The DfE have specified all SRMAs or SBP Mentors must meet the criteria below:
Essential Skills for Accredited Persons – SRMAs
Be an Accredited Person (SRMA).
Have at least two years’ experience of school or trust business management, or financial management in a school setting.
Have a good understanding of how the school system works, including understanding the differences between local authority and academy trust funding and frameworks.
Must be an expert with broad and deep knowledge of the concepts of ICFP and benchmarking and be able to demonstrate how they would use these tools practically in different settings.
Have a good understanding of excellent resource management and know how to obtain best value for school and trust budgets through procurement, recruitment, financial governance, and financial forecasting using DfE tools and other commercial solutions.
Not be currently working in an academy trust or local authority maintained setting that is in deficit or subject to DfE intervention. An exception to this may be granted if the deficit and/or intervention pre-exists the mentor’s appointment with the trust or school.
Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills supported by strong emotional intelligence and report writing skills.
Desirable skills for Accredited Persons (SRMAs)
A minimum of two years’ experience as an accountant or similar role.
Experience of managing funding for SEND and Alternative Provision.
Essential Skills for Accredited Persons – SBP Mentors
To ensure that mentors can effectively support mentees, as a minimum they must:
Be an Accredited Person (Mentor)
Have at least 2 years’ experience of working as a CFO in an academy trust, or School Business Manager (or equivalent) in a maintained setting and be able to evidence working knowledge of up-to-date sector developments. Mentors should be appropriately role-matched to their mentees as far as possible, e.g. a CFO mentor for a CFO mentee, but not matching a CFO mentee with a mentor who has not also held an equivalent role.
Not be currently working in an academy trust or local authority-maintained setting that is in deficit or subject to DfE intervention. An exception to this may be granted if the deficit and/or intervention pre-exists the mentor’s appointment with the trust or school.
Have a strong working knowledge of the concepts of Integrated Curriculum Financial Planning (ICFP) and benchmarking.
Have a good understanding of excellent resource management and know how to obtain best value for school and trust budgets through procurement, recruitment, financial governance, and financial forecasting using DfE tools and other commercial solutions.
Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills supported by strong emotional intelligence.
We can help you through the accreditation process by providing one to one support and advice along each step of your SRMA journey. We are currently looking for aspiring candidates and so if you would like more information, or simply an informal chat then please email us at SRMA@Northyorks.gov.uk
Ready to apply? Then we would love to hear from you, complete the application form below and email it to SRMA@Northyorks.gov.uk to begin your journey.
Background on SRMAs and the Journey to Accreditation
SRMAs must work with one of the two providers the DfE has selected as SRMA supplier organisations. Once you are registered with North Yorkshire Council, we will work with the accreditation provider, Education Performance Improvement Limited (EPI) to support you through the accreditation process.
Once you are accredited, the role of the an SRMA is to offer bespoke support to academy trusts and local authority maintained schools or the individual mentee.
DfE receive a wide range of requests for support.
A standard deployment will take a holistic view of the school’s/trust’s financial situation, including consideration of the following issues:
- Human resources: Effective curriculum delivery, workforce planning and wider use of staff and leadership time through the use of Integrated Curriculum and Financial Planning (ICFP).
- School management and governance: financial management and challenge across the senior leadership team and board of governors.
- Resources: Procurement (including, for example, consideration of National Deals, schools’ buying strategies etc.), value for money, capital finance and estate management.
- Asset Management: Good Estates Management and strategic vision for the schools’ assets.
SRMAs support effective resource management by providing independent and impartial advice to schools and trusts on how to maximise resources in order to maintain and improve educational outcomes for all pupils, including those with SEND. SRMAs should take into account the nature and context of the school, i.e. whether it is academy or maintained, MAT or SAT, mainstream, special or Alternative Provision, primary or secondary, and whether it is a faith school.
SRMAs can offer support in a number of ways and are deployed in differing capacities depending upon the individual needs of the school/trust. These include:
- Where the school or trust is in good financial health, the SRMA shall be required to make recommendations on how the school or trust can further improve its approach to financial management to ensure every possible resource is being directed to the areas that have greatest impact on educational outcomes; part of this will be determined by the school or trust’s approach to ICFP.
- Where a school is experiencing difficulties the SRMA can support a school or trust to develop a viable budget plan by examining its financial planning and proposed spending plans. As part of this, the SRMA will be expected to consider whether the trust or school uses an ICFP approach and, if so, how this is carried out. This includes identifying whether it uses ICFP diagnostic tools and models and how.
- Where the trust or school does take an ICFP approach, the SRMA shall work through the key metrics to identify options that could potentially deliver improvements in the way staff are deployed.
- Where the trust or school does not use ICFP, the SRMA shall help it introduce ICFP into its planning processes as well as suggesting other options for improvements.
- Where a school or trust has a new CFO the SRMA can be deployed as a mentor to support the growth and development of the new CFO.
- In most instances, SRMAs will be expected to carry out a ‘follow-up’ deployment to the same setting at least six months after report submission. The purpose of this deployment will be to check on progress against the recommendations.
All SRMAs must carry out a minimum of one deployment per year (from the date of their accreditation) to maintain their accredited status.
SRMA Accreditation Process and Route
| Essential skills for SRMAs | Desirable skills for SRMAs |
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Be an Accredited Person (SRMA). Have at least two years’ experience of school or trust business management, or financial management in a school setting. Have a good understanding of how the school system works, including understanding the differences between local authority and academy trust funding and frameworks. Must be an expert with broad and deep knowledge of the concepts of ICFP and benchmarking and be able to demonstrate how they would use these tools practically in different settings. Have a good understanding of excellent resource management and know how to obtain best value for school and trust budgets through procurement, recruitment, financial governance, and financial forecasting using DfE tools and other commercial solutions. Not be currently working in an academy trust or local authority maintained setting that is in deficit or subject to DfE intervention. An exception to this may be granted if the deficit and/or intervention pre-exists the mentor’s appointment with the trust or school. Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills supported by strong emotional intelligence and report writing skills.
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A minimum of two years’ experience as an accountant or similar role. Experience of managing funding for SEND and Alternative Provision
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The accreditation process is managed by a company called Education Performance Improvement Limited (EPI) and involves the following:
- Attendance at an online induction event (approx. 1.5hrs).
- Attendance at two online training sessions for SRMAs.
- A one to one call with an experienced SRMA.
- Completion of a case study. Candidates will have a 24-hour period in which to complete and return this.
- Attendance at an assessment panel where the candidate will be interviewed, and will present their case study.
As a supplier organisation, North Yorkshire Council will support you through this process and will hold supplementary training sessions, provide you with tools, mock case studies and run through the panel process with you so that you are as prepared as possible.
A payment of £600 is available for attendance at the accreditation, upon successful completion.
SBP Mentor Accreditation Process and Route
| Essential skills for SBP Mentors | |
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To ensure that mentors can effectively support mentees, as a minimum they must: Be an Accredited Person (Mentor) Have at least 2 years’ experience of working as a CFO in an academy trust, or School Business Manager (or equivalent) in a maintained setting and be able to evidence working knowledge of up-to-date sector developments. Mentors should be appropriately role-matched to their mentees as far as possible, e.g. a CFO mentor for a CFO mentee, but not matching a CFO mentee with a mentor who has not also held an equivalent role. Not be currently working in an academy trust or local authority-maintained setting that is in deficit or subject to DfE intervention. An exception to this may be granted if the deficit and/or intervention pre-exists the mentor’s appointment with the trust or school. Have a strong working knowledge of the concepts of Integrated Curriculum Financial Planning (ICFP) and benchmarking. Have a good understanding of excellent resource management and know how to obtain best value for school and trust budgets through procurement, recruitment, financial governance, and financial forecasting using DfE tools and other commercial solutions. Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills supported by strong emotional intelligence
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The accreditation process is managed by a company called Education Performance Improvement Limited (EPI) and involves the following:
- Attendance at an online induction event (approx. 1.5hrs).
- Attendance at two online training sessions for SBP Mentors.
- Attendance at an assessment panel where the candidate will be interviewed, and will present their case study.
As a supplier organisation, North Yorkshire Council will support you through this process and will hold supplementary training sessions, provide you with tools, mock case studies and run through the panel process with you so that you are as prepared as possible.
A payment of £600 is available for attendance at the accreditation, upon successful completion.
Benefits of working with North Yorkshire
- Supplemental training on ICFP, key metrics, benchmarking, along with hints and tips on how to approach the case study and panel
- Practice case study’s and panel interview to ensure you are well prepared.
- One to one support and training as required.
- An experienced and dedicated SRMA team.
- SRMA recruitment portal to access tools and examples as well as collaborating with other candidates.
North Yorkshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and we expect all SRMA’s to share this commitment. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974; safer recruitment checks will be carried out, including relevant checks with statutory bodies.
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