A contract rolls over because everyone is busy. A trusted supplier gets another year because changing feels risky. A purchase sits below a threshold, so nobody thinks much process is needed. In schools and trusts, procurement problems are rarely caused by one major decision. More often, they come from small assumptions that build up over time. Peop...

As multi-academy trusts grow, payroll and HR processes often come under pressure very quickly. What works in a smaller trust can become much harder to manage once more schools, more staff and more local variation are added into the mix. In many cases, the issue is not that payroll stops running or HR stops functioning. The challenge is that the cen...

School leaders are entering a new era where reputation, retention, and long-term planning matter more than ever. For decades, many schools planned around growth. Rising pupil numbers supported expansion, increasing budgets, recruitment activity and long-term development planning. But across England, that environment is beginning to shift. Falling b...

With schools continuing to face rising costs, increasing SEND demand and growing pressure on budgets, many leaders are looking beyond traditional funding streams to support their pupils, staff and facilities. Grants can provide valuable financial support for everything from technology upgrades and wellbeing initiatives to SEND provision and major c...

Why growth changes the operational demands behind multi-academy trusts Growth does not just increase the number of schools within a trust. It changes the operational demands behind how those schools work together day to day.What once worked effectively across a small number of schools can quickly become harder to manage consistently at scale. Proce...

Payroll in schools is expected to be straightforward: staff are paid correctly, on time, every time. But in reality, it's one of the most complex and high-risk administrative functions in education - and one many schools quietly struggle to manage. Not because teams aren't capable, but because the demands have outgrown the way payroll is ...

Explore how Keystone's insightful internal scrutiny services gave Pickwick Academy Trust detailed governance reviews, EDI-focused evaluations, and confidence in compliance, helping the Trust drive continuous improvement with clarity and assurance.  The Client Pickwick Academy Trust is a primary-only multi-academy trust of 2...

Using an external partner for internal scrutiny can be a worrying task, with your procedures and practices being put under scrutiny and tested for weaknesses. But is internal scrutiny really a scary prospect?  Schools and trusts are already carrying out internal scrutiny routinely, often on a day-to-day basis, it just isn't nece...

When it comes to internal scrutiny, often the narrative is one of fear and apprehension, but this needn't be the case. In our latest video, Keystone's Education Leadership Consultant, Matthew Clements-Wheeler, outlines 7 ways you can foster a positive culture around internal scrutiny in your organisation. If you have any questions around internal s...

Internal scrutiny plays an essential part in managing risks in schools and trusts, but whilst traditional methods focus primarily on ensuring compliance with regulations and internal procedures, they often fall short in identifying and addressing hidden risks that lurk beneath the surface. This blog aims to delve deeper into the imperative of enhan...

Internal scrutiny can often be seen as something that's worrying, or a boring compliance piece that gets in the way of day- to-day trust operations. However, effective internal scrutiny can bring multiple benefits to a trust. Here are 5 ways that internal scrutiny can benefit your trust beyond compliance with ESFA regulations: 1. External expertise...

Keystone is a company focused on people.  Our approach has always been about creating a culture that genuinely values our team members, as well as being proud of their unique qualities, passion, insider experience and knowledge within the industry. For the first in our 'Meet the Team' series, we start with our Director...

The growth of a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) is an exciting yet challenging journey. As more schools join the trust, the complexity of operations increases, presenting new risks and challenges.  Risks, Rewards & Realism Adding more schools to a trust brings practical and cultural challenges. The volume of routine 'day to day' activities goes ...

Introduction: Selecting the appropriate internal scrutiny partner is the crucial first step in ensuring that your school or trust maximizes the benefits of internal scrutiny. In accordance with the guidelines set out in the Academy Trust Handbook, your internal scrutiny process should encompass a wide range of financial and non-financial controls, ...

 Internal scrutiny is a powerful tool for trust improvement, but only if you read the reports and act on the recommendations made. Once you've had your report from your internal scrutiny partner, it's time to take a look at what they found. It might sound obvious, but you'd be surprised how often this step gets skipped! According to the Academ...

Checking social media and online presence as part of safer recruitment practices was introduced as a 'should' in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022, and as we all know, with KCSIE, a 'should' is really an instruction to 'go and do'. The process itself is quite simple, but it can be difficult to know where to start when 'online' is such a broad...

The role of HR in the expansion of MATs is multifaceted and central to long-term success. As MATs look to expand, strategic and operational HR practices can help or hinder both the attraction of schools to the trust and the ease with which they convert and are assimilated into trust practices. What is strategic HR, and why should expanding MATs car...

With today's ever-tightening budgets, schools face the challenging task of delivering exceptional education without stretching resources too thin. HR isn't something that automatically springs to mind when looking for cost savings, but effective practices can save both time and money. Let's explore how strategic HR practices can help save costs. Re...

The latest version of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) has been published and comes into force on 1 September 2023. The changes made in KCSIE 2023 are mainly clarifications on existing guidance – the key change that jumps out is around the implementation of the DfE's 'Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges' (the ...

So, the long-awaited announcement is finally here! After painful strikes and heated debates, the government has given its full consent to the STRB's recommendations. What's in it for the teachers? A solid 6.5% pay hike. And the best part? It's not just a reshuffling of old funds but an infusion of fresh money that's fully backed. This is defin...