Included with every SLA.
The three tools below are available to every school on an SMS SLA — including the Helpdesk SLA. There's no additional licence fee and no setup cost. You get access from day one.
Budget Monitoring Report (BMR) Tool
- Produces a detailed budget monitoring report with comparison to previous month
- RAG % rating for actual to date vs budget — instantly see where you stand
- Data integrity check to ensure figures agree with your accounts system
- Separate profit/loss accounts for school fund and restricted funds
- Reconciliation to balance sheet included
- Commits salary costs based on Access Budgeting data
- Auto-produces CFR return for maintained schools
- Auto-produces SFVS or SRM Dashboard
Suitable for
Why it matters
All clients also get access to the SMS Portal — a secure hub for document exchange, school-specific announcements, newsletters, resources and direct communication with your SMS consultant.
Payroll Comparison
- Can use any budgeting software – works best with Access Budgets
- Can use any payroll provider
- Compares forecasted staffing costs to actual staffing costs
- Can allow for pay awards during comparison
- Works best with our BMR tool to better forecast staffing
Suitable for
Why staffing comparisons are essential
We place a strong emphasis on forecasting staffing costs as accurately as possible, as these typically account for around 80% of overall expenditure. By regularly comparing forecasted or budgeted figures against actual costs, we can refine future forecasts and improve accuracy. This approach helps provide a clearer understanding of staffing expenditure and puts you in the strongest position to manage the majority of your financial commitments across the financial year.
School Fund Spreadsheet
- Record income and expenditure transactions against budget/fund headings
- Auto-populates an Income and Expenditure statement showing profit/loss per fund
- Surrey schools: pre-populates the Surrey Statement of Accounts Return automatically
- Free for schools on the SMS Core Service SLA
Suitable for
Why schools need this
Many schools operate a separate school fund bank account — sometimes multiple accounts. This tool makes it straightforward to record transactions, produce reports, and meet the independent review requirements. For Surrey schools, the additional automation saves significant time at year end.
Our Client Portal
All clients get access to the SMS Portal
A secure hub for document exchange, school-specific announcements, newsletters and resources.
More about us
Secure document exchange
Upload and share files directly with your SMS team — no email attachments.
School-specific announcements
Updates tailored to your school type, finance system and LA.
Newsletters and resources
All SMS guidance in one place, always up to date.
Partner Recommendation
Access Budget Planning
SMS recommends Access Budget Planning as the most effective long-term budget planning software for schools. Over 90% of the schools we support use it. Our tools are designed to work alongside it — and our team can support you in getting the most out of it as part of your SLA.
Learn more about AccessGet access to all SMS tools with any SLA
Tools are included at no extra cost with every SMS support agreement. Talk to us about getting started.