Value for Money Statement

Academy trust name: …Bartley Green School ….………..

Academy trust company number: .07523506......

Year ended 31 August 2014.

I accept that as accounting officer of Bartley Green SchoolI am responsible and accountable for ensuring that the academy trust delivers good value in the use of public resources. I am aware of the guide to academy value for money statements published by the Education Funding Agency and understand that value for money refers to the educational and wider societal outcomes achieved in return for the taxpayer resources received.

I set out below how I have ensured that the academy trust’s use of its resources has provided good value for money during the academic year.

Improving educational results:

Following the excellent results in 2013, this year saw pupils achieving the best results in the school’s history, with 80% of pupils gaining A* - C GCSE in English, 70% gaining A* - C in mathematics and 67% gaining A* - C in both English and mathematics. 17% of all pupils achieved 3 or more A*/A grades.Other notable subject results included the following percentages of pupils achieving grades A* - C: Biology 100%, Chemistry 100%, Physics 100%, Science Additional 75%, Drama 94%, French 88%, Catering 81% and Geography 72%. In addition, the percentage of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate increased from 20% to 23%.

The Academy continues to demonstrate success for those pupils entitled to free school meals at any time in the last six years and supported by Pupil Premium funding in gaining good academic results. The results by these pupils showed 45% achieving 5 or more A* - C grades at GCSE including English and maths, which is an increase of 1% on the previous year.

These results were supported by the school achieving its third consecutive “Outstanding” inspection grade from Ofsted in November 2013. Despite the fact that the bar has risen in terms of expected achievement, and several changes in the Ofsted framework, the school still met the required standard and were judged to be outstanding in all areas; achieving Grade 1 across all measures.

One of the most notable achievements was that 100% of teaching was judged to be “Good” or better, with almost half being judged as “Outstanding”. The Ofsted Inspectors stated they had never been in a school where they had not seen a single lesson that “Requires improvement” or was “Inadequate”. The Inspectors also said:

“Standards of behaviour throughout the school are exceptional”;
“Students show enthusiasm for their learning and are attentive and engaged in all lessons across the school”;
Students told inspectors how much they appreciate the support that teachers provide; and
Senior leaders provide “outstanding support and training” for teachers.

A copy of the full report can be found on Ofsted’s website at

Pupil attendance continues to be closely monitored with the attendance rate during the year being 94.7%, broadly in line with 94.8% the previous year. The persistent absence rate has improved from 5.5% to 5.2% in 2013/14. Both the figures for overall attendance and persistent absence are better than the relevant national averages; and significantly better when compared to schools with similar proportions of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding.

Staffing – The staffing structure is continually kept under review to ensure the right staff are available to deliver the required timetable, including dedicated intervention classes for pupils requiring additional support in key subjects.

Individual pupils – The academy monitors individual pupil progress throughout the school and ensures there are sufficient resources to meet the individual support and/or development needs of each child.

Collaboration – The academy is engaged with many other education providers locally, regionally and nationally:

The academy was one of the first 100 National Teaching Schools;
The Headteacher is a National Leader in Education, and the academy is a National Support School;
The academy established the West Midlands hub for Challenge Partners, a self and peer review network of schools, all focusing on improving standards and reducing equality gaps; and
The academy is a trust partner for Brownhills School in Walsall and is also a member of the local Oaks Collegiate consortium of schools, sharing best practice, expertise and resources for the benefit of schools within the group.

Quantifying improvements–Evidence to support the academy’s strategies in recent years are demonstrated by the following examples:

There were just over 250 more GCSE entries in 2014 than in 2013; this represents a rise of 24%.
The proportion of A*-A grades achieved in GCSEs has almost quadrupled from 4.2% to 16.1% between 2011 and 2014.
The proportion of A*-C grades achieved in GCSEs has increased by 5.6% since 2012.
On average pupils are achieving 3 points more per GCSE entry than in 2011, this is around half a grade more on average.
Above expected progress in both English and maths is more than double what it was in 2010 and shows improvement at a far greater rate than national figures.
23% of pupils at Bartley Green achieved the English Baccalaureate from the 30% who entered. This is double what was achieved in 2012, well above the 4% achieved in 2011 and is now broadly in-line with the national average.
Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) pupils have shown strong improvement in 5+ A*-C including English and maths, in 2010 there was a gap between BME and their peers of just over 11%. In both 2013 and 2014 the gap is negligible (1%)

Financial governance and oversight

The systems of internal financial controls are set out in the academy’s Financial Regulations and are based on a framework of routine management information and administrative procedures, including segregation of duties, budget delegation and accountability. In particular it includes:

Detailed annual budgeting and monthly monitoring systems, including management accounts reviewed by the Finance and Audit Committee;
Monitoring of monthly financial key performance indicators;
Clearly defined purchasing procedures and cash handling procedures; and
Segregation of duties and delegation of authority for purchasing and accounts payable.

The systems of internal financial controls have been reviewed by both the Responsible Officer in the form of an audit by experienced external auditors, and also during the external audit of the year end financial statements. The findings from these reviews are discussed by the Finance and Audit Committee and reported to the Governing Body.

No significant weaknesses have been identified by these audits and the summary page in the report to the Responsible Officer stated “The work we have performed shows that the controls in place over payroll, purchases, income and the accounting system, are being operated properly.It is evident that controls and procedures continue to be refined thus ensuring the Academy is working in compliance with the controls and procedures in your Financial Regulations.”

Procurement

The academy’s purchasing procedures are clearly defined in the school’s Financial Regulations and adherence with these procedures was reviewed during the audit for the Responsible Officer. All purchases over £5,000 require at least three comparable quotations, and purchases above the tender limit require a formal competitive tender process, as detailed in the Financial Regulations, and approval by the Finance and Audit Committee.

During the year the academy reviewed a number of significant contracts to ensure best value. Specialist consultants performed a review of the academy’s cleaning and catering contracts. Their findings concluded the cleaning contract was extremely good value based on the cost per square metre and recommended several options to consider improving the value from the catering contract. These will be reviewed again in 2014-15 to ensure the school is achieving value for money.

In April 2014 the academy appointed new gas and electricity suppliers following a review by a specialist firm of energy brokers. Prior to this date the school bought its energy through purchasing arrangements via contracts negotiated by the local authority. These were fixed price contracts for a year. The academy is now able to benefit from reducing energy prices via flexible purchasing by specialist energy brokers, and this has already resulted in significant savings to date with a 17% reduction in the rate paid for gas and a 1% reduction in electricity costs.

Income generation

The academy considers opportunities to maximise income in the form of hiring facilities, investment income, grants from other sources and recharging for the use of resources. During the year the academy continued to hire its Leisure Centre to the Local Authority.

Reviewing controls and managing risks

Monthly management accounts and budget monitoring reports are reviewed on a routine basis by the Headteacher, School Business Manager, Financial Controller and budget holders. Any significant variances are identified during the procurement process and therefore enable the academy to explore ways to minimise the impact of adverse variances on the cash flow forecast and outturn for the year.

Movements in the academy’s bank balances are monitored on a daily basis and reconciled monthly, along with all other balance sheet reconciliations. The academy’s investment policy enables surplus cash to be invested in low risk longer term deposits to maximise investment income and the academy has a programme of rolling fixed term deposits which mature each month.

Significant risks faced by the academy are reviewed annually and actions are identified to mitigate those risks. Insurance cover is reviewed annually and a competitive tender is undertaken by insurance brokers in advance of long term insurance agreements expiring.

Lessons learned

The constant review of pupil data enables the Senior Leadership Team to identify the most effective use of resources. Budget monitoring enables the academy to react swiftly when changes to activities are required to improve performance and outcomes.

Name: …Christine Owen …….…………………………….

Academy Trust Accounting Officer

Date: ……18th December 2014……………………………