The NASBM (NBA) has planned FMSiS training in London on 18 March 2009 and in Cumbria on 9 June 2009.  Full details can be obtained from Eileen Higham by email at eileen.higham@nba.org.uk .

In April 2008, the DCSF commissioned Hedra to undertake an evaluation of the implementation of the FMSiS. The key objectives of this research was to identify how well FMSiS has been implemented in the Secondary school sector since 2004 and to some extent, in the Primary, Middle and Special school sectors, since 2007. Recommendations from this evaluation report will form the Department's future policy on FMSiS. Please click here for Hedra's evaluation report"

The following is a list of companies that offer to provide external assessments of the Financial Management Standard in Schools (FMSiS) on a national or regional basis.  All these companies have undergone rigorous evaluation of their assessment processes by a panel of selectors.  All the assessors on this DCSF FMSiS Approved List have agreed to the mandatory requirement to carry out part of the assessment process at the school's premises. These companies also meet the minimum requirements for assessors to have at least 4 years audit or accounting experience in the public or private sector. Please click here for a list for the approved assessors

The National Association of School Business Management (formerly the National Bursars Association) provides FMSIS training for External Assessors and Schools. These training sessions are interactive and cover the evidence required for successful External Assessment, achieving Value for Money linked to outcomes and a live demonstration of the DCSF Value for Money Unit Benchmarking website. Workshops are also run in various locations. Further details can be obtained from the National Association of School Business Management, 01788 573300.

When implemented, provisions in the Charities Act 2006 will affect the exempt charities status of the governing bodies of foundation and voluntary schools. However, these changes do not affect charitable status; governing bodies of these schools are, and will continue to be, charities. We can confirm that it should be "business as usual" for the time being for local authorities and we will undertake to update you in good time when arrangements are finalised. Please see the explanatory for more details. http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/localauthorities/_documents/content/0209080001_Communication%20to%20LAs%20-%20CA2006%20(FINAL).doc Contact Lucy Reynolds   Tel: 020 7925 6350 Email: lucy.reynolds@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk         DCSF  School Funding Unit August 2008

The last update to the toolkit took place on April 14th 2008.   Please note - there were no changes to the Standard and only minor wording changes to the assessment criteria.  The contents were updated as part of an annual review of the toolkit. This produced new resources and amendments to existing resources.  The next planned update will be April 2009   The amendment summary for the 2008 update is located via the following link http://www.fmsis.info/uploads/Amendment_summary_2008a.doc .    It is now possible to download completed assessment forms into Word (previously excel only).   Local examples of document G5C have been added to the website.  Please consult with your Local Authority to see if a similiar document is available locally.  The update has also added a number of new documents and links within the Toolkit.   Thank you to everybody that has contributed to the 2008 update.