All things financial: annual accounting, governance and reporting

This online course with Pamela Redpath will look at annual accounting, governance and reporting within a voluntary sector organisation.

It can be studied as a standalone course or in conjunction with the other "All things financial" course Budgeting and sound financial management - book both courses, get 10% off the 2nd! (Please use voucher code ATF10 to get your 10% off) 

The aim of this course is to gain a good understanding of the format and purpose of annual accounts and the trustees annual report. It will also consider reserves and to be aware of the statutory requirements for audit/independent examination, filing of accounts and other notifications to regulators.

• Basic financial roles and responsibilities
  • The Board’s responsibility for good financial governance
  • The financial manager’s role
  • Reporting to OSCR
  • Reporting to Companies House
• Financial reporting requirements
  • Statutory reporting requirements
  • Audit/independent examination levels
  • Format of accounts and thresholds – Receipts & Payments or SORP-compliant
• Understanding financial statements        
  • Format of the annual accounts
  • Overview of set of Receipts and Payments accounts
  • More detailed overview of a set of SORP-compliant accounts to explain the terminology and how the different parts link together
  • What the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) shows
  • What the Balance sheet and Notes to the financial statements tell us
• The Trustees Annual Report
  • Format and content
  • How it links to the financial statements
  • What makes a good TAR
• Reserves
  • Building up reserves
  • The reserves’ policy
  • What’s included in reserves

This course is aimed at people requiring an introduction to the principles of annual accounting, audit/independent examinations, and the basic technical knowledge and skills to implement these principles.

There are no formal entry requirements.

Course format: 3.5-hour session, which is broken into segments with time to recap on the main points and an opportunity for questions. At the end of the course there will be time for final points and questions.

Attendance: You must attend the full online course in order to complete it and receive your Certificate of achievement.

• "I found Pamela to be very clear in her presentation, using layman's language where necessary. I thoroughly enjoyed the course."
• "Pamela is an excellent trainer."
• "Pamela covered all aspects of annual accounting."