Good Practice Library

A good practice library of policies, templates and guidance notes for academies

This area started life in 2013 as a shared initiative between ISBL and the Education Funding and Skills Agency (ESFA) to share templates, policy documents and guidance notes of a financial management nature with the aim of promoting consistency and compliance with the financial regulatory framework.

Following the DfE move to house all material on Gov.uk from 2019, this site will be solely developed and maintained by ISBL in partnership with its Policy Special Interest Group of sector experts.

The aim of the library is to develop and share good practice around the academy sector, and to provide practical assistance to those academies who may be in need of support, eg: free schools and newly converted academies.

Click on the Word or Excel icon to download and develop the file to reflect the individual circumstances of your particular academy

Click on the PDF icon to download a practical example

Sharing your resources and feedback

If you have any documents that you feel are relevant to financial management best practice, or any feedback relating to the ISBL Good Practice Library, please email info@isbl.co.uk

Financial management and procedures

Title
Business Continuity Plan (uploaded August 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Delegated Authority Template (uploaded November 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Internal Control Assessment (uploaded July 2014, reviewed Summer 2016)
Due Diligence (uploaded June 2016)
Financial regulations manual inc. financial procedures (uploaded Summer 2016)
Scheme of delegation (uploaded October 2016)

Financial management templates

Title
Model Budget Forecast (uploaded August 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Model Cashflow Forecast (uploaded August 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Finance Duties in a MAT (uploaded February 2014, reviewed Summer 2016)
Register of Interests Form (uploaded January 2016)
Expenses Claim Form (uploaded January 2016)
Regularity checklist (uploaded July 2016)
Proforma Management Accounts (uploaded July 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)

Roles and responsibilities

Title
Accounting Officer (uploaded Summer 2016)
Chief Financial Officer (uploaded Summer 2016)
Business and Operations Manager (uploaded Summer 2016)
Delegation of Headteacher responsibilities (uploaded Summer 2016)
Other staff responsibilities (uploaded Summer 2016)
Governors responsibilities (uploaded Summer 2016)

Terms of Reference

Title
Audit committee (uploaded Summer 2016)
All committees (uploaded Summer 2016)
Complaints committee (uploaded Summer 2016)
Dismissal appeals committee (uploaded Summer 2016)
Performance management committee (uploaded Summer 2016)
Pupil discipline committee (uploaded Summer 2016)
Staff discipline and grievance (uploaded Summer 2016)
Standards and achievement (uploaded Summer 2016)
Children, families and community committee (uploaded Summer 2016)
Finance and general purposes committee (uploaded Summer 2016)
Local governing body (uploaded October 2016)
Resources committee (uploaded October 2016)

Managing risk

Title
Risk Management Policy (uploaded May 2016)
Risk Management Strategy (reviewed May 2016)
Risk Reduction Plan (uploaded May 2016)
Risk Register Cover (uploaded May 2016)
Risk Register (reviewed May 2016)
Risk Management Example (uploaded May 2016)

Policy templates

Title
Write- Off and Asset Disposal Policy (uploaded October 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Anti Bullying Policy (uploaded October 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Equal Opportunities Policy (uploaded December 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Governor Visits Policy (uploaded October 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Whistleblowing Policy (uploaded October 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy (uploaded October 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Gifts and Hospitality Policy (uploaded February 2016)
Procurement and Tendering Policy (uploaded October 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Accounting Policies (uploaded October 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Capital and Revenue Reserves Policy (uploaded October 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Governor Allowances Policy (uploaded October 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Vehicles Policy (uploaded October 2013, reviewed Summer 2016)
Investment Policy (uploaded January 2016)
Consultancy Policy (uploaded August 2016)