An introductory guide to integrated curriculum financial planning (ICFP)
This guidance is intended to support trust executive and governance leaders with the basics of integrated curriculum and financial planning (ICFP).
The guidance introduces some of the common approaches, metrics, and tools used in ICFP. It does not endorse a single model and should be read alongside the DfE’s ICFP guidance, its financial benchmarking and insights tool, and relevant sector resources.
At its simplest, ICFP is a formula or set of calculations that can help your trust model the financial requirements of your curriculum offer. Using a set of assumptions on things like pupil to teacher ratio, teacher costs, and expected income, trusts can quickly estimate their costs and understand what changes to them might mean for future budgets. It can also help identify outliers between similar schools – both in terms of what is working and what could be better.
We use the term integrated curriculum and financial planning or ICFP throughout this guidance, reflecting the terminology used by the Department for Education. You may sometimes see this referred to as curriculum-led financial planning (CLFP), but the underlying principle is the same: bringing curriculum, workforce, and financial planning together so that educational ambitions and available resources are considered as part of a single strategic conversation. CLFP was developed as a concept by Outwood Grange Academies Trust and variations on it have since been widely adopted as a useful tool across the sector.
