Zeffer | International Schools

Student roll plan by year group for five years, from today's roll in the MIS

Student roll plan. Students by year group for the next five years, from today's roll in the MIS, with the fee income that follows.

Students · Fees

Fee income worked out from your students

Students sync from your MIS by year group and boarding type. Zeffer charges each at the termly fee, takes off remissions, and bills and collects by your term dates and fee payment profiles.

The roll and the plan

Today's roll comes from your MIS, by school, year group and boarding type.

Project the roll forward year by year, with joiners, leavers and each year group moving up.

Fee income follows the plan, so a change in numbers reaches the I&E and the cash at once.

Fees, remissions and deposits

Termly fees by year group and boarding type, with additional fees on their own nominals.

Bursaries, scholarships and staff remissions come off as negative income.

Fees in advance are held as a liability and released over the terms they cover.

Deposits are held when a student joins and returned when they leave.

Recruitment · Applicant tracking

Recruitment from vacancy to first day

Zeffer runs recruitment for every school, from the vacancy to the new starter's record. Safer recruitment is built into each step, so nobody reaches an offer with a gap in their file.

Zeffer adverts board across schools with applications per vacancy

Adverts. Every advert across your schools: what needs attention, what closes this week and how many applications each vacancy has drawn.

Vacancy to advert

Vacancies are raised against a post and approved before they can be advertised, with a record of who approved them.

Advert studio with a live preview. An advert cannot go live without an approved vacancy, a closing date and a safeguarding statement.

Re-advertise a closed advert in one step, keeping the original on file.

Shortlist to offer

A pipeline from applied to shortlisted, interviewing, offered and hired, with every move kept.

Offers built from a pay scale point or a set salary, with allowances, sent as a letter from your own template.

Each offer lists the checks it depends on, so conditional offers stay conditional until the checks clear.

School compliance · Safeguarding

A single central record that keeps itself up to date

Zeffer works out which checks each person needs from their role, their history and the edition of KCSIE in force on the day. Nobody maintains the register by hand, so it is always ready for an inspection.

18 check types

Identity, right to work, enhanced DBS and barred list, prohibition from teaching, section 128, overseas criminal records, references, online searches and qualifications.

Overseas checks worked out

From each person's residence history, using the rule of six months or more abroad in the last ten years.

Everyone who should be on it

Employees, supply and agency staff, volunteers, governors, proprietors, contractors, and adults living in boarding households.

Inspection pack as at any date

The central record and a file-completeness report for each person, ready to download.

Compliance clocks run every day

For expiring visas, training renewals, risk-assessment reviews, policy reads and rule changes.

Sensitive by design

Safeguarding records are never shown by default, and certificate numbers can never appear in an export.

Zeffer listing who needs new checks after KCSIE 2026 came into force

When the rules change, Zeffer re-checks everyone. When KCSIE 2026 came into force, Zeffer applied it on the day and listed who needed new checks.

Joiners · Leavers · Sharing

Records that follow the child

When a student joins or leaves, their safeguarding file moves securely and on time, as KCSIE expects, with a record of what was sent, to whom and when.

Send a safeguarding file to a new school securely, separately from the main student file.

Ask the new school to confirm receipt, so you know their DSL has the file.

Receive files from other schools and add them to the child's chronology.

Moves between schools in your group take one step, with nothing re-typed.

A safeguarding file being transferred to a student's new school

Transfer out. What will be sent, to which school, and confirmation that their DSL has received it.

Entries shared with outside agencies and when access ends

Agency sharing

Share only what is needed, for as long as it is needed

Who outside the school can see which entries, and until when.

Share selected entries with social care, the LADO or other agencies, with access that ends on a set date.

A full log of every file sent, received and shared.

Support

Frequently asked questions

FAQs outlining how international schools interact with our software and collaborate with our company.

Why should an international school move away from Excel for budgeting and forecasting?

Excel is flexible, but it struggles with the complexity of international schools. Dedicated budgeting and forecasting systems reduce manual errors, improve consistency across campuses, and support more robust planning in environments with multiple currencies, fee structures, and regulatory requirements.

What are the main risks of continuing to rely on Excel?

Key risks include version control problems across teams or locations, formula errors, limited visibility for leadership and boards, and over-reliance on individuals who maintain critical spreadsheets. These risks are amplified when financial data is shared across countries and time zones.

Is a forecasting system only useful for large or multi-campus schools?

No. While larger groups see clear benefits, single-campus international schools also gain from improved accuracy, better visibility, and reduced operational risk. The system can scale as the school grows or adds new curriculums or locations.

How does a budgeting system support boards and owners?

Dedicated systems provide clear, consistent reporting and dashboards that are easy for board members and owners to understand, even if they are not finance specialists. This improves transparency, governance, and confidence in financial plans and forecasts.

How does a system help with cash flow and currency management?

Forecasting systems link income and expenditure with timing and currency assumptions, giving schools a clearer picture of cash flow across currencies. This helps leadership manage reserves, plan capital expenditure, and reduce exposure to currency risk.

Can a budgeting system handle the complex & unique structure of international schools?

Yes. The system is designed to support complex organisational structures, including multiple campuses, departments, cost centres, currencies, and locally restricted funds, making it far more suitable than standalone spreadsheets.

How does a forecasting system improve financial planning?

A forecasting system enables real-time scenario modelling such as changes in enrolment, fee strategies, staffing costs, or exchange rates, helping school leaders make informed decisions and plan with greater confidence over multiple years.

How does the system support enrolment and fee scenario planning?

International schools can quickly model changes in student numbers, fee increases, bursary or scholarship strategies, and currency movements, with immediate visibility of the impact on income, cash flow, and long-term sustainability.

Is it difficult to move from Excel to a budgeting system?

Implementations are straightforward. Historical data can be imported, and systems are designed to feel familiar to Excel users while offering stronger controls, automation, and support. Training requirements are typically light.

Is the investment in a budgeting system worthwhile?

For international schools, the value comes from improved decision-making, time savings, reduced risk, and greater financial resilience. When compared to the hidden costs and risks of complex spreadsheets, a dedicated system often delivers strong long-term value.

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