Deficit Recovery: From Sticking Plasters to Financial Sustainability

Budget recovery plans fail when they are treated like an accounting exercise.  In schools, deficit recovery is an operating model reset.  It is about cash control, staffing deployment, procurement discipline, and decision-making that links finance to what actually happens in classrooms.

Led by a finance leader known for “fixing what needs fixing”, this session is practical and sequenced.  What to do first, what to stop doing, and how to make changes stick without wrecking morale or standards.  Whether you are in a maintained school, a single academy or a MAT, you will leave with a clear approach to stabilise the position fast, then move from recovery mode to a more resilient, sustainable model.

In this session we explore

• What deficit recovery really means in a school context, and the early warning signs leaders miss

• The difference between short-term fixes and a sustainable recovery plan

• The 90-day stabilisation playbook, cash control, staffing reality checks, and quick procurement wins

• How to reduce reliance on expensive third parties without increasing risk

• Getting senior leaders on board by translating finance metrics into curriculum and timetable choices

• What good monitoring looks like, weekly rhythm, red flags, and triggers for escalation

Take home points

• A practical recovery sequence

• A “no regrets” first 30 days checklist

• Questions to stress-test a recovery plan

• A simple monitoring dashboard template

• How to turn recovery into sustainability

This session is for

School business leaders, SBMs, finance leads, CFOs, COOs, headteachers involved in budget decisions, governors and trustees, and anyone inheriting a messy financial position who needs a clear route back to stability"

Lee Miller