Budget Planning Questions for Governors

This handy 18-page editable document is designed to help school finance governors to support and challenge their setting's headteacher, principal or academy head when planning and setting the school budget. It contains reflective questions to be used in a constructive dialogue in the following areas:

• Budget planning
• Budget risk factors, contingency and compliance
• Income
• School improvement
• Contracts and benchmarking
• Staffing
• Pupil numbers and class sizes
• Pupil premium and SEND
• Deficit and recovery planning (use if applicable to your setting)
• Budget variation

For each question, there's space to note any discussion outcomes as well as the evidence you've gathered to support budget planning decisions. It can be used by both maintained schools and academies where governors or local board members support the academy's headteacher to plan the budget.

Whether you're a finance link governor, the chair of a governor finance committee or a school leader looking to support your governors, this checklist allows you to work collaboratively and ensure that governors are fulfilling one of the governing body's core functions of ensuring the sound, proper and effective use of the school’s financial resources.

👉 Looking for more budget support? This template is also available in the full School Budget Management Pack, which can also help you to plan your budget, upskill yourself on financial management and identify where cost savings can be made.

👉 For broader support for finance link governors that covers a fuller picture of the school's finances and governor skill development over time, our Finance Link Governor Support Pack may also be of interest.