Devon Audit Partnership
Audit and FMSiS Update
Devon Audit Partnership
FMSiS – Moving Forwards
• When is the deadline for achievement ?
• 31st March 2010 & that requires the LA to be
aware of and able to agree this !
• Whose responsibility is it ?
• Who is in the driving seat ?
The
Governors &
Headteacher
• What are they doing to meet the FMSiS ?
Devon Audit Partnership
FMSiS – Moving Forwards
• What are you doing ?
• Who has it planned for :
– This week ?
– This month ?
– This Term ?
• Where can you get help?
Devon Audit Partnership
Audit Website
& Team &
Finance
Officer
FMSiS Current Position
04/11/2009
FMSiS Position at :
Met
School Name
Primary
316
From
Accreditation
Confirmed
Selfassessment
116
37%
14
4%
Not Met
Unconfirmed From External Assessment
SelfOverall
of which "n"
assessment
are over 85%
complete
17
5%
97
31%
53
17%
130
Secondary
37
27
73%
1
3%
10
Grand Total All Schools
Devon Audit Partnership
6
60%
No
Return
48
15%
26
8%
24
8%
1
3%
1
3%
0
0%
0
0%
0
0%
3
30%
186
2
5%
6
16%
6
16%
28
Special
From Self-assessment
Overall
of which "n"
are over 85%
complete
9
0
0%
0
0%
1
10%
0
0%
6
4
164
199
FMSiS – Primary Position
FMSiS - ACHIEVEMENT
Still not
Started FMSiS
Over 55% of these
schools are nearly
there but are not
doing anything !
24
31
97
Met - Accredited
145
Met - self assessed
Not started FMSiS
116
48
Not Met - at Audit
Not Met - Self-Assessed
Devon Audit Partnership
FMSiS - Common Problems
• Governance – not well evidenced
• Governors competencies – are they
known ?
• Benchmarking – not done & not
challenging
• School Development Plan is not costed
properly & is not shown fully in the budget
• Statement of Internal Control – not done
properly
Devon Audit Partnership
FMSiS - Governance
• Are the key items in FMSiS approved by
governors ?
• Ensure there is a good cyclic plan of
governor business.
• Ensure the minutes record key approvals
e.g. budget, SDP, procurement, policy
• Utilise the cyclic plan, house keeping
checklist and calendar of mtgs to ensure
all business is completed
Devon Audit Partnership
FMSiS – Competencies
• You need to be clear where your skills lie
in the school
• Complete the competencies matrices for:
– Staff FMSiS – R11
– Governors FMSiS – R20
• Identify what training needs are identified
• Set a plan to meet these needs
Devon Audit Partnership
FMSiS - Benchmarking
• Sign on to the benchmarking website,
choose statistical neighbours, select your
schools parameters & view the charts
• Highlight the problem areas to governors
• Ask governors to identify any other areas
of concern to check in the benchmarking
• Agree an action plan to make some
improvements !
Devon Audit Partnership
FMSiS - SDP
• If the SDP is not costed & these costs not
evident in the budget you will fail FMSiS !
• Use the tools available:
– Financial summary on the Audit Website
– SDP memorandum column in the 3 yr budget
plan
• Make sure the budget shows where the
SDP is being spent !
Devon Audit Partnership
FMSiS - SIC
• The Statement of Internal Control is available on the
FMSiS website.
• It is not sufficient to print it & sign it !
– You must amend it to reflect the school i.e. all the bits that are
highlighted at least
– Record in para 4 any key elements from your last audit report not
yet addressed
– Record in para 4 if you have not set up a risk assessment /
register
– Record in para 5 what you are going to do this year to correct
these things
• You must complete a SIC each year !
– May is the best time for the previous year
Devon Audit Partnership
FMSiS – the consequences of nonachievement
• Reduced Ofsted report
– Section A of the SEF Leadership & Management is
supported by FMSiS
– Section C of the SEF (Statutory Requirements)
includes FMSiS
• FIPS consider the schools achievement of
FMSiS in their decisions for support
• Increased cost of audit from delay in concluding
recommendations for accreditation
Devon Audit Partnership
FMSiS - Solutions
• Model answers to the self-assessment on
the Audit website with other support
• Key timelines (on audit website) will help
set your time plan
• Put this information in front of your
governors
• Support available from Finance & Audit
staff
Devon Audit Partnership
Devon Audit Partnership
• New partnership from 1 April 09
• Joined services with Torbay & Plymouth
• All staff trained in the school audit
programme
• Service the same as provided previously,
just with a few different names
• Confidentiality is retained through
professional code of conduct and secure
files
Devon Audit Partnership
Audit Team
Devon Office
Plymouth Office
•
•
•
•
• Tony Rose
• Gary Sprately
David Curnow
Alexis Saffin
Claire Moore
Amy Melluish
Torbay Office
• Chloe Tompkins
Devon Audit Partnership
New Audit Programme
• Following very much from our previous
school self-assessment
• Incorporates some new areas from other
authorities
– risk assessments for H&S, Fire
– contracts
• Extends some existing areas e.g.
safeguarding, personnel appointments &
pay
Devon Audit Partnership
New Ways of Working
• We will follow-on with the approach that
you will all be familiar with
• We will extend the use of electronic
communications & information gathering
with the school
– booking letter and report
– copies of policies, minutes, SIMS extracts
• We will not extend the amount of
information we request
Devon Audit Partnership
New Ways of Working
• FMSiS and systems self-assessments will
be reviewed electronically and responded
to electronically
• Laptop based audit test programme
• Digital camera for copying sample
documents
Devon Audit Partnership
Benefits of new approach
• Increased efficiency of audit improving the
review
• Improved sharing of audit findings
• Reduction in cost of copying and staff time
for the school
• Contribution to the authority’s corporate
“green goals”
Devon Audit Partnership
DAP - Final Thought
• FMSiS – who is going to challenge their
Headteacher & Governors to achieve FMSiS ?
• Safeguarding - have you got a complete and up
to date “single central record” of checks (with
supporting evidence) to prove that all staff,
supply, agency, governors, volunteers and
contractors are safe to work with your children ?
– You will immediately be “of concern” at inspection if
not !
Devon Audit Partnership