A school can be like a second home for students, spending a considerable amount of time learning and absorbing information, developing thinking capabilities, and picking up valuable skills. With teachers and academics to guide them, schools need to be an inclusive environment where holistic learning and personality development are encouraged. The c...

Trust improvement through internal scrutiny

 Internal scrutiny is a powerful tool for trust improvement, but only if you read the reports and act on the recommendations made. Once you've had your report from your internal scrutiny partner, it's time to take a look at what they found. It might sound obvious, but you'd be surprised how often this step gets skipped! According to the Academ...

 As part of the Schools White Paper published nearly 12 months ago, the Government set out it's plan to have to have all schools "in a strong multi-academy trust or with plans to join or form one" within the next eight years. Whilst recent news has talked about this target likely to be missed, the move to greater academisation appears one way....

A reliable HR department is instrumental to the success of any organisation, no matter the size. From hiring staff to absence management and grievances, the human resource department is key to maintaining employee relations within any organisation. Likewise, the department of human resources for schools and Multi Academy Trusts plays an integral ro...

An ever-evolving financial climate in the education sector poses certain challenges to schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs). The demanding nature of the education finance sector continually tests the abilities and resilience of management, teaching and non-teaching staff in MATs. Introducing actionable measures to mitigate financial difficulties...

As your school grows, you'll realise that scaling education and operations is necessary to stay competitive. However, scaling and upgrading school operations within the education sector can be a challenge as education costs continue to rise. Becoming more cost-efficient is a common challenge that almost every school or MAT faces when upgrading oper...

Crises can strike without prior warning and be highly detrimental to any established business, especially in the current uncertain economic climate. This holds true for the UK's education sector, where schools and academy trusts are struggling to deal with multiple issues, from budget cuts to curriculum changes. The ideal way to mitigate any form o...

At Keystone Knowledge, we understand the critical importance of safeguarding educational institutions against fraud. To help schools navigate this complex issue, we've compiled essential tips from the UK Government's guidance on potential fraud. Our National Assurance Director, Matthew Clements-Wheeler, shares his insights on the best practices for...

As schools prepare for the new academic year, HR strategies are more critical than ever. In a recent Keystone Knowledge webinar, Pip Lloyd, Head of HR at Keystone, shared invaluable insights into crafting effective HR strategies and navigating the evolving landscape of education. Here's a comprehensive summary of the key takeaways and actionable in...

The UK government has recently unveiled the 2024 edition of the Academies Financial Handbook, bringing forth crucial updates and simplifications aimed at enhancing governance and financial management within academy trusts. This comprehensive guide explores the significant changes and their implications, offering insights for Multi-Academy Trust (MA...

An infographic showing a man holding a magnifying glass up to a report

Introduction: Selecting the appropriate internal scrutiny partner is the crucial first step in ensuring that your school or trust maximizes the benefits of internal scrutiny. In accordance with the guidelines set out in the Academy Trust Handbook, your internal scrutiny process should encompass a wide range of financial and non-financial controls, ...

The growth of a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) is an exciting yet challenging journey. As more schools join the trust, the complexity of operations increases, presenting new risks and challenges.  Risks, Rewards & Realism Adding more schools to a trust brings practical and cultural challenges. The volume of routine 'day to day' activities goes ...

Keystone is a company focused on people.  Our approach has always been about creating a culture that genuinely values our team members, as well as being proud of their unique qualities, passion, insider experience and knowledge within the industry. For the first in our 'Meet the Team' series, we start with our Director...

Internal scrutiny can often be seen as something that's worrying, or a boring compliance piece that gets in the way of day- to-day trust operations. However, effective internal scrutiny can bring multiple benefits to a trust. Here are 5 ways that internal scrutiny can benefit your trust beyond compliance with ESFA regulations: 1. External expertise...

Internal scrutiny plays an essential part in managing risks in schools and trusts, but whilst traditional methods focus primarily on ensuring compliance with regulations and internal procedures, they often fall short in identifying and addressing hidden risks that lurk beneath the surface. This blog aims to delve deeper into the imperative of enhan...

When it comes to internal scrutiny, often the narrative is one of fear and apprehension, but this needn't be the case. In our latest video, Keystone's Education Leadership Consultant, Matthew Clements-Wheeler, outlines 7 ways you can foster a positive culture around internal scrutiny in your organisation. If you have any questions around internal s...

Using an external partner for internal scrutiny can be a worrying task, with your procedures and practices being put under scrutiny and tested for weaknesses. But is internal scrutiny really a scary prospect?  Schools and trusts are already carrying out internal scrutiny routinely, often on a day-to-day basis, it just isn't nece...

The UK government recently published draft regulations around changes to paternity leave policy, due to go live this week on Friday 8th March. The main change to the policy is that it allows fathers or partners to split their statutory paternity leave into single week blocks rather than having to take it all at once, as per previous regulations. Th...

There are a developing number of stories explaining that MAT top slices are increasing and the number of trusts with fully-centralised functions is also on the rise. But what does this mean for children in schools? The intention behind this movement is that schools should get a better deal and, in turn, this delivers better outcomes for y...

Schools and academy trusts are in the people-business; because an academy trust will only ever be as good as the people it employs. This means all MAT leaders have to attract, recruit and retain the best staff they can. When you understand how your arrangements to support and include a wide range of staff are working, or aren't, you have an opportu...