Nursery Finance Administrator (Part-Time)

Finance Team Core Duties

8 hrs per week

NB: THE NURSERY USES A RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CALLED REDFISH. ALL PAYMENTS RELATING TO A CHILD'S ACCOUNT ARE POSTED ONTO THIS.

Generally if time permitting:

Phone answering throughout day; servicing front door deliveries; addressing finance/parent queries as received; ensuring parent forms for xtra hrs/leavers/session changes/holiday requests replenished weekly and that there are sufficient envelopes for any fee payments; empty office re-cycling box .

Specifically:

1. Processing monies received for fees/extra sessions

The finance director will prepare the cash and cheque sheet and extra session forms and hand over for Redfish processing.

Cash and Chqs

Post chq and cash totals on redfish and allocate to relevant child accounts.

Initial deposits need to be recorded on the appropriate s/sheet as there will not yet be a Redfish account set up.

Write out receipts (from cash/chq banking sheet) and take to room

Process extra session forms on redfish from relevant sheet. (An ad hoc invoice is raised and the invoice number noted so this can be added as narrative when cash/chq posted on Redfish).

Entries received via Bank Account

This is done as a weekly batch (currently every Tuesday) sweeping up entries from the previous week.

Check to ensure dates follow on consecutively from last week.

Initially data is on an excel spreadsheet in date order.

It comprises of direct online payments, card payments, voucher payments, grant payments.

The data has to be allocated to the appropriate child account. Online payments will detail the child's name. Card payments need to be sorted from the merchant receipts held and vouchers need to be checked against the individual voucher sites. Quite often only a total amount will be on the bank account so when all monies have been allocated additional lines need to be inserted on the excel spreadsheet to capture the additional data. Once completed the spreadsheet can then be sorted into type of transaction then date order. Each type is then totalled and can be posted onto Redfish.

2. New account STO payment set up

These are done by the finance director and details added to a spreadsheet so payments can be tracked

We ask for the initial payment within 5 days and the STO to be set up for the first of the month. This is checked as part of credit control.

3. Credit Control

A debt report can be generated from Redfish.

If time allows credit control is done on a weekly basis. However at the very least a debtor report is pulled off towards the end of the month and account balances evaluated. Historically we have a mix of payment methods and payment times (several parents pay weekly) so at the moment each debt does need to be reviewed individually. Care needs to be taken as often there can be a pending card or voucher payment. Some children also have outside funding so this needs to be checked too.

New accounts can easily be monitored for 1 st payments and subsequent STOs from the spreadsheet used as part of the setup.

Agreed repayment schedules need to be monitored

Letter/communication to parent needed where there is an accruing debt although care needs to be taken to ensure that there is no note on the account or any voucher payment pending. NB: The Nursery prefers a 'softly softly' approach so parents are cajoled rather than have a hard warning. Where no response to polite requests the account is referred to the Financial Director. The new STO tariff all new parents are expected to set up is aimed at reducing payment issues and streamlining credit control.

In the case of non-response/payment the place is subject to suspension. Nursery management need to be made aware of this type of pending circumstance prior to any letter/communication regarding the child's place.

In the last instance a CCJ may need to be taken out against a parent

Grant Term Time Only children are charged for meals and this does need monitoring. As the place cannot be refused for non-payment a manager may need to have a word and the parent warned that a different session (not subject to a meal charge) can only be offered.

4. Leavers

Details are usually on the white board as Manager notified. The majority of leavers are in the July/August/September period.

A tracking spreadsheet has been set up to monitor balances and deposit refunds.

Account balances need to be checked to ensure settled prior to leaving (NB if leaving mid month there may be pending vouchers that will settle). If unpaid monies the room need to be advised to retain the Learning Journey until settled. Where applicable the initial GBP50 deposit can be deducted from the final invoice amount. Where there is an overpayment/initial deposit to be refunded, a chq is issued. A final statement confirming a zero balance is printed off and the folder removed from the Nursery cabinet and filed away. The child also needs to be removed from the text service.

5. Director' s Holiday Cover

To cover queries or send a holding response in the absence of the Financial Director and track accordingly.