Responsible for providing advice and support to (a) Senior Officers within Local Authorities and (b) Accounting Officers of Multi and Single Academy Trusts ensuring that they are compliant with the Academies Financial Handbook, providing advice and support to Trustees of Multi and Single Academy Trusts in the execution of their duties, developing strategies to ensure schools achieve balanced budgets and maximise income.Selected main duties:• Production of monthly management accounts• Budget Preparation• Closing of Accounts• Attendance at Trustee Meetings• Company House filing (Confirmation statement; Director changes)• ESFA Returns (BFRO; BFR; CIF; Annual Accounts; Land and Buildings)• Project ManagementSelected Achievements:• Undertook a health check of a finance department in a Multi Academy Trust and made recommendations for change• Undertook a review of sold services to schools at a London Borough which resulted in improvements in working practices and achieved cost savings• Provided advice and support to a school within a Multi Academy Trust and offered suggestions on how they could make significant cost savings• Successfully closed the accounts of one Multi Academy Trust and three Single Academy Trusts since 2018• Renegotiated the reprographics contract for a Single Academy Trust and achieved projected savings in excess of £40k over 4 years• Conducted forensic audits on three schools whose budgets are in significant deficit, identified the causes and provided roadmaps to achieving balanced budgets• Supported a school through a staff restructure which will result in annual savings of £1m• Supported a Council with its High Needs Recovery Plan. Provided leadership in developing a project plan / detailed action plan, liaised with the DFE, and provided strategic management in the delivery of the action plan.

Drawing on two decades of strategic leadership and innovation, I hold the accountability of growing the finance and business services operations of the Primary First Trust, developing a strategic plan that develops finance, HR, premises and governance services to schools, supporting the Primary First Trust’s ambition to improve the quality of education to schools in the Trust and to surround Children with Excellence.The following are highlights of the value I’ve brought my employer:☞ Developed partnership and fortified capital funding of £1.7m by ESFA Condition Improvement Fund, £110k in growth funding for Academy of Cuxton Schools from Medway Council, and £63k in capital investment for kitchen equipment.☞ Attained budget savings of £68k through re- tendered school meals contract, £43k from re-brokered energy contracts, and £25k from re-brokered photocopying contracts.☞ Confirmed that Trust schools are in accordance with Health and Safety rules and regulations, by signing an agreement with Peninsula PLC.☞ Contracted with Findel Ltd to set up up-front discounts of 15% and 10% cash-back on annual net expenses.

As a Senior Accountant at the London Borough of Bexley, I accomplished a plethora of activities including: schools funding, bursarial support to schools, school funding reforms around Special Educational Needs, early years funding and providing financial management support to The Learning Centre Bexley (Adult Education). I played a key role as an advisor to Chief Officers and resolved education finance issues. I acted as a member of the SLT at The Learning Centre Bexley and advisor to the Bexley Schools Forum.The following are highlights of the value I brought to the organisation:☞ Identified and helped the SLT at The Learning Centre Bexley achieve £220,000 in budget savings☞ Introduced banded funding for pupils and students with Special Educational Needs☞ Collaborated with South London Boroughs and wrote a set of process notes around cross-borough charging for inter-authority recoupment. The process notes were used by the Education Funding Agency as a model of good practice and presented at the National Fair Funding Conference.☞ Established a curriculum based accounting model to recognise courses that are not cost effective and acquired additional tuition fee income of £120k.

I reported directly to the Director of Education and Social Care, and answerable for the business development of Bexley Services Network. I led a review of services sold to schools across Bexley Council. I designed and implemented models of full cost recovery for support services sold to schools. I developed strategies to increase income or reduce expenditure.The following are highlights of the value I brought to COMPANY: ☞ Increased revenue income from services sold to schools by £300,0000 in 2011/12 from BSN project.☞ Facilitated the London Borough of Bromley on a consultancy basis to set up its full cost recovery models for services sold to its schools as part of the shared services agenda☞ The BSN project was nominated for a Municipal Journal award in the category of Transformation through ICT.

With London Borough of Bexley, I supervised budget preparation and closed accounts for the Directorate of Children and Young People Services. I scripted reports for Directorate SLT and Committee and headed Bexley Schools PFI Project.The following are highlights of the value I brought to COMPANY:☞ Spearheaded finance teams about accounting and management accounting functions.☞ Organised and distributed £20m for Special Educational Needs and Devolved Staffing Budget.