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Monitoring Schools Spending- Is it robust enough?

Monitoring schools spending- Is it robust enough?

15 May 2012

MP’s have raised concerns about how school funds are spent, particularly around high salaries for senior staff and governor expenses. They are concerned that checks currently in place are insufficient to monitor schools and to make them accountable for their spending.

Local authorities (LAs) have traditionally been responsible for monitoring schools spending however with budget cuts and transfers of funding as a result of academy conversions many LA’s can no longer continue to monitor school finances effectively. The new Education Funding Agency has responsibility for overseeing this from central government although it is questionable how effective a centralised system of monitoring can be.

Many governors are volunteers and do not have the financial expertise necessary to ensure that they are operating a robust financial spending system in their schools. They need advice and support and to be accountable on a local level. With reduced capacity and funding in LA’s this appears to be one more argument in favour of an alternative middle tier.

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Mark Blois

Partner and Head of Education

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