Virtual Finance Assistant
An outsourced finance processing service that strengthens resilience, reduces risk and releases leadership capacity
Why use a Virtual Finance Assistant?
Running a school or trust finance function has never been more demanding. Increased compliance requirements, tighter budgets and ongoing recruitment challenges mean many schools are relying on a small number of individuals to keep essential finance processes running.
A Virtual Finance Assistant provides reliable, ongoing finance processing support through a retained SLA, giving your school or MAT consistent capacity, improved accuracy and peace of mind that your day-to-day finance operations are in safe hands.
Rather than relying on reactive, ad hoc support when pressure builds, schools choose SBS as a long-term partner to underpin their finance function year-round.
We take responsibility for your day-to-day transactional finance tasks, working as an extension of your team and embedding ourselves into your systems, processes and deadlines.
This includes:
- Supplier and sales invoice processing
- Purchase order processing
- Staff expense claims
- Bank reconciliations
- Routine finance administration that underpins accurate reporting and compliance
We work across a wide range of education finance systems, ensuring continuity even when staffing changes, absences occur or workload peaks.
A Virtual Finance Assistant is ideal for schools and MATs that:
- Are struggling to recruit or retain finance staff
- Are looking to grow and centralise finance functions
- Rely heavily on one individual for processing tasks
- Experience recurring pressure points during peak periods
- Want to reduce risk without increasing headcount
- Need dependable, ongoing support rather than short-term fixes
Whether you are a single school or a growing trust, the service scales with you.
Many finance teams are stretched not because of poor practice — but because they are under-resourced and overly dependent on individuals.
Without consistent processing support, schools face:
- Increased risk of errors and delays
- Pressure at month-end, year-end and audit
- Bottlenecks that slow decision-making
- Over-reliance on one person's knowledge
- Expensive, reactive fixes when things go wrong
- Rising staffing on-costs such as National Insurance, pension contributions, training and recruitment
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Disruption caused by staff sickness, absence or turnover with no built-in cover
A Virtual Finance Assistant removes these pressures by providing guaranteed capacity, continuity and expertise as part of your core finance infrastructure — without the uncertainty or hidden costs of maintaining in-house staffing capacity.
Finance processing is not a one-off task — it is the foundation of confident budgeting, reporting and compliance.
By working with SBS on an ongoing SLA, you benefit from:
- A dedicated team that understands your school or trust
- Consistent processes aligned to your reporting timetable
- Faster turnaround and fewer errors
- Reduced reliance on emergency or interim support
- Predictable costs and measurable return on investment
Most schools that move to an SLA do so after experiencing the disruption and cost of reactive, ad hoc support — and decide they want a more resilient, long-term solution.
Key benefits of a Virtual Finance Assistant
- Reduced staffing risk and predictable costs: Outsourcing routine processing reduces reliance on in-house capacity and protects your finance function against absence, turnover and recruitment delays.
- Reliable processing that underpins confident decision-making: Accurate, timely transactions mean better reporting, stronger forecasting and fewer surprises.
- Education-sector expertise you can rely on: You gain access to experienced education finance professionals who understand statutory requirements, deadlines and sector pressures.
- A scalable, flexible service: Your level of support can increase or reduce as your needs change — without the cost and complexity of restructuring your team.
“Thank you for all the hard work and dedication you’ve shown while working with St Chad’s Academies Trust. I don’t know how we would have managed the year-end process without your support! Your efficiency, knowledge, organisational skills, and your ability to get things done were invaluable. We wouldn’t hesitate in coming to you again for additional support should the need arise.”
Anna Gordon - Central Finance Officer | St Chad's Academies Trust
Finance Service Desk
In addition to our virtual finance services, we offer comprehensive support through our Service Desk, designed to enhance your team's skills and streamline processes:
- Unlimited access to our extensive finance and business knowledge base, empowering your team with the resources they need to succeed.
- Build confidence and enhance your role as an effective finance leader or business manager with expert guidance and additional support.
- Answers to your ‘how to’ questions, removing bottlenecks and improving your team’s efficiency
- Rapid response for urgent or prioritised issues, ensuring minimal disruption to your operations
- Comprehensive advice on statutory reporting and changes, saving you valuable research time
- Advanced customer service tailored to all levels of expertise and experience
Enable SBS to Supply your Finance Assistant Needs Today
Schedule a call to find out how SBS’s Virtual Finance Assistant Services can safeguard your needs and move your Trust forwards.
Book your discovery callGet in touch