Duncan & Toplis has supported Auckley Primary School ever since it began the process of converting to an academy in 2011.
Since then, we’ve built a strong relationship with the school, providing a wide range of services aided by our detailed knowledge of the organisation and the wider academies sector.
Auckley School is a junior, infant and nursery school in the village of Auckley near Doncaster. The school has around 245 pupils, most of whom come from the immediate area.
The school’s relationship with Duncan & Toplis began when it became the first standalone academy in Doncaster. During this period, we supported school leaders as they explored what, for them, was unknown territory. We helped them to make a success of their transition and grow from strength to strength.
Since then, we have provided a wide range of services to the school including advice and guidance, audit and, previously, internal scrutiny as well as financial planning and budgeting.
“I couldn’t have done it without Duncan & Toplis. I’ve relied on them from the start whether it’s for advice, governance, internal scrutiny, audit and for making sure that I did everything I should have done. They’ve been a real trusted partner.
They’re just so helpful. Whenever I need them, they’re just a call or an email away and I know that I can rely on them if I need anything.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our services changed to being delivered remotely, with activities such as audits and internal scrutiny being carried out away from the workplace. Through the use of Inflo, the school's business manager was able to upload and share all the required information with the team easily and securely.
We even advised the school when it was considering changing its finance system. We shared guidance based on the experiences of other academy trusts which switched to the system previously and used this to help the school to adjust smoothly. Our team has also helped the school to reduce outgoings and maximise revenues to support learning, even during the toughest of times.
Sylvia continues: “Things have been tough for the whole academies sector in recent years, and we have an in-year deficit at the moment, but when I speak to my advisers, they know just what to do about it. Funding is quite complicated but they always know the right places to look and they know what changes are coming up. They are really helpful and I don’t think I could do it without them being there.”
We’re very proud to have helped Auckley School for so many years, helping it make the most of its funding to support the education of its pupils and we hope to continue this great relationship for many years to come.
Click here to find out more about our services for academies or contact us to discuss your requirements.
