School Finance

The School Accountancy Support Team provide consistent Financial Support and guidance to Local Authority maintained schools. The team works with schools to ensure that all the statutory financial obligations of the school are met, and regulations complied with including the requirement under Buckinghamshire Council’s Scheme for Financing Schools that Governing Bodies must set balanced budgets.

In addition to their statutory work, the team also provide support with budget setting and forecasting, training, and ad hoc financial advice.

Key Contact
Jonathan Carter 
Regulatory Returns

The School Accountancy Support Team provides additional financial resource management advice specifically for schools facing financial difficulty resulting in a cumulative deficit budget or under an academy order.

Key Contact
Cheryl Stead
Schools forecasting deficit budgets

Traded Services

Buckinghamshire Council Finance provides a wide range of services for schools, which can be purchased online. Services are delivered by highly experienced teams with a passion for quality and excellence in customer service.

The Schools Accountancy Support team provide additional services via a traded package to purchase training sessions and support.

Key Contacts
For general finance service-related queries: Contact via the Service Desk Portal.

For an urgent response call Service Desk on 01296 382222 option 3

Cheque Book Packages

Buckinghamshire Council provides a choice of support for Local Authority Cheque Book Schools.

Cheque book school package

Full reconciliation service for Cheque Book Schools

• Buckinghamshire Council Finance to complete the 3 way reconciliation between your bank, local system (FMS) and SAP based on the information provided to us. This will be completed every term and the school will receive an electronic copy of this as per the timetable
• the monthly VAT return should be completed to facilitate the correct reconciliation
• any amendments identified during the reconciliation will be notified to the school for correction
• Buckinghamshire Council to upload the VAT return into SAP.

Cheque book school ‘doing own’ package

Buckinghamshire Council Finance administration work for 3-way reconciliations for Cheque Book Schools

School to complete their own 3-way reconciliations between bank, local system (FMS) and SAP based on the information they have, and Buckinghamshire Council Finance provide for SAP. The school will complete this every term and send an electronic copy to finance as per the timetable.

Key Contact
Jonathan Carter

Finance Operations also provide the following services to schools:

• Income allocation and cheque depositing
• Creditor payment and support – charged retrospectively by usage
• Purchasing Cards – subject to admin fee
• Imprest claims – not-charged for

More information can be found at the following links: https://commercial.buckscc.gov.uk/s4s/

SchoolsWeb: https://schoolsweb.buckscc.gov.uk/finance-zone/