise their resources to ensure value for money. From managing complex budgets and reducing excess admin to ensuring compliance and data security, Paul Grubb, Head of Product at education technology specialist Access Education, discusses the importance of live data and collaboration for finance teams.


The government’s plan to inject an extra £14 billion by 2022-23 into the education system will rightly give schools a reason to be cautiously optimistic, although the pressure to do more with limited funds is unlikely to disappear any time soon. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies


(IFS), this investment represents a real-terms rise of 7.4% and could almost reverse the 8% cuts seen since 2009/10. As the IFS also points out, however, spending per pupil will not have increased in over 13 years, if rising costs are taken into account. Anyone working in education knows how


challenging it is trying to balance the books in the face of higher expenditure, and reports of


teachers using their own money to buy classroom supplies are never far from the headlines. Yet funding issues reached a critical point recently, when some headteachers said they could be forced to close schools early sparking protests from parents, teachers and pupils. The problem is that any additional funding,


while welcome, is quickly being swallowed up by growing costs. Increases to teacher pension contributions, which came into force this year, could have left schools with a massive shortfall had the Department for Education (DfE) not pledged to pick up the estimated £830 million pension bill for 2019/20. Even so, it is currently unclear whether it will continue to do so. Then, of course, there are rising energy bills,


training, planned and emergency building repairs and supply teachers to cover sickness absence or where there are staff shortages. As with any funding announcement, the devil


is always in the detail – some of which is coming to light as the DfE sets out how the £14 billion will be allocated. The fact that the ‘biggest increases will go to the schools that need it most’ is good news, as is the certainty it gives schools to plan their budgets. Making the announcement in early October,


the DfE has reiterated that it will continue to help schools in England to maximise the value from


30 www.education-today.co.uk


every pound spent through its resource management guidelines. Covering everything from effective workforce planning, to leveraging their buying power during procurement, the strategy is designed to alleviate ‘cost pressures’. It is important to remember that this should


not be seen as a money-saving exercise that results in falling standards. Rather, it is about putting systems in place to help schools work as efficiently as possible to improve pupil outcomes. Like any organisation, they need to look closely at whether valuable resources are being drained by ineffective staff deployment, excessive paperwork and/or duplicated tasks. Better financial planning processes –


particularly when curriculum-led – are increasingly seen as a good way to streamline operations, while also supporting pupil attainment and safeguarding. One academy we work with, the Catholic High


School in Chester, celebrated its best GCSE results last year, and received glowing praise in its last Ofsted inspection. As assistant headteacher Stephen Gauller points out, exam success ‘did not happen by fluke’ but through ‘planning and good decision-making’. Using our curriculum-planning system, he is able to quickly measure the impact on staff when pupil numbers or funding changes, enabling the school to recruit accordingly.


November 2019


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