Service description
Our clients find our audit service a very engaging and supportive service. Our Team of dedicated schools auditors are very experienced in delivering a service that is tailored to meet schools’ needs and is highly praised by schools. Our customers often say how helpful our auditors are, a quick look at our website will confirm this, and welcome the assurance and support that we provide the school and staff.
DAP is dedicated to maintaining and strengthening of its customer’s achievement of their aims through assurance on their financial and operational systems. We do this by providing quality internal audit services and assurance to schools, governors, staff and pupils, through a staff of highly experienced and enthusiastic people, sharing a tradition of integrity and rigorous service to our clients.
The services offered by DAP are on an annual subscription basis. It will be necessary for a school to subscribe for the whole of the relevant subscription period (i.e. 3 year) to be entitled to a full audit review.
Your subscription will include:
- full audit review to meet minimum standards, once in every 3 years
- assurance on the DfE Schools Financial Value Standard as an integral part of the full audit
- continuous advice service – by phone, email, internet on finance standards, audit or any other school control matter
- audit bulletins – briefs on current key issues
- seminars – presentations via Learning Community groups.
Benefits
Our service provides assurance to the school and governors that it maintains best practice in its financial systems and supports the school to achieve the expectations of the Schools Financial Value Standard for maintained schools and financial governance for academies.
Our service will add value to the school by helping ensure it operates effective systems. Our assurance on the management of key risks and for the governance statement will allow the school to focus its key priorities.
Benefits for governors
- Confidence the school is operating soundly
- Confidence that your responsibilities are being met
- Understand the risks of school practices
- Assurance that the legal requirements of key financial systems reviewed are being met
Benefits for the school
- Better or stronger systems & controls
- Operational savings and efficiencies
- Minimisation of risk
- Operate in line with accounting and other standards and best practice
Benefits for staff
- Assurance on working practices & controls
- Peace of mind
- Share the good experiences from other schools
- Understand the risks and benefits of systems and their controls
Benefits for pupils and parents
- Safe comfortable environment for pupils
- Confidence that school resources are used efficiently and effectively
- Confidence of pupil safety on off-site activities
Federations
You have chosen the benefits of a federation and will quite naturally wish to ensure that you receive an audit tailored to your schools’ needs.
We offer a range of discounts that should ensure that you receive a level of audit suited to your federation structure whilst being more cost-effective than individual audits and minimising disruption and duplication.
For the best service, we would encourage you to call us to discuss your federation structure and service requirements.
Pay-as-you-use services (these services can also be added to your subscription if you prefer better cash flow; please call to discuss arrangements)
Devon Audit Partnership offers consultancy and other services on an individually charged basis. The following are examples of services that are available upon request:
- Financial Audit of Voluntary funds.
- Risk management and consultancy.
- Systems review.
- Computer Security Review.
- Partnerships and external funding.
- Extended school services review.
Charges for pay-as-you-use services will be by agreement on selection of services.
Who to contact
Team Name: Schools Team
Address: Devon Audit Partnership, Dart Suite, Larkbeare House, Topsham Road, Exeter EX2 4NG
Tel: 01392 382586
Email edaudit@devon.gov.uk (LA maintained schools)
Website: www.devonaudit.gov.uk
Service charge schedule 2022/23
The following services are offered for a contract period of 3 years on an annual instalment subscription basis:
- Full audit review to meet minimum standards, once in every 3 years.
- Assurance on the DfE Schools Financial Value Standard as an integral part of the full audit.
- Continuous Advice Service – by phone, email, internet on finance standards, audit or any other school control matter.
- Audit Bulletins – briefs on current key issues.
- Seminars – presentations via Learning Community groups.
Full audit review (annual subscription for a 3 year contract)
| School type | Size/Number of pupils | Annual charge |
|---|---|---|
| Maintained – primary | Up to 250 | £460 |
| Over 250 | £502 | |
| Maintained – special | All | £556 |
| Maintained – secondary | Up to 1000 | £896 |
| 1001 to 1500 | £1081 | |
| 1501 to 2000 | £1236 | |
| Over 2000 | £1431 | |
| Maintained – federation | Any | £ by agreement |
| Academy | Any | £ by agreement |
Additional services
| Service type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Health check audit (at interim period) for primary and special schools | £160 |
| Health check audit (at interim period) for secondary schools and federations | £220 |
| Catering review | £110 |
| Computer security review | £110 |
| Extended school services review | £110 |
| Partnership review | £110 |
| Local payment schools (primary only) | £65 |
Pay-as-you-use services (additional audits to the full audit offered above)
| Service type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Audit review of catering or computer security or Partnerships or Extended Services by agreement, prices from | £650 |
| Health check audit (at interim period) for primary and special schools | £460 |
| Health check audit (at interim period) for secondary schools and federations | £600 |
| Presentation of audit report to governors | £160 |
| Consultancy and risk management (per day) | £335 |