Our dedicated team supports academies through tailored school accounting services, helping you navigate VAT, pension obligations, charitable activities and compliance with confidence.
We also emphasise the importance of schools financial benchmarking, by comparing your academy’s income, expenditure and efficiencies with peers, you can identify opportunities to allocate resources smarter, improve value and strengthen financial performance.
Choose Duncan & Toplis as your trusted partner.
Transitioning to academy status grants academy trusts and education providers greater autonomy and financial control. However, this independence brings increased responsibilities, particularly in managing finances and ensuring compliance. At Duncan & Toplis, we partner with academies and schools to provide expert accounting for schools, along with continued guidance and practical support to help you meet these challenges head-on.
We work with Single Academy Trusts (SATs), Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs), independent schools and Local Authority schools, supporting organisations of varying sizes and complexity.
We offer a range of services designed to support your academy trust's financial health, including:
Understanding how your academy's financial performance compares to others is vital. Participating in schools' financial benchmarking allows you to compare your income and expenditure with similar schools and academy trusts, helping identify areas for improvement and ensuring efficient resource allocation.
Accurate and compliant financial reporting is essential for academies. Our team specialises in academy trust accounting, ensuring your financial statements meet regulatory standards and provide clear insights into your academy's financial health.
We work with both independent and local authority schools, as well as single academy and multi-academy trusts across the whole of the UK to deliver results that work for you.
With extensive experience across the education and charity sectors, including primary, secondary, and Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) of various sizes across the entire country, we are among the UK's leading group of accountants and education auditors. We strive to act not only as accountants but also as trusted business advisers, providing direction that delivers results and strengthens your academy's position.
Many of our team members have gained invaluable experience through their involvement as governors and working within the education sector directly, which they are able to apply to the delivery of our services.
Our membership of Kreston Global gives the Duncan & Toplis team unprecedented reach across the UK. Our Kreston Global members share a common interest and specialisation in the UK education and wider charity sector. In addition, we also co-author the Kreston Academies Benchmark Report, allowing greater insight into the state of academies and their audits. This report reviews just over 250 academy trusts representing in excess of 2,500 schools.
Choosing the right partner is crucial for your academy trust's success. At Duncan & Toplis, we are committed to providing the expertise and support you need to thrive, and our current clients are our biggest advocates for this. Contact us today to learn more about how we can assist your academy in achieving its goals.
An education auditor will conduct a thorough analysis of a school or trust’s finances and operations, checking how compliant they are with current standards and regulations, as well as identifying gaps for growth or improvement across the board. An education auditor will also review budgets, payroll and bookkeeping records to advise decisions.
Multi-academy trusts can benefit greatly from education accounting services from registered professionals, including an assurance that laws and regulations are being met by the trust, centralised reporting capabilities and a greater understanding of a trust’s finances. Specialist education accountants can help multi-academy trusts forecast for the future and remain compliant in the present.
Schools financial benchmarking is where you compare the income, cash balances and spending of a school or trust to that of a similar sized or structured school or trust. It helps you make informed decisions with data-led evidence for your future budgets.
