FEATURE FOCUS: FINANCE


Easing economic pressure for academy finance managers


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n our second feature this month looking at the challenging financial situation facing many schools we are delighted to hear from Christopher Dryer, Director of Finance and Operations at St Bartholomew’s CE Multi-Academy Trust, who discusses the financial challenges academies are facing and how technology has helped to keep a firm grip on income and expenditure, even in the face of rising prices and shifting priorities.


The seemingly relentless and unforeseen challenges schools have faced since early 2020 have created many hurdles for finance managers like me to overcome. The school concrete crisis, otherwise known as Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete), was just the latest in a string of costly disruptions for schools around the country after Covid, and more recently, rising


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inflation and utility prices, put pressure on school budgets.


Some 214 schools and colleges in England have been listed as unsafe due to crumbling concrete which was used in their building structure. And while the DfE has announced it will cover ‘reasonable’ costs for rebuilding and renting alternative sites, school finance teams will still need to gain approval.


November 2023


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