This blog is being published on ‘Star Wars Day’. In a few days’ time our opinion will be sought on which empire returns to No. 10 and whether the new government will be a clone of the last. But whatever the result – great pressures on school budgets me thinks!
From The EFA Planner In May
Academies:
- Complete summer school census -opens 21 May
- Submit academy trusts’ financial statements for academic year 2013 to 2014 to Companies House
- Submit their March accounts return for the period ending 31 March 2015 – for academy trusts that did not prepare audited financial statements as at 31 August 2014 or opened new academies between 1 September 2014 and 31 March 2015
EFA:
- Issues academies’ accounts direction for trusts preparing 2014 to 2015 financial statements
- Publishes residential funding scheme guides for 2015 to 2016
- Publishes Care to Learn 2015 to 2016 guide
- Pays the second and final primary PE and sport grant payment for 2014 to 2015 academic year
- Publishes guide to funding allocations for 2015 to 2016 for academies opening on 1 September 2015
The EFA Planner published for further education colleges, sixth-form colleges , special post-16 institutions, maintained schools and maintained special schools (MSS) can be found by
clicking here.
School Teachers Review Body – 2015
Schools will be aware that consultation on the 25
th Report on Teacher’s Pay ended on 23 April.
The STRB has recommended:
- A 1% uplift should be applied to the minima of all the pay ranges and allowances in the national pay framework (unqualified teachers’ range, main pay range, upper pay range, leading practitioner pay range and the leadership pay range, including the minima of the 8 headteacher group ranges), the 3 levels of TLR payments and the SEN allowances
- A 2% uplift should be applied to the maxima of the main pay range
- There should be no increase to the maxima of the 8 headteacher group pay ranges
- An uplift of 1% should be applied to the maxima of all other pay ranges and allowances in the national pay framework (unqualified teachers’ range, upper pay range, leading practitioner pay range, the three levels of TLR payments and the SEN allowances)
Academies are due to submit their budgets for 2015-2016 to the EFA this term, and they should account for these changes, alongside changes to pension rates and national insurance.
Those schools and academies using SBS Online to assist with their planning are able to apply different rates of inflation to different groups of staff. If you need assistance with this or any other matters relating to your budget, please contact the
Help Desk on 0845 300 8179 – Option 2.
Universal Infant Free School Meals
The universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) grant enables schools to provide free school meals to all pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2. Information about how much funding schools will receive for the academic year 2015 to 2016 has now been published.
Funding is based on a rate of £2.30 for each meal taken by eligible pupils. It is assumed that pupils will take 190 school meals in the course of a full academic year. This provides a figure of £437 per eligible pupil. For the academic year 2015 to 2016 a provisional allocation of UIFSM grant to schools will be based on the final allocation for academic year 2014 to 2015. A final allocation for academic year 2015 to 2016 will be calculated in June 2016, from the October 2015 and January 2016 school censuses.
In addition to the main allocation above, schools with 150 or fewer pupils (including nursery classes) recorded on the January 2015 school census will receive £2,300
The DfE has provided a calculator to assist schools alongside further guidance,
click here.
Teachers Pension Scheme
Academies should have been provided with the figure for Contributions Received by TPS in 2014-2015, with a request to complete the End of Year Certificate from their payroll records. All employers are required to send the completed EOYC by the last working day in May. The certificate must be completed and then signed by a ‘suitable person’ – which will generally be a qualified accountant. As the figures also need to be audited by the Academy’s Auditor by the end of September, many academies have their EOYC audited before the end of May, so that no further action is required later.
Visit the website of the Teachers Pension Scheme for
further guidance.
National Non Domestic Rates
Academies can now claim relief with their 2015-2016 National Non Domestic Rates. To make a claim, academies will need their URN and their bills for the 2014 to 2015 and the 2015 to 2016 financial years. This is so that they can give the values for both years in full, prior to any relief being applied and for the full 12 month period.
Click here.
