SFVS (Schools Financial Value Standard) to be in place by March 2013

July 18th 2011: The DfE issued new guidance on the SFVS, with a timetable for its introduction and support notes. Download the two key documents:SFVS 2011 (Schools Financial Value Standard) and SFVS 2011 (Schools Financial Value Standard) with support notes . (The 23 questions are reproduced below)

What is the SFVS? The DfE say: Schools manage many billions of pounds of public money each year.  Effective financial management ensures this money is spent wisely and properly, and allows schools to optimise their resources to provide high-quality teaching and learning and so raise standards and attainment for all their pupils.  The SFVS replaces the Financial Management Standard in Schools (FMSiS) and has been designed in conjunction with schools to assist them in managing their finances and to give assurance that they have secure financial management in place.

Who is the SFVS for?   The standard is a requirement for local authority maintained schools.  Other schools are welcome to use any of the material associated with the standard, if they would find it useful.   Governing bodies have formal responsibility for the financial management of their schools, and so the standard is primarily aimed at governors.    

What do schools need to do?  The standard consists of 23 questions which governing bodies should formally discuss annually with the head teacher and senior staff.

• The questions which form the standard are in sections A to D.  Each question requires an answer of Yes, In Part, or No. 
  If the answer is Yes, the comments column can be used to indicate the main evidence on which the governing body based its answer. 
  If the answer is No or In Part, the column should contain a very brief summary of the position and proposed remedial action.   
• In Section E, governors should summarise remedial actions and the timetable for reporting back.  Governors should ensure that each action has a specified deadline and an agreed owner.
• The governing body may delegate the consideration of the questions to a finance or other relevant committee, but a detailed report should be provided to the full governing body, and the chair of governors must sign the completed form.
• The school must send a copy of the signed standard to their local authority’s finance department.

There is no prescription of the level of evidence that the governing body should require.  The important thing is that governors are confident about their responses.  (See the support notes for guidance on completing the form)

What is the role of local authorities (LAs)?  Unlike FMSiS, the SVFS will not be externally assessed.  LAs should use schools’ SFVS returns to inform their programme of financial assessment and audit.  LA and other auditors will have access to the standard, and when they conduct an audit can check whether the self-assessment is in line with their own judgement.  Auditors should make the governing body and the LA aware of any major discrepancies in judgements. 

Timetable – key dates  
Maintained schools which had not attained FMSiS by the end of March 2010 must complete and submit the SFVS to their local authority by 31 March 2012; and conduct an annual review thereafter.  For all other maintained schools, the first run through is required by 31 March 2013; and an annual review thereafter.

Contact details for DfE Financial management helpline
Telephone: 020 7340 7775
Email: financial.management@education.gsi.gov.uk

Links:

• Support notes for each section of the SFVS
• Value for Money Health Check (PowerPoint)
• DfE Efficiency and Value for Money in Schools: Governance guidance
• DfE Sample Guidance notes (including Governing Body financial competencies, Whistleblowing and benchmarking) (Word doc)
• The Value for Money Health Check Tool, showing whether practices etc are Embedded, Improving or Not in Place (colour coded) - Orginal version: Value for Money Health Check (Excel) One sheet summary from C2G: GB Value for Money Health Check (Word doc)
• Financial skills matrix, to assess what skills the Governing Body has.
• How do you check for Value for Money when buying Technology for Learning?

 Published version of the SFVS (issued July 18th 2011)

A: The Governing Body and School Staff

1.   In the view of the governing body itself and of senior staff, does the governing body have adequate financial skills among its members to fulfil its role of challenge and support in the field of budget management and value for money?

2.   Does the governing body have a finance committee (or equivalent) with clear terms of reference and a knowledgeable and experienced chair?

3.   Is there a clear definition of the relative responsibilities of the governing body and the school staff in the financial field?

4.   Does the governing body receive clear and concise monitoring reports of the school’s budget position at least three times a year?

5.   Are business interests of governing body members and staff properly registered and taken into account so as to avoid conflicts of interest?

6.   Does the school have access to an adequate level of financial expertise, including when specialist finance staff are absent, eg on sick leave?

7.  Does the school review its staffing structure regularly?

B:  Setting the Budget

8.   Is there a clear and demonstrable link between the school’s budgeting and its plan for raising standards and attainment?

9.   Does the school make a forward projection of budget, including both revenue and capital funds, for at least three years, using the best available information?

10.  Does the school set a well-informed and balanced budget each year (with an agreed and timed plan for eliminating any deficit)?

11.  Is end year outturn in line with budget projections, or if not, is the governing body alerted to significant variations in a timely manner, and do they result from explicitly planned changes or from genuinely unforeseeable circumstances?

C:  Value for Money

12.   Does the school benchmark its income and expenditure annually against that of similar schools and investigate further where any category appears to be out of line?

13.   Does the school have procedures for purchasing goods and services that both meet legal requirements and secure value for money?

14.   Are balances at a reasonable level and does the school have a clear plan for using the money it plans to hold in balances at the end of each year?

15.          Does the school maintain its premises and other assets to an adequate standard to avoid future urgent need for replacement?

16.  Does the school consider collaboration with others, eg on sharing staff or joint purchasing, where that would improve value for money?

17.  Can the school give examples of where it has improved the use of resources during the past year?

D:  Protecting Public Money

18.  Is the governing body sure that there are no outstanding matters from audit reports or from previous consideration of weaknesses by the governing body?

19.  Are there adequate arrangements in place to guard against fraud and theft by staff, contractors and suppliers (please note any instance of fraud or theft detected in the last 12 months)?

20.  Are all staff aware of the school’s whistleblowing policy and to whom they should report concerns?

21.  Does the school have an accounting system that is adequate and properly run and delivers accurate reports, including the annual Consistent Financial Reporting return?

22.  Does the school have adequate arrangements for audit of voluntary funds?

23.  Does the school have an appropriate business continuity or disaster recovery plan, including an up-to-date asset register and adequate insurance?

OUTCOME OF SELF-ASSESSMENT

E:  Summary of agreed remedial action and timetable for reporting back:

     [signed]                                                                    Chair of Governors

Date: 

Support notes for each of the questions give clarification of the scope of the question, guidance on best practice and suggestions for ways forward if the answer is not yet Yes.