Education
Our team has been working within the education sector for over 20 year; they are experienced in working with academy trusts, sixth form colleges, further education colleges and universities across the UK.
Team members are experienced in the established and emerging sector risk environment. Our education specialists includes individuals who have worked directly within the sector in roles such as lecturers, apprenticeship managers, directors of finance, governors and funding audit. We also have specialist resources within Safeguarding, where team members have previously trained and worked for the Police as specialists in Safeguarding, Exploitation and Abuse.
Team members are active members of the audit community, contributing to ESFA publications, attending sector Audit Forums; this contributes to our intelligence and horizon scanning activities all of which clients can access through their relationship with Validera.
Our unique approach to stakeholder engagement, strengthens learner voice and enables us to work collaboratively with our clients to identify inventive and pragmatic ways to implement and improve processes across their organisations to both improve the control environment but also importantly the experience of learners.
Academies
We provide clients with compliant services which meet the expectations established within the ESFA Academies Trust Handbook. To keep pace with changes in the Handbook, many Trusts need to be looking to move their assurance arrangements forward from a traditional Responsible Officer style testing arrangement to a robust internal audit service.
Internal audit should be risk based and not simply follow a routine structure such as termly ‘ticking and bashing’ of financial transactions with some after thoughts bolted on; this adds no or little value and fails to meet professional standards.
Our reviews include the breadth of activity including governance, risk management, compliance, pupil data (inc. COLLECT data returns), financial controls, human resources, estate and asset management, security, safeguarding and cyber.
Professional internal auditors, recognise and deliver services which are aligned to the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) International Professional Practice Framework (IPPF) and the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards (PSIAS). By working in accordance with these requirements we naturally deliver what the ESFA Handbook refers to as internal scrutiny (internal audit).
Our service is compliant with Handbook expectations, provides coverage across the Trust and results in a robust annual Head of Internal Audit Opinion in respect of Risk Management, Governance and Internal Control.
Further Education
We work with Sixth Form, General FE and Specialist Institutions; providing governance, risk management and control services across the breadth of activity. Whilst not mandated by the current ESFA Post-16 Audit Code of Practice, internal audit remains an important consideration for governing bodies in fulfilling their responsibilities; our team were involved in the development of the ESFA Internal Audit Guidance for Audit Committees published in January 2022.
Our reviews include the breadth of activity including governance, risk management, compliance, all aspects of learner records (inc. ILR data returns), financial controls, estate and asset management, security, safeguarding, well-being and cyber.
Our services are delivered in accordance with recognised internal audit best practice and sector guidance.
Higher Education
Our team are experienced with working in HE institutions of all sizes. The sector is under pressure with increased competition and intelligent consumers demanding more from their chosen institutions in terms of overall student experience.
Our reviews include the breadth of activity including governance, risk management, compliance, all aspects of student data (inc. HESA data returns), financial controls, estate and asset management, security, safeguarding, well-being, international students, UK Tier 4 visas and cyber.
Our services are delivered in accordance with recognised internal audit best practice and the HEFCE Audit Code of Practice.
Our objective is simple we want to assist every client to better manage risk, improve performance, invest in the provision of front line activities to make the biggest impact for learners and contribute towards a better tomorrow.
We can work with clients on various levels ranging from one off consultancy, through to co-sourced or fully outsourced internal audit solutions.