May 2021
Dear Colleagues,
We hope you are all staying safe and healthy during these 'new normal' times as things start to open again. This month's bulletin includes updates and more information for budgeting deadlines.
External Audit
We have prepared the year end information for inclusion in the Council's statement of accounts and subsequent audit. Further information may be requested from the external auditors, Ernst and Young, over the next few months and these requests will have to be answered within 48 hours. The expectation is that we have already received sufficient information from schools to answer any such requests, however if the auditors do require any further detail relating to your school your Link Finance Officer will contact you.
Preliminary CFR Upload to DfE
Please find attached instructions to upload this year's CFR return from FMS to the DfE Collect site. Please ensure you have access to this DfE Sign-in site allowing plenty of time for the submission deadline Friday 11th June 2021. Please note only do the preliminary CFR upload once your school's FMS Spring upgrade has been done and the re-allocation of I18 funding separated to I18a, I18b, I18c and I18d has been completed.
Budget Planning
Reports for Submission to LA
We would hope that this year schools have been able to set Governing Body meetings and will be able to submit their three-year budget plan by the deadline date of 31 May 2021. If for any reason, you will not be in a position to submit your budget by the deadline, please ensure your Link Officer is aware and where possible agree a revised submission date.
The required report is generated within SBS as follows:
- Reporting
- CFR Summary Report
- Export to PDF
This requires approval by the Full Governing Body and to be signed and dated by both the Chair of Governors and Headteacher.
Intended Use of Surplus Balances
The Intended Use of Surplus Balances return template is attached with this bulletin. Figures from your year-end statement should be used to calculate the surplus balance percentage.
As in previous years, schools with a surplus higher than the recommended level (5% for Secondary's and 8% for Primaries, Specials and Nurseries), will be required to submit this return with their three-year budget plan.
Copies of Governing Body minutes detailing an expenditure plan for surplus balances should accompany the return. Where possible, timescales should be provided for expenditure plans to inform us of balances being carried forward over a few years. Last year's surplus balance statements should also be reviewed to analyse how much of the previous year's planned surplus was actually spent in 2020-21 and how much has been carried forward to the current year.
The deadline for this return is the same as for the three-year budget plan, 31 May 2021.
Teacher Pay and Pension Grants (Funding outside of the NFFs in 2021 to 2022)
Maintained nursery schools, school nurseries, sixth forms, 16 to 19 schools, and non-maintained special schools and some special and alternative provision free schools are not funded through the NFFs. In the 2021-22 financial year, these institutions will be paid separately to core allocations and the grant will be paid based on the per pupil rates.
Payments in respect of the Teacher Pay and Pension Grants covering the period April to August 2021 have been included in the May Cash Advance for these schools at a rate of £21.56.
Further allocations for the second half of the financial year, September 2021 to March 2022 will be published in the autumn at a rate of £30.19.
For those schools yet to finalise their budgets, you may wish to use these figures to adjust your budgeted income for 2021-22 and these movements can be allocated to Cash Advance Expected in FMS.
SBS Budget Finalised - Fix and Publish Scenarios
All schools must use this facility once checked by your link officer. In the past, problems have been encountered where schools edited their scenarios after the budget plan was agreed by Governors but before it had been locked on the software. As a result, they were unable to track back to the exact details behind the Schools three-year budget plans when queries arose.
To fix your budget plan on SBS select:
- Settings
- Budgets
- Click on edit of budget name
- Amend title to 'Final budget 2021-24 as agreed by Governors' or similar and save
- Click on cog icon at top right of screen
- Choose 'Fix'
- This will create a duplicate working budget that will continue to be editable
- Settings o Budgets
- Click on edit of duplicated budget
- Amend title to 'Woking budget 2021-24' or similar
- Click on cog icon at top right of screen
- Choose 'Set as current' and then 'Make default'
To Publish your budget plan select:
- Settings
- Budget
- Click into budget name 'Final budget 2021-24....'
- Click on cog icon at top right of screen
- Choose 'Publish
SFVS Return 2021-22
The SFVS return is required for submission to the LA by 28 May 2021. Link to DfE checklist and dashboard guidance:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-financial-value-standard-sfvs
IR35 Legislation & Declaration
Please be reminded that your school is complying with IR35 guidelines by checking the IR35 status of a worker.
Schools can easily determine the IR35 status of a worker by: completing HMRC's Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) online questionnaire.
Please find attached an IR35 Annual Declaration Form, to be signed by the Headteacher and submitted to Schools Finance Team. Please note, this is a new requirement and deadline for these to be returned will also be 28 May 2021, along with your SFVS returns.
Fraud Attempt - Payment Request
We have been made aware of a spurious payment request from the following company. They may be targeting Hillingdon Schools, so please be aware.
Nicholas Roberts Publications Ltd
Address: The Courtyard, Main Rd, Barleythorpe, Oakham LE15 7FZ
Phone: 01572 722444
SBS Helpline and email
SBS provides a helpline to schools for technical questions:
Telephone: 0345 222 1551 option 8
Email: sbsonline@schoolbusinessservices.co.uk
Please continue to contact your link officer for finance queries.
Kind Regards
Schools Finance Team
Attachments
CFR Preliminary Upload Guidance 2020-21 [414KB]
