Schools should contact the Access Group’s HCSS Budgeting Support for guidance with technical issues or general advice, such as how to enter staffing adjustments into the software. Please call direct on 0845 340 4546, or email: Support.accountinghcss@theaccessgroup.com

For specific budget related queries, or queries relating to formula funding shown in the software schools should contact the School Funding Team.

For information on the software, see the HCSS website, or contact your School Funding Officer

2020/21 Financial Year Software Notifications

Additional set up guidance for schools HCSS Software 2020 (Version 1 published 9 March 2020)

2019/20 Financial Year Software Notifications

Additional set up guidance for schools HCSS Software 2019 (Version 1 published 8 March 2019)

2018/19 Financial Year Software Notifications

Additional set up guidance for schools HCSS Software 2018 (Version 2 published 19 March 2018)
Note on applying the Apprenticeship Levy (published 16 March 2018)

HCSS FPS Web Update for Teachers Main Scale (September 2017)

 A 2% increase to the minimum and maximum scale points within the Teachers Main Scale is due from September 2017. This is in accordance with the 'School teachers' pay and conditions document 2017'. You can access this document on the DFE Publications website by clicking HERE. Page 19 of this document 'a teacher on the main pay range must be paid such salary within the minimum and maximum pay range....'

Point 1 Minimum      £22,917

Point 6 Maximum     £33,824

The FPS Web software has been updated to reflect this change. When logging into FPS WEb you will see a blue 'Updates Available' button. Click on this button and choose 'Accept'. This will increase the pay to all teachers on MPS1 and MPS 6/6b.

HCSS Budgeting Software 2017/18 is now live (15/03/2017)

The 2017/18 software is now live. Schools can access the software and upgrade 2016/17 scenarios into the new financial year. Guidance notes on how to check your data and transfer scenarios can be found here. Please read the guidance carefully and if you need support after reading please check section H in the guidance notes for who to contact.

National Funding Formula 3% Floor Protection Funding Tool - primary and secondary schools purchasing the Bradford customised version of HCSS through the LA should use this tool to estimate the additional funding they will receive in future years under the proposed National Funding Formula (NFF). Further information will be provided once the final details of the NFF are confirmed (expected to be in the summer).

Guidance notes for amending the scale point for teachers moving from scale point 5 to 6b. Where a teacher moves from scale point 5 driectly to 6b, bypassing scale point 6 a manual adjustment is required. Please read the notes for guidance on how to edit the contract and select scale point 6b.

HCSS Budgeting Software 2016/17 is now live (04/03/2016)

The 2016/17 software is now live. Schools can access the software and upgrade 2015/16 scenarios into the new financial year. Guidance notes on how to check your data and transfer scenarios can be found here.  Please read the guidance carefully and if you need support after reading please contact your School Funding Team Officer.

HCSS launched their new website design on 11 January 2016. Users should be aware that since the launch we have found and been notified by schools of several software glitches, such as certain reports not loading correctly and some input screens not functioning. We have made HCSS aware of these issues and HCSS is working to fix any problems. In the meantime, HCSS has provided a "How to Guide" which gives basic instructions for using the new website. Please note that you should be able to log into HCSS using the same login details as you have used for the previous website, so the third slide in the guidance will only be applicable for a school that has never logged in to the web-based software.

We appreciate that this is not an ideal time to launch a new web design when schools are putting together their Quarter 3 Monitors for governors and we have fed this back to HCSS. If you come across any specific problems with the software, please notify School Funding Team in the first instance; we will collate a list of issues and send them to HCSS on a daily basis. A further update will be provided as soon as possible.

 Uploading Actuals into FMS6 (3 June 2015)

HCSS have recently released FPS Web V4.0.3 which is the new functionality in the Budget vs Actuals section of their software. The section now includes the ability to upload your actuals using an Excel template.

This functionality will make completing your actuals quicker and easier as you can use a report template which has been specifically designed to work for any finance software. You will find information about this and other changes in the guidance document provided.

Following on from the release of the Budget V Actuals excel upload above, HCSS  have enhanced the functionality to enable FMS6 users to upload their actuals into FPS Web using an FMS6 report. They have produced a guidance document to help you along with the new functionality.

 Recalculation of the Primary Prior Attainment Figures for 2016-17 onwards

 We have identified that the percentage figure used to calculate future years Primary Prior Attainment funding is not consistent with that used to calculate the 2015-16 funding within FPS Web.

 For the majority of schools the difference is not materially significant in terms of funding. However, if you wish to update your system to ensure consistency you can make a manual adjustment with FPS Web Section 251 field to apply the recalculated percentage. You will need to do this within each working scenario.

A manual adjustment is preferred to a ‘patch fix’ as a ‘patch fix’ would overwrite any other changes you may have made within the Section 251 (e.g. to Early Years numbers). A manual adjustment will affect only the Prior Attainment fields within the Section 251.

Instruction document and revised percentages per school (issued 29 April 2015)

Revised Prior Attainment percentages by school  

Guidance notes on how to apply the revised percentage

FPS Web 2015/16 Software is now live

The 2015/16 software is now live. Schools can access the software and transfer 2014/15 scenarios into the new financial year. Guidance notes on how to check your data and transfer scenarios can be found HERE. Please read the guidance carefully and if you need help after reading please contact your School Funding Team Officer.

The Bradford Support Staffing Term Time Only (TTO) Factors can be viewed here.

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