Schools & Academies

Our dedicated and experienced School and Charity Department is led by Geoff Tarr and specialises in dealing with independent schools, academies,state schools and charities. Our professional service is both proactive and personal. We are a member firm of the UK200Group of accountants, and are members of their Specialist Charity Group, and the UK200 Academies Forum.

Schools

We provide a wide range of relevant business and accountancy services to the sector including:

Acadamies

Support on conversion

Advice on selection of accounting package, including decision on system, design of accounting structure, implementation and training.  Review of existing financial processes, updating and creation of academy finance manual

Responsible Officer 

Support to the RO or performance of the role on behalf of the officer.

Financial Services Package

A full finance services package is available to small academies.

Accounts preparation

Year end accounts design and drafting, including model accounts and more complex disclosures on transferred assets, leases and pensions.

Ongoing services.

Advising on limited company accounting, completion of YPLA returns, cash flow management.

Company secretarial services

Dealing with all secretarial compliance matters.

VAT

Advice on decision to register, partial exemption issues and ongoing compliance.

Trading 

Advice on creation of trading subsidiaries, development of commercial activities and related corporation tax issues.

Independent schools

Interim Reviews

Reviews of accounting systems and management reports to provide additional assistance to governors.

Support for bursars and finance staff.

Training for all levels of staff.

Debt Collection and Management Advice.

Advising on managing outstanding fees.

Fee Payment Advice

Advising on fee collection methods, including assistance for parents in meeting fees.

Public Benefit ReportingAssisting with reporting in this particularly high profile area.

Governance

Providing governors with the information they need to understand their role and responsibilities.

Risk Management

Assisting Governors in identifying major risks and appropriate steps to mitigate these, to enable an appropriate statement in the Trustee’s report.

Taxation

Advising on tax efficient fundraising, Gift Aid and indirect taxation. Advising regarding tax aspects of charitable trading.

Auditing and Accountancy

Annual Audits and assistance with compliance with the Charities Act and accounting standards, to allow production of best practice accounts without difficulty.

State Schools

Audit and Assurance

Annual audits of both public and private funds.

Accounting Systems

Assistance with operation of systems and compliance with reporting requirements.

We would be pleased to tell you more about how our services could assist you. Please contact Geoff Tarr, Neil Raven, Michael Graves.