Internal scrutiny for academy trusts

Independent assurance for governance, finance and compliance

Powered by TSO Education. Register free at MYAUDIT.school, book audit activity, and track compliance across all schools over time.

50+ yearscombined director education experience
22 section matrixfull standard scrutiny scope
Remote / On-site / Hybriddelivery model matched to trust context

Scope coverage

Internal scrutiny that maps directly to trust risk

Our standard programme is broad, but every trust receives a scoped plan aligned to risk register priorities, governance pressure points and implementation capacity.

Internal scrutiny should not be a disconnected checklist. Our approach links fieldwork to the controls trustees rely on for assurance decisions, then translates findings into actions with owners, deadlines and reporting cadence.

Finance and controls

Coverage includes cash discipline, reconciliations, procurement governance, month-end close quality and management accounting controls used for trustee reporting.

Cash and bank reconciliation quality
Procurement and value-for-money controls
Monthly financial close and debt management
Budget monitoring and forward planning

Governance and compliance

Governance reviews test declaration discipline, board oversight, policy sign-off controls and practical compliance with published trust requirements.

Trust board governance effectiveness
Register of business interests and declarations
Academy Trust Handbook and policy compliance
Website statutory publication checks

Operations, cyber and safeguarding

Operational assurance covers payroll, HR workflows, cyber governance, safeguarding evidence quality and GDPR process reliability.

Payroll and HR process assurance
Cyber governance and resilience review
SCR and safeguarding audit readiness
GDPR process and evidence checks

Delivery model

Specialist education assurance, not generic audit templates

All scrutiny work is undertaken by or directly supervised by a named director, with practical recommendations that teams can implement quickly.

We start with a planning conversation, agree a trust-specific plan and report termly against what matters most. This keeps assurance proportionate, reduces low-value testing and gives audit committees clearer decision evidence.

Scope built from your trust context and risk register.
Termly reporting with clear action ownership.
Annual summary reporting support for trustees.
National delivery across MATs, academies and LAs.
Bespoke modules where additional risk areas emerge.
Links naturally with MYAUDIT.school workflows.

Evidence

What trust leaders say

We have been working with TSO Education for two years undertaking our Internal Scrutiny. Their menu of options is helpful in selecting and programming areas to examine. Their work has been carefully undertaken and the reports are well structured and easy to read and monitor.

Paul MoraleeChessington School

I have found the Internal Scrutiny reports useful as TSO also apply additional operational experience in their reports. We have truly valued the wider advice and support.

Jasjit SohalThe Park Federation

TSO are expert, astute and dedicated to empowering school business leaders.

Naheeda MaharasinghamRathfern School

Guidance alignment

Built around current trust governance expectations

We align to current published guidance and translate requirements into practical controls, evidence standards and governance actions.

Guidance is referenced directly to support clarity. We focus on implementation quality, not only policy presence, so boards can demonstrate assurance over how controls operate in practice.

Start with free registration, then schedule priority assurance work