January 22 Newsletter

January 7, 2022

Business Update

10 strategies to reduce employee turnover


You may be the heart and soul of your business but your employees are the blood and life force! If you’re having trouble retaining good employees (which is actually one of the biggest issues that most businesses face), it’s time to think about how you can keep your top-performers happy. Here are 10 ways to reduce employee turnover.


  1. Study your employee turnover – why have employees left in the past year or two? Focus particularly on your key employees, the ones who cost you the most when they left. Is there anything you can do differently or improve on to prevent this in the future? Always perform exit interviews to give you some insight into this.
  2. Get serious with your recruitment – hiring the wrong people is the biggest cause of high turnover. Most business owners recruit based on skills and qualifications only but recruitment should be much more than that. You should hire people based on their behavioural and cultural fit as well.
  3. Improve your onboarding – the first few weeks and months are crucial to retaining good talent. Over the first 90 days, focus on how you can improve this experience and create a solid process. Consider giving a welcome pack with essential information and implement a mentor system so that an experienced employee can support them and help them learn the ropes.
  4. Offer competitive salaries and total compensation – pay and benefits are among the top reasons that people take jobs and show up for work every day. It’s a serious motivator so you need to be offering appropriate salaries and benefits as a minimum. 
  5. Offer flexible schedules and telecommuting options – flexibility has become a lot more important since the pandemic as we are all looking to improve our work-life balance. See if you can offer working remotely for some of the week or permanently as well as flexible hours. 
  6. Closely monitor toxic employees – if you have any employees that are overly critical, who gossip or blame others, and who are not team players, keep an eye on them. These types of employees can push other high achievers out of your business so try to address any problems before it’s too late.
  7. Promote work-life balance – prevent burnout and increase satisfaction by encouraging work-life balance. You can do this through flexible scheduling, remote working, giving employees time off when they need it the most, and leading by example yourself.
  8. Reward and recognise achievements – positive reinforcement is powerful so encourage and recognise excellence. When employees do something right or exhibit behaviours that you want to nurture, show your appreciation. 
  9. Pay attention to employee engagement – you can improve retention by identifying when an employee is disengaging and making efforts to help them get out of this funk. Think about how you can meet the social and emotional needs of your employees. Discuss this with them.
  10. Improve communication and offer regular feedback – communication and collaboration are essential to make sure that the whole team is happy and productive. As well as using practice management systems, consider having regular 1:2:1s and performance reviews to give feedback and set individual goals. Infrequent performance reviews is actually a big reason that employees leave as they don’t feel inspired or motivated to improve. 





Accounting Update


Extra help for businesses


On 21st December the UK chancellor announced some extra funding for businesses hit badly by the surge in Covid-19 cases.


Hospitality and leisure businesses


Can apply for cash grants of up to £6,000 per premises.  These will be administered by local councils.


Other struggling businesses


Outside of hospitality and leisure, other struggling businesses can apply to local councils for a different grant under the Additional Restrictions Grant, which has been topped up with £102m. 


The Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme


This scheme is coming back.  Businesses with fewer than 250 employees can claim money to cover sick pay for employees who are affected by Covid.


Culture Recovery Fund


An extra £30m is being put aside for arts organisations through the existing Culture Recovery Fund.

Please keep up to date with the latest guidance here .






App of the month

Spotlight Reporting

We use Spotlight Reporting to produce our visual monthly reports.

Integrates with Xero

The Xero integration means that we focus on making sure Xero is up to date before we can produce the reports.



Visual reports

Spotlight enables us to create graphs and charts which allows business owners to see and understand how their business is performing easier.


Dashboards

Spotlight can produce one page dashboards containing up to 6 charts to give a snapshot to aid with decision making


Decision Making

It's hard to make any decisions without knowing the numbers, Spotlight allows us to share the numbers on a regular basis and comparing back to the budgets to see how well your business is performing.







Team News

This newsletter sees the beginning of a new year.  We are incredibly happy and excited about the new opportunities and relationships that we will build this year, as well as developing relationships with our existing clients and helping them to thrive in 2022.


Wishing you a Happy New Year,




Katherine, David, Ben and Michelle

By David Adderson July 14, 2025
In Part 1 of this series, Dr Anita Devi opened the conversation on the rising complexity of SEND and the need for intentional, values-driven provision. Her reflections focused on inclusive leadership, purposeful commissioning, and the principle that less can often be more . In this second part, I’d like to continue the conversation — but from a financial perspective. My name is Katherine Robertson. I’ve spent over 10 years working with organisations across sectors including the education sector, helping them to navigate their finances confidently and strategically. What I’ve learned over that time is simple: money follows priorities — but only when we lead with clarity . And now, with SEND needs rising faster than school income, we must work smarter than ever with the resources we have. 🎯 From Stockpiling to Strategic Spending In 2024, the Department for Education wrote to 64 academy trusts, concerned that some were holding onto reserves more than 100% of their annual income . These aren’t just large numbers — they are untapped opportunities. Of course, we know why these reserves exist: financial uncertainty, poor capital funding, and the understandable desire to protect future viability. But if money meant for today’s pupils is held for tomorrow’s problems , we risk doing a disservice to the very learners we aim to support. That’s why we’re asking an important question: Can schools and trusts use their reserves to strengthen inclusion and SEND support now, without compromising their long-term financial security? Our answer is yes — with the right approach. 🧩 Applying Financial Wisdom to Inclusive Practice We are not advocating reckless spending or draining reserves dry. On the contrary, we work with leaders to build a clear, defensible strategy for using reserves wisely , backed by robust modelling, compliance with DfE guidance, and an unwavering focus on improving outcomes for children with SEND. Together with Dr Anita Devi, we bring dual lens: educational insight and financial clarity. Here’s how we help to: ● Identify untapped funding within existing reserves ● Co-develop an evidence-led SEND investment plan ● Align to DfE expectations on reserve levels and financial health ● Build the narrative for governors, trustees, auditors and regulators ● Support ongoing evaluation to ensure value for money and impact It’s not about spending more. It’s about spending better . 🔄 Releasing Funds. Reinforcing Purpose. SEND needs are not going away — and nor are the financial pressures. But when finance and inclusion experts work together, we can unlock solutions that support both pupil outcomes and institutional resilience . With careful planning, strategic reserve use can: ● Fund early intervention ● Invest in staff development ● Improve provision infrastructure ● And reduce future costs from reactive SEND placements or escalation It’s a long-term gain — and a value-led approach to financial governance. 💬 Let’s Continue the Conversation If you’re sitting on reserves and wondering how best to use them — or if you’re just ready to rethink how your SEND resources are working for you — we’re here to help. We offer a tailored advisory service that helps schools and trusts plan, invest and lead with both head and heart.  📩 Reach out at SEND_Finance@youtopia.co.uk to book a preliminary conversation. Because sometimes, the smartest way to save — is to spend with purpose. Author: Katherine Robertson Strategic Finance Expert and Education Consultant In partnership with Dr Anita Devi – Leading SEND Specialist
By David Adderson July 4, 2025
Inclusion is desirable, yet it is complex. In this two-part blog, we begin to unravel the challenges of increasing needs in education and diminishing resources. In this article, Dr Anita Devi explores some of the many challenges Educators in England currently face. Her intent is to extend perceptual thinking from problem to solution. In Part 2, Katherine Robertson will unpick some of the financial levers for consideration. I have worked in the education sector for a fair few decades now. Am I showing my age? Possibly, but also my experience and out of that experience is born wisdom. Wisdom is applied knowledge with the benefit of lived experience and hindsight. To broaden our thinking, I have decided to focus on three areas: Rising needs in the classroom – ensuring each child receives an educational experience that is progressive, whilst meeting their needs Less is more – applying a structured and systematic approach to providing support for special educational needs and disability (SEND) Commissioning with purpose – intentionally involving others, when needed. Since the increase in needs always outmatches the rise in resource funding, sadly we will always be in a deficit. This is not about being despondent, but hopeful through responsive and creative solutions. In many life situations, we face elements of the unknown and so we put in place checks and balances to ensure we maintain stability. If our own personal finances were continuously in the red, we would be faced with three options: Reduce spending Increase income Look for alternatives In the education world whilst options 1 and 2 may be possible to some degree, it is restricted and ultimately option 3 has been our default; especially if we are to adhere to the core principles of The Salamanca Statement (1994) and more closely to home, The Children and Families’ Act 2014. Rising need in the classroom Those who lead on inclusion and /or SEND need to simplify systems to ensure those learners who require additional and adaptive provision receive it. I have expanded more on this in a July 2023 booklet, which you can download here . If as a leader, you understand the fundamentals of an inclusive provision framework, you can reduce the paper trail to make it purposeful, without compromising on keeping a diligent paper trail of evidence. This will also ensure you know whether what is in place is having an impact or not. SEND: It is time to lead differently . Less is more There are a number of core decisions to be made when additional provision is put in place. For example, in or out of the classroom? How long is the defined additional support required and most importantly what is the expected outcome from the additional support? For far too long, we have assumed the ‘forever’ model when it comes to interventions or additional support. We have often omitted to discern short-term from long-term, as well as factor in the negative impact of too many interventions simultaneously. Short-term interventions, if assessed and targeted well can (in many instances) provide the learner with new skills and/or increased independence. This is a desirable outcome, as none of us is truly seeking to create a dependency model. Equally, administering too many interventions simultaneously takes away from the exploratory nature of interventions i.e. what’s working and what needs to change. We have indeed moved away from the ‘medical model’, however, some of the basic principles still need to be considered. In response to a medical condition, a doctor would not prescribe multiple medications or remedies simultaneously. Due care and consideration would be given to the negative interactive impact of one solution upon another. We need to apply a similar approach to inclusion and SEND. This is not denying that a child may have multiple needs, but sometimes it is about focusing on one thing at a time. Commissioning with Purpose This has been a bugbear of mine since 2018 , if not before! As a previous SEND Advisory Teacher, I was always intentional about ‘adding value’ to what is already in place in any setting. As a previous Senior Leader / SENCO, I was always intentional about securing services that provided ‘value for money’. I’ve worked with The Audit Commission on this and The National Audit Office, not to mention Business Managers and local authorities. I would also encourage readers to explore their ‘decommissioning process’. As a long-standing Education Change Consultant, my team & I always write our exit plans before we go into support. This is regardless of whether we are working in the UK or overseas. I am continuously amazed how many schools/colleges rely on the same service for years, even if there is no impact evidence of change through the input they are buying in. Over the years, training head teachers at national conferences, I have always advocated ‘procurement with precision’. Even at local authority level, I think provision would be better if Porter’s Forces were applied during the annual review of an EHCP in regard to placement choices, especially non-maintained Independent schools (NMIs). Supplier power through exuberant price hikes, in a time when there is a shortage of places, is both immoral and financially unsustainable. This is just the start of the conversation, but with a few systemic tweaks – schools and colleges can begin to look differently at provision. Still meeting the needs of children and young people but reducing the strain on financial resources and human manpower. Do get in touch if you would like to find out more. Author: Dr Anita Devi dr. h.c. Dr Anita Devi , leading SEND specialist, and Katherine Robertson , strategic finance expert, have joined forces to offer a new advisory service for schools and colleges . This service is designed to provide strategic financial governance of SEND provision, focusing on efficiency, effectiveness, and value for money . We help you explore financially sustainable solutions that support early intervention, improve outcomes, and make the most of every pound spent, without compromising on quality. If you're ready to rethink how SEND resources are used in your setting, contact us for a preliminary conversation at SEND_Finance@youtopia.co.uk 📢 And keep an eye out for our upcoming blog
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