Corporate report

Audit and Risk Assurance Committee minutes: 11 June 2019

Updated 26 November 2024

Applies to England

Present

John Hughes, Chair of Audit and Risk Assurance Committee

Dame Kathryn August, Board member

James Aston, Co-opted member

Helen Jesson, Co-opted member

Venessa Willms, Board member

Also in attendance

Amanda Spielman, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI), Accounting Officer

Matthew Coffey, Chief Operating Officer

Louise Grainger, Director, Finance, Planning and Commercial

Neil Greenwood, Director, Digital and Information. Item 5

Chris Jones, Director, Corporate Strategy. Item 8

Simon Helps, National Audit Office

Sebastian Groth, National Audit Officer

Jane Forbes, Internal Audit – Pricewaterhousecoopers (PwC)

Carol Hartley Burdett, Internal Audit – Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA)

Ivan Cheary, Internal Audit – Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA)

Matthew Terry, Corporate Governance Manager

Emily Williams, Private Secretary to HMCI (Observer)

Mark Watson, Financial Controller (Observer)

Apologies

None.

Status

Approved

1. Chairman’s introduction, declarations of interest, minutes, actions and matters arising

The Chair welcomed members and attendees.

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved without amendment.

The Committee noted progress against actions arising from the NAO’s review of the Committee’s effectiveness.

2. Report from Chair and Members

The Chair recounted his attendance of the DfE arm’s length body ARAC Chairs’ network meeting, and the outcomes of a discussion of lessons learnt over the course of the 2018-19 financial year.

3. Progress against audit recommendations, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) actions

The ARAC noted a report detailing good progress against both audit recommendations and actions arising from the PAC’s report following on from the NAO’s value for money report.

4. Internal audit progress report

PwC updated the Committee on progress made against the 2018-19 internal audit plan, noting that since the Committee last met the digital transformation programme internal audit report and a follow up of medium risk audit recommendations had been issued.

Members were content that the 2018-19 internal audit plan had been delivered in full.

5. Internal audit reports

PwC presented the reports that had been issued since the Committee last met:

• Digital transformation programme – The audit assessed the governance arrangements of key projects within the Digital, Data and Technology portfolio, as well as the existence of delivery enabled project plans and Ofsted’s ability to report and monitor delivery. The Committee discussed the audit and noted it was classified as medium risk. NG provided assurance to the Committee that the proposed recommendations had been accepted.

• Follow up reports – The audit verified the status of medium risk audit recommendations that had been reported by management as complete. The Committee were pleased to note that no exceptions were identified.

6. Annual Internal Audit report 2018-19

The Committee considered the internal audit report for the year ended 31 March 2019 and noted the Head of Internal Audit’s opinion.

7. National Audit Office (NAO) completion report

The Committee reviewed the findings of the NAO’s audit completion report, noting the unadjusted extrapolated misstatement set out in the report. The Committee suggested that further sampling from the NAO could have been helpful in resolving this.

The Committee noted that the NAO anticipate recommending to the Comptroller and Auditor General that he should certify the 2018-19 financial statements with an unqualified audit opinion, without modification.

8. Annual Report and Accounts

The Committee reviewed the Annual Report and Accounts, providing several comments for consideration.

Subject to the consideration or acceptance of those comments, the Committee were content that the Board approve the Annual Report and Accounts 2018-19 prior to certification of Ofsted’s Accounting Officer.

9. Internal Audit plan 2019-20

The Committee noted progress against the internal audit plan for 2019-20.

10. Internal Audit reports 2019-20

The Committee reviewed and agreed the proposed approach by which the continuous auditing of Ofsted’s core financial controls would be undertaken in 2019-20.

Internal audit outlined the recommendation arising from the EIF readiness audit and confirmed that the report would be circulated to the Committee in correspondence, once management responses had been finalised.

11. External audit update

The NAO is in the process of agreeing the parameters for a value for money study of the financial sustainability of colleges. Ofsted will be consulted.

12. Annual report of the Audit and Risk Committee to the Chair and Accounting Officer

The Committee reviewed the draft report, providing an overview of the audit and risk assurance committee’s activity during the financial year 2018-19.

The Committee recommended several minor amendments, before agreeing that the report be shared with the Board on 18 June.

13. Risk Report

The Committee noted the changes to the strategic risk register since its last meeting.

14. Finance report

The Committee noted Ofsted’s financial position as of the end of period 1.

15. Information Assurance report

The Committee considered an overview of information assurance and cyber security in the period of 2018-2019, discussing the challenges facing the organisation, and the measures in place to combat these.

16. AOB

No further business was raised.

End of meeting

The next Audit and Risk Assurance Committee meeting will take place at 10.30am on Thursday 12 September 2019, in Clive House Room 403a.