Academies Update Conference
Designed for firms who advise academy clients, do not miss your opportunity to gain insights and elevate your advisory skills to new heights.
This content-packed conference will cover effective risk management, navigating through sector mergers and acquisitions and much more, helping to equip you with the knowledge and strategies needed to support your academies clients.
Who should attend the conference
Mercia's Academies Update conference is a must-attend event for accounting professionals who serve as trusted advisors to academy schools.
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Full conference agenda
9.30am
Welcome And Introduction
Simon Oxenham, Southend High School for Boys
Using a blend of humour and hard-hitting facts this session will:
- Articulate why there is an impending schools’ financial crisis.
- Look at budget considerations and risks.
- Share some of the changes and impending changes for the sector.
- Provide an update on the reality of ‘being brave’.
10.20am
Break
Louise Molnar, ESFA
ESFA will provide an update on developments to the academy trust financial framework and reporting requirements. ESFA will also share feedback on key findings from its latest assurance work.
11.05am
Break
Phil Reynolds, The Island Learning Trust
Phil will give an overview on the current landscape in the sector regarding what school business leaders are expecting from their professional advisors. The session will present the current thoughts of the sector, what academy trusts value the most from their advisors and their current level of satisfaction.
12.00pm
Break
Chris Whiting, Academy Advisory
A briefing on current risks facing academy trusts and solutions being bought to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of central services.
12.50pm
Lunch Break
Mark Blois, Browne Jacobson
Mark will give a review of legal developments in the academies sector including recent practical experiences of acting for and advising growing trusts.
2.35pm
Break
Adrian Loughlin and Ciaran Henry, Hymans Robertson
This session will cover:
- FRS102 assumptions - methodology and impact.
- Outlook for 31 August 2024 year end – indicative results commentary for the average employer based on current markets.
- Audit hot topics - including asset ceiling and inflation.
3.15pm
Break
Gemma Archer, Mercia Group Ltd
This session will cover key topics relevant to academies for the 2024 reporting cycle.
4.10pm
Break
James Hurst, Mercia Group Ltd
This session will provide an overview about how VAT applies to academies, with a focus on some of the common challenges.
5.00pm
Close of Conference
Conference speakers
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Simon is the Director of Resources for Southend High School for Boys in Essex and the ISBL National Lead on school finance and efficiency. As a qualified accountant, a project manager and lean practitioner, he spent a number of years working in the charity sector and a lot of his career working on finance system-related projects, including a period working for one of the UK’s largest software consultancy firms. Simon also worked in one of the largest FE colleges in the country so has knowledge of both charity and education accounting. Simon is well known across the sector having delivered numerous training sessions and presentations with ESFA, and, on behalf of ISBL. He is also a member of one of ESFA’s Financial Assurance working groups and the ISBL Funding Special Interest Group. |
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Louise is a Financial Frameworks Manager for ESFA and leads on the development of the Academies Accounts Direction, its supporting documents, and the development of the academy trust good practice guides on financial management and governance. Prior to joining ESFA, she worked as a school business manager in an academy trust and has also held a variety of roles in public sector finance. |
Phil is part-time Chief Financial Officer at The Island Learning Trust – a three-primary school trust based in Kent. The trust last grew back in 2020 but is now looking to grow further. Phil’s previous experience includes that as a local governor in a growing trust and he is a member of one of the ESFA’s finance and assurance working groups. Phil also worked for 20 years in a top-30 audit firm and is well known across the sector having worked with a number of trusts as well as being highly active in the media. He also runs his own financial management and consultancy services business for academy trusts, PLR Advisory.
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Chris Whiting is the managing director of Academy Advisory and has previously held CFO positions for a number of academy trusts. Academy Advisory is a specialist provider of internal audit and consultancy services to the academy sector with over 300 academies nationwide. Its services cover all aspects of academy trust operations, including areas such as educational improvement, safeguarding, finance, HR, ICT, estates and governance. Chris has worked closely with the DofE and ESFA on a number of engagements including anti-fraud response and academy turnaround in addition to his work as an internal auditor. |
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Mark is a Partner in, and the founder of, the Education team at Browne Jacobson and has almost 30 years’ experience as an education lawyer. He is recommended as a leader in his field in the industry directories Chambers UK and Legal 500. Chambers UK describes Mark as ‘a true leader in the sector’ and Legal 500 includes him in their 'Hall of Fame' highlighting law firm partners who are 'at the pinnacle of the profession'. Mark also has over 20 years’ experience of serving in governance in the education sector and between 2011 and 2021 Mark was the Chair of the L.E.A.D Academy Trust, a now 27-school multi-academy trust. Mark has also served as a DofE designated National Leader of Governance. |
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Adrian is a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries within the Hymans Robertson’s public sector team, advising Local Government Pension Schemes (LGPS) and employers across the UK. He is one of the actuarial leads in the public sector accounting team responsible for delivering over 4,000 annual IAS19 reports for local authorities and FRS102 disclosures for academies. Within his role Adrian speaks to stakeholders across the sector including employers, auditors and the NAO on methodology and ongoing audit issues. |
Ciaran Henry is an Associate of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries within the Hymans Robertson’s public sector team, advising LGPS and employers across the UK. He is one of the accounting specialists in the public sector accounting team responsible for delivering over 4,000 annual IAS19 reports for local authorities and FRS102 disclosures for academies. Within his role Ciaran is responsible for the training and development of actuarial staff at Hymans and the planning and delivering of IAS19 and FRS102 exercises for employers across the LGPS throughout the year.
Gemma jointly leads the team responsible for Mercia’s file and compliance reviews, including performing reviews at client sites or remotely. She also lectures on Mercia’s Early Careers Programme and on specialist areas such as charities and academies, ESG and Mercia methodology, as well as advising clients on technical queries.
Gemma joined Mercia from audit practice in January 2021, where she had worked for 13 years, specialising in not-for-profit and charity clients for over a decade. Gemma has a keen interest in academies and sits on several ESFA working groups.
James joined Mercia in October 2022 as VAT Trainer and Consultant. His role involves writing technical material as well as devising and delivering VAT training courses. James has a wide experience of VAT and indirect tax, beginning his VAT career with HM Customs & Excise (as it then was) before moving to the private sector in 1995 and gaining his CTA qualification. Latterly, he had VAT Partner and Head of VAT roles in Grant Thornton and Mazars. James was actively involved with the Charity Tax Group for a number of years and has presented on VAT topics for the Charity Finance Group.
Outside of work, music remains a keen interest. Aside from playing jazz on the tenor sax, James is a regular member of the trumpet section of the Leeds Project Big Band.
One Day Conference
Previous Academies Update Conferences
Explore the programme of our previous Academies Update Conferences:
