Service Level Agreement (SLA): One-Day Budget Setting Support for Schools on NOVUS
Overview
Haringey Council’s Financial Advisory Service offers a fee-based, value-for-money solution designed to support schools in managing their finances effectively. Our dedicated advisers work in partnership with schools to provide robust, efficient, and economical financial management, ensuring compliance and strategic alignment with local authority requirements.
Schools subscribing to this SLA will benefit from a consistent, integrated, and professional financial management service, tailored to meet the needs of all stakeholders and strengthen long-term financial planning.
Our Commitment
To help schools manage budgets confidently, we provide a specialist team of advisers with over 10 years of experience in the education sector. This traded service ensures high-quality, professional support that empowers school leaders to make informed financial decisions.
Scope of Work
Our one-day support package includes:
- Annual Budget Forecast Preparation for school business managers, headteachers, governors, and LA submission.
- Financial Health Check to ensure compliance with internal audit requirements.
- Cash Flow Forecasting for the next 12 months.
- Review of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) and reconciliation of grant income for LA compliance.
- Helpdesk Support for prompt resolution of financial queries.
Why Choose Us?
- Experienced and dedicated staff with a proven track record in school finance.
- Strong links with Haringey Council core services, including payroll and HR, for a seamless experience.
- Access to Council-wide expertise and up-to-date information from Schools Forum discussions.
- Bespoke services tailored to the unique needs of each school.
- Commitment to building long-term relationships for continuous improvement.
Service Standards
The school finance team undertakes to:
- Provide virtual/remote support for general enquiries, with resolution within 5 working days.
- Deliver account closure services promptly and accurately.
- Allocate up to 5 days of dedicated financial support resources.
- Collaborate with SBMs for timely submission of accounts to NOVUS.
- Act on constructive feedback from termly information-sharing sessions.
- Issue year-end close-down reports within 6 working days post-account closure.
- Continuously improve services through annual user satisfaction surveys.
