29 May 2019
Following the recent release of the UHY 2019 Academies Benchmarking Report, it is important to understand why benchmarking is such a useful tool, as it helps Academy Trusts to:
- identify areas of spend;
- compare expenditure with other similar Academies
- compare the staffing structures of the academies within your trust and with external trusts;
- informs the decision making process where savings and improvements can be made.
Main Areas to Benchmarking
The main areas to benchmark are in the areas of greatest expenditure, which can broadly be analysed between:
- teachers and educational support staff pay;
- non teaching support staff pay;
- supplies and services;
- premises costs.
Limitation of Benchmarking
Benchmarking is only a guide and other factors should be taken into account such as:
- education needs;
- scarcity of staff resources;
- age of school buildings;
- depreciation rates.
Getting the most from Benchmarking
To get the most from benchmarking it is best to:
- join or form a benchmarking group of similar size academies in your area through:
- the local authority;
- a school business managers network.
- review the differences and consider the reasons for them;
- use the UHY 2019 Academies Benchmarking report and the ESFA Benchmarking website to obtain benchmarking data to compare against your academies in your area.
If you would like more information on Academy benchmarking, please read our UHY 2019 Academy Benchmarking Report or contact your local UHY office.
