This course is aimed at Governors of maintained Royal Greenwich Schools to enable them to fulfil their responsibility with regard to budget setting. Governing Boards are required to ensure that the priorities identified in the school improvement plan are resourced appropriately and that good value for money is achieved.  

Governing Boards are required to submit 3-year plans of which the current year must be a balanced position, with the remaining 2 years to support due diligence planning. 

• Governing Board approved budget plans explanation 
• How to approach 3 year budget plans with consideration of any savings that can be made 
• Income streams including Schools Delegated Budget Share (Primary and Secondary school) 
• High Needs Funding - place funding 
• Early Years Funding 
• National Funding Formula (updates if appropriate) 
• Engagement with Royal Greenwich if the school is not able to set a balanced budget 
• Monitoring budgets including funds raised in the name of the school 
• Bursarial Service 
• Preparation readiness for an audit 
• Business continuity and risk register 

Governors will: 

• have the confidence to challenge the school’s financial performance
• have the confidence to use the available data to set a 3-year budget
• have the skills and knowledge to ensure that timely and prudent management action is taken to ensure that effective budget control is maintained
• ensure that the whole Governing Board has the information available to them to become an effective and strategic group which robustly holds the school to account at all levels

All Governors, but particularly those serving on the finance/resources/business committee