Ceredigion County Council has been praised by education watchdogs over how it helps plan and manage school finances.

According to a new Estyn report, the strategic support that councils provide schools “varies too much across Wales”, but in Ceredigion, the county council “has established a coherent and transparent model of financial support” to schools in the county.

The overall review finds that schools “generally value the advice and guidance they receive from local authority finance teams” and that “in many cases, schools benefit from strong day-to-day operational support to help them monitor spending, manage grants and ensure compliance with financial requirements.”

“However, support is less consistent when it comes to helping schools plan strategically,” the report said.

“Too often, the focus is on balancing annual budgets rather than supporting schools to make confident medium- and long-term financial decisions.”

However, in Ceredigion, Estyn praised the county council for its approach, which it said was “less common elsewhere” in Wales.

The Estyn report says that Ceredigion County Council “has established a coherent and transparent model of financial support that places early forecasting and joint problem-solving at its core.”

“Schools receive clear, accessible information through a shared digital platform, enabling them to understand the detail of their delegated budgets,” the report said.

“This underpins strong trust between headteachers, governors and finance officers.

“The authority issues indicative budgets during the autumn term, allowing schools to plan staffing and curriculum arrangements earlier than is common elsewhere.

“Regular, structured monitoring meetings involve finance, HR and education officers, supporting schools to consider the long-term implications of decisions.

“This integrated approach helps identify risks early and manage deficits more effectively.”

Estyn also found that Ceredigion County Council “has developed a structured programme of financial professional learning that is responsive to the differing needs of schools.”

“Targeted workshops support leaders of small primary schools to understand their financial challenges and share solutions,” the report added.

“New and acting headteachers receive bespoke induction and in-school coaching from finance officers, focusing on interpreting reports and linking expenditure to priorities.

“Governors and business managers benefit from termly forums and tailored briefings.

“This approach has strengthened confidence among leaders and governors, reduced dependency on central officers and supported more strategic decision-making at school level.”

Owen Evans, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector at Estyn, said: “Local authorities across Wales are strongly committed to supporting schools to manage their finances, and schools value the professionalism and accessibility of finance teams.

“However, we found that schools needed clearer, more timely information and stronger support to plan for the medium and long term.”

The report recommends that the Welsh Government improves the timeliness and predictability of funding and simplifies funding arrangements to better support long-term planning.

It also calls for stronger national guidance and investment in data to support consistent financial planning across Wales.

The report recommends strengthening strategic support from local authorities by improving multi-year planning for schools, providing clearer and more timely financial information, and working more closely across finance, workforce and school improvement services.