The demise of bureaucracy-laden FMSiS is welcome but it leaves a big gap and was done too abruptly. Will its replacement be any better? Sam Ellis is doubtful.

Let's talk about socks...

When I worked with trainee teachers and newly-qualified staff on behaviour management I frequently discussed the idea of the order of doing things. It seemed to me that chaos was produced through the simple mistake of issuing directions to students in the wrong order.

This applied equally to verbal and written directions. My simple analogy used with trainees was to state that it is usually sensible to put your socks on before your shoes.

When, on 11 February 2011, Mr Justice Holman said Michael Gove’s scrapping of the Building S Schools for the Future initiative in July 2010 had been “so unfair as to amount to an abuse of power” he was, I felt, commenting on what I would classify as a shoes then socks decision. The point was that the education secretary had acted unlawfully in failing to consult local authorities before reaching a decision. On this occasion he had missed the socks altogether.

Consultation is an interesting beast. It does not mean you have to reach agreement. It does however mean that you have to take the views of relevant people on board.

Sense of relief

The replacement for the Financial Management Standard in Schools (FMSiS) is a case in point. Unsurprisingly, there was no protest from school leaders at Mr Gove’s announcement, on 15 November that FMSiS was to stop with immediate effect. ASCL had been representing the views of members for some time that FMSiS was a bureaucratic nightmare.

In this case I am pleased to note the socks have come before the shoes in terms of the consultation, which closed on 30 April, on the replacement. I would however sound a note of caution about removing something and then thinking about the replacement later, rather than the other way round.

The proposed Schools Financial Value Standard, as the replacement is called, takes the form of a series of questions which are intended for school governing bodies to formally discuss with their headteacher and other staff.

There is a cautionary note here in the fact that the only charge ever pinned on Al Capone was one of tax evasion. I am not suggesting that school leaders operate like Al Capone but I do note that financial irregularity with public funds, even if unintentional, can prove a fatal flaw as several MPs have recently found to their cost.

FMSiS for all its bureaucracy was a standard that gave a degree of protection and guidance to keep people on the right financial lines. One hopes that the Schools Financial Value Standard will provide what was good about FMSiS and help protect and guide school leaders while eliminating the undesirable features.

I for one am reserving judgement until I see it in action. There is always a risk that what starts off as a series of questions soon develops into a requirement to assemble a significant evidence trail and we end up with a bureaucratic mess. I like to think that a strong consultation response may help prevent that. We will see.

The principle of socks before shoes applies to me. I sit in meetings with civil servants in order to represent the views of members. The socks before shoes bit is the steer I get from ASCL Council. It is important that where members have views they wish to convey and put into the formation of the ASCL position these are communicated to Council representatives.

Council meets four times a year. Given the pace of change pursued by this government there is a high probability that consultation will happen unexpectedly and out of line with issues raised at Council.

A case in point could be the proposed national funding formula.

The cynic in me suspects that this may emerge around mid-June with a closing date around the first week in September, fitting nicely across the time when most members are frenetically busy at the end of term and then incommunicado in a well-earned rest over the summer holidays.

Live issues are communicated to members through the website and the email newsletter. Feedback from members through Council representatives or even directly by email is important.

Email me about your funding issues at fundingfeedback@ascl.org.uk and particularly any factual data about the impact of this year’s funding settlement.

I intend to keep my socks and shoes in the correct order and I need communication from members to do that.

• Sam Ellis is ASCL’s funding specialist

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