Integrated curriculum and financial planning (ICFP)

Overview

Integrated curriculum and financial planning (ICFP) is a management process that helps schools plan the best curriculum for their pupils with the funding they have available. It can be used at any phase or type of school.

ICFP involves:

• involves measuring your current curriculum, staffing structure and finances
• finances, and using the data to create a 33- to 5-year plan
plan.

The idea of linking curriculum and financial planning is not new. Most schools probably use some ICFP processes already when reviewing their curriculum or financial strategy.

The benefits of ICFP

ICFP is most effective when it is part of your planning activity and involves your senior team, including your business manager and governors.

Linking curriculum and financial planning can help you:

• achieve educational success and financial sustainability
• deliver the best curriculum your school can afford that meets the needs of your pupils

CommonGetting started with ICFP steps

MostThere approachesis no one way to do ICFP, followbut commonit steps.should include analysing your:

Preparation

• teacher deployment
• use of support staff
• non-staffing costs
• balance of income and costs

GetThe schoolmore leaders,variables governorsyou andmeasure, trusteesthe onmore boardaccurately andyou’ll be able to predict the resources you can afford in the future.

You’ll need to make suresome theyassumptions understandabout whathow anthings might change over the next few years. Starting before you begin planning for the next academic year will give you time to recruit any new teachers you need.

ICFP approachis is.most Theeffective freewhen webinarsit is a normal part of your planning activity and involves your senior team, including your business manager and governors.

Use the 7-step guide to ICFP section(PDF, can135 KB, 7 pages) to help withyou this.get started.

Common ICFP steps

You’llMost needapproaches to:to ICFP follow common steps.

Prepare

To begin, you should:

• get curriculumthe andright financialpeople plannersinvolved to- assesscurriculum yourand school’s current financial situationplanners andneed theto school’swork teaching resourcestogether
• create an educational vision statement for your school
• establishconduct commona assumptionsthorough aboutassessment whatof willyour changecurrent overfinancial 3situation
• conduct toa 5thorough yearsassessment including:
  • pupilof numbersyour andteaching needsresources
  • funding
  • costs
  • staffing
  • educational policy
• choose an ICFP tool thatto meetshelp youryou needsknow what to measure
• make sure school leaders, academy trustees and governors understand common ICFP terms (PDF, 202 KB, 9 pages)

Analysis

UseSee yourthe chosenbasic principles of ICFP tool(PDF, 179 KB, 10 pages) to enterhelp youryou school’s:prepare.

Analyse

Then start to:

• incomelook andat expenditurethe curriculum you wish to provide
• teacherlink curriculum costs to budget planning
• full-timemeasure equivalentand teachersbenchmark key metrics
• establish common assumptions about what will change over 3 to 5 years, including pupil numbers
• length ofand yourneeds, timetablefunding, cyclecosts, staffing or educational policy

Plan

YouFinally, canyou thenshould:

• reconcile measurestaffing and benchmarkcurriculum keyplans metricswith againstwhat othercan similarbe schools.delivered Keyin metricsa arebalanced explainedbudget
• write ina morestrategic detailplan infor 3 to 5 years
• set regular reviews and update the sectionplan onas freethings webinars.
  change

The

What to measure

ICFP toolbalances willthe calculaterelationships metricsbetween:

• the foramount youof suchteaching as:
  time required to run the timetable
  • pupilthe teacheramount ratioof support staff time required (outside of mainstream secondary settings)
  • averagethe proportion of time teachers spend teaching
  • class sizesizes
  • averagethe teachercost loadof employing teachers
  • teacheravailable contact ratiorevenue
  • costnon-staffing percosts lessonof running the school
  • averagethe teacherbudget costavailable for teaching costs

  TheSome moreschools variablesand trusts use additional metrics, such as ‘curriculum bonus’.

  Using an equation (Association of School and College Leaders website) shows the relationship between what you measure,measure and how changing one figure can affect other variables.

  The fundamental equations (PDF, 172 KB, 8 pages) and supporting workbook (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 32.7 KB) explain the morelink accuratelybetween you’llmetrics bewithout abletoo much maths.

  Analysing these metrics shows where you can create savings to predictinvest in areas that will make the resourcesgreatest youdifference to pupils.

  You can afford.do a simple analysis using the School resource management self-assessment tool (academies) or the Schools financial value standard (maintained).

  Reconciliation

  Your analysis will give you the number of teachers you can afford, based on estimated cost pressures, income and pupil roll numbers, and the number of teachers neededyou need to deliver your ideal curriculum.

  If these numbers are different, you will need to reconcile them.

  ReconcileDo yourthis numbersby by:

  • changing other metrics to close the gap between these numbersnumbers. -This youcould maymean needadjusting to adjust class size, numberpupil ofto teachersteacher ratio or the curriculumnumber offered
  • workingof openlyteachers.

    What with all relevant staff until you reach an agreement - what you change will depend on the priorities set out in your educational vision statement

  • consideringstatement. whatReconciliation schoolshould be done openly with all relevant staff until you reach an agreement.

    You will need to consider what can deliverbe delivered by school staff and the impact that any changes may have on teacher workload and the work-life balance -of reducingstaff. schoolSee workloadthe Workload reduction toolkit.

    ICFP cantraining

    This training will help withhead this

  Strategicteachers, planninggovernors and reviews

  Writeschool abusiness strategicprofessionals.

  Institute planof forSchool 3Business toLeadership 5(ISBL)

  ISBL yearshas usingpublished allan theICFP datatraining youpresentation havewhich gathered.covers:

  Set

  • an regularoverview reviewsof ICFP
  • metrics and updatecalculating themetrics
  • what planmetrics ascan thingstell change,you makingabout sureyour thatorganisation

  Entrust

  Entrust youhave continuecreated toschool includeresource allmanagement leaderswebinars andwhich governors.cover:

  • benchmarking
  • ICFP using DfE tools

  Basic

• ICFP freedeep dive
• ICFP toolduring uncertainty
• procurement
• joined up leadership

IfOn youbehalf areof newthe toDepartment ICFP,for theEducation, ICFPEntrust toolhave indelivered thea Financialsecond Benchmarkinground andof Insightstraining Toolfocussing (FBIT)on willICFP helpbut youalso tocovering donew aelements basicof school resource management.

ICFP analysis.tools

You Itcan isuse freean Excel workbook tool to use,input youand justanalyse needyour afigures. DfEThere Sign-inare account.

Intermediatea variety of free ICFPand tool

Ifpaid youfor alreadytools haveavailable somefor experiencedifferent ofschool ICFP,types youand mightsituations.

The likefollowing tools are free to useuse.

Tools afor moreprimary detailedschools

Primary toolschools suchcan asuse the:

• the primary school workbook (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 85.979.6 KB) and technical guide (PDF, 375349 KB, 1513 pages)
• secondary.

  The schoolPioneer workbook (MSAcademy ExcelTrust Spreadsheet,(primary) 99.9have KB)developed their own set of tools and guidance including:

  technical
  • a guidestaff deployment analysis tool (PDF,MS 427Excel KBSpreadsheet, 1977 pagesKB)
  • speciala schoolsstaff anddeployment providersanalysis oftool APwith workbookoptions to merge classes (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 75188.8 KB)
  • an andaccompanying technicalstaff guidedeployment analysis manual (PDF, 2721.34 KBMB, 15 pages)

  ICFP usingWatch DfEThe toolsPioneer isAcademy aTrust’s freeapproach webinar from Entrust that gives an introduction on how to use the workbooks.

  Paid-for ICFP toolsin andprimary packages

  schools:

  ThereThe arePioneer ICFPAcademy toolsTrust’s availableapproach for schools to buy.ICFP Some of these tools have additional resources and training. You could ask other schools in yourprimary networks which tools they use and recommend.schools

  Free

  Tools webinarsfor andsecondary guidance

  schools

  ThisSecondary trainingschools willcan helpuse headthe teachers,secondary governors and school businessworkbook professionals.

  Institute(MS ofExcel SchoolSpreadsheet, Business89.9 Leadership (ISBLKB)

  ISBL hasand antechnical ICFPguide (PDF, training492 presentationKB, that18 covers:pages).

  • an overview of ICFP
  • calculating metrics
  • what the metrics can tell you about your school

  Entrust

  Entrust’sWatch webinarOutwood onGrange HowAcademy toTrust’s integrateapproach curriculum and financial planning covers:

  • which metrics you will need
  • how to understand your ICFP results
  • howand tocurriculum implement changes
  bonus:

  EntrustOutwood alsoGrange’s haveapproach schoolto resource management webinars which cover:

  • ICFP using DfE tools
  • ICFP

    Tools metricsfor deepspecial dive

  • ICFPschools duringand timesproviders of uncertainty

  Freealternative ICFPprovision guides

  (AP)

  TheseSpecial guidesschools provideand furtherproviders supportof with ICFPAP andcan ICFPuse terms:

  • 7-stepthe guidespecial toschools ICFP (PDF, 135and KB, 7providers pages)
  • basic principles of ICFPAP workbook (PDF,MS 179Excel KBSpreadsheet, 10752 pagesKB)
  • common ICFPand termstechnical guide (PDF, 202272 KB, 915 pages)
  .

  Support

  SRMA programme

  YouIf canyou requesthave aany free,views confidentialon visithow fromwe onecan ofimprove thethis department’sversion schoolof resourcethe managementtool advisersand (SRMAs),further whosupport areICFP experts in schoolspecial resourceschools management and provideproviders tailoredof adviceAP, andemail support.

  The school resource management advisers (SRMA) programmeSchool.ResourceManagement@education.gov.uk has more information..

  Financial advice

  Support

  See Get financial advice for schools hasfor a list of paid providers of ICFP advice. Services include:

  • include recommending or supplying an ICFP tool
  • tool, analysing your current processes
  • and supporting you to make an ICFP action plan
  plan.

  Related resources

  • School workforce planning guidance
  • SchoolEducation resourceEndowment management:Foundation topdeployment 10of planningteaching checksassistants for governorsresearch
  • DealSupply forteacher schools: hiring supply teachers and agency workersdeal