Finance & Operations

At INOVA Multi-Academy Trust every school is supported by robust, efficient, and compliant systems. From financial planning and procurement to IT, HR, estates, and governance, our centralised services enable schools to focus on delivering exceptional education while we manage the operational foundations that underpin their success.

Financial Planning & Budgeting

  • Annual budget setting
  • Forecasting and financial modelling
  • Three-year financial planning
  • Supporting school improvement plans

Financial Operations & Transactional Services

  • Payroll and pensions administration
  • Accounts payable and receivable
  • Procurement and contract management

Fully Centralised Procurement

  • Trust-wide procurement strategy
  • Supplier and contract management
  • Policy compliance and due diligence
  • Value for money and cost efficiency

Compliance & Financial Governance

  • Statutory and regulatory compliance
  • Internal and external audits
  • Risk management and fraud prevention

Talent Management & Strategic Workforce Planning

  • Recruitment and retention
  • Succession planning
  • Staff development
  • HR data analytics

HR Operations & Employee Relations

  • Policy implementation
  • Employee relations support
  • Restructure and re-organisation
  • Contract management
  • Payroll and benefits coordination
  • Trade union liaison

Recruitment & Compliance

  • Trust-wide recruitment strategy
  • Safer recruitment and safeguarding
  • Reducing reliance on agency staff
  • Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

Core IT Services

  • Network infrastructure
  • Hardware support
  • Software support
  • Cyber security
  • User accounts and access management
  • Helpdesk support
  • Strategic IT planning
  • Project management
  • Asset management
  • Compliance

Budget Management & Procurement

  • Central capital procurement for IT investments
  • Strategic budget planning for IT related expenses
  • Cost-effective purchasing through bulk procurement

CCTV Management

  • Maintenance and monitoring of CCTV systems
  • Compliance with data protection and security policies

Management of Third-party IT Services

  • Management Information System (MIS)
  • Document management and retrieval
  • Firewall filtering and monitoring
  • DDoS Protection
  • Internal and external penetration testing
  • Phishing campaigns and cyber awareness training
  • InVentry sign-in system
  • Telephony services
  • Mobile phone procurement
  • Photocopier and printing services
  • Broadband connectivity
  • Microsoft licensing management

Facilities & Estates Management

  • Planned preventative maintenance (PPM)
  • Reactive maintenance
  • Capital project management
  • Cleaning and ground maintenance
  • Security and access control

Catering Services

  • Nutritionally balanced menus
  • Procurement and supply chain management
  • Food safety and hygiene
  • Customer feedback and menu development

Health & Safety Compliance

  • Policy and risk assessment
  • Statutory testing and inspection
  • Incident management and reporting
  • Training and professional development

Data Protection Officer 

  • Policy and compliance
  • Data protection impact assessments
  • Subject access requests
  • Freedom of information requests
  • Training
  • Breach reporting and liaison

Governance Structure & Strategic Support

  • Training and development 
  • Meeting facilitation and advisory services
  • Providing a communication and feedback loop to Trust Board

Policy Compliance & Regulatory Oversight

  • Statutory compliance
  • Scheme of delegation management
  • Governance risk management

Meeting Administration & Documentation

  • Clerking and secretarial services
  • Agenda setting and documentation
  • Decision tracking and action follow-up

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

  • Liaison between LGBs and Trust Board
  • Governor recruitment and succession planning
  • Governor feedback and continuous improvement
  • Integrating local governance feedback into Trust strategy

Internal Communication Strategy

  • Staff engagement
  • Leadership messaging
  • Internal platform management
  • Newsletters and parent communications
  • Communication champions group

External Stakeholder Communications

  • Parent and community engagement
  • Digital presence
  • Website design and maintenance
  • Social media management 
  • Media engagement

PR and Crisis Management

  • Proactive PR
  • Reputation management
  • Crisis communications protocol

Admissions Marketing

  • Admissions marketing strategy
  • Open events and prospectus development
  • Targeted campaigns