A new bursar walks into a system someone else built, with routines someone else ran and relationships someone else maintained. The first 90 days are about understanding all three before you change anything. ISASA's own material positions the bursar as the person who supports the head and drives the school's finances - a role you earn by learning fast and changing carefully.
Work through the months in order. Month one is learning; month two is fixing the things that hurt; month three is locking in a routine you can run forever.
Month one: understand
- Meet the people. The head of school, the chair of the finance committee or council, the previous bursar (if available), and the school's accountant or auditor. Each holds a piece of the puzzle.
- Read the policy stack. Fee policy, debt policy, bursary and discount policy, POPIA handling of parent records. Know what the school has committed to before you answer a single parent.
- Map the systems. What does the school use for billing, payments, reconciliation and reporting? Who has access, and what happens when someone leaves? An inventory of accounts and passwords is a month-one job, done securely.
- Reconcile to today. Run the bank statement against the fee records from the last clean point. If there's a gap, find it now - it only gets harder to unwind later.
- Know the numbers. This year's budget, the cash position, the total outstanding, the biggest open accounts. You should be able to say these out loud without checking.
Month two: stabilise
- Fix the month-end process. Run a proper close this month, with the reconciliation, the outstanding list and the notes. Make it the template for every month after.
- Clean the orphan pile. Unmatched deposits, mystery balances, accounts with no notes. Work through the backlog with the school's records; most of it resolves with one phone call per item.
- Meet the parents who owe the most. The handful of accounts that make up the bulk of your outstanding balance get a real conversation, not an automated message. Introductions matter.
- Check the calendar. What's coming: term fees due, the audit, budget approval, fee setting for next year. If a deadline is a month away, the work starts now.
Month three: lock in
- Write your month-end routine down. The checklist you just ran, with dates and owners. Month end becomes something you simply complete, not something you survive.
- Set the weekly rhythm. A fixed slot for the outstanding report, the reminder round and the reconciliation. The weekly collection checklist gives you the exact routine.
- Plan the fee year ahead. Fee setting, approval by council, publication and invoicing dates for next year. Our start-of-year fee setup checklist covers the full path.
- Report to the finance committee. Present the state of fees: collected, outstanding, and what you've changed. The first report sets the standard for every report after.
- Review what needs automating. Reminders sent by hand, receipts issued late, reconciliation done in a spreadsheet - these are the jobs a fee system like Ourel takes over, and each one you automate buys back real hours.
After 90 days
- You should be able to answer three questions cold: How much has the school collected this year? How much is still owed? Where does the money sit?
- Parents should know who you are - and that fees are handled, answered and chased by someone who has the facts.
- The system should run without you for a week. If a holiday breaks collection, the routine isn't done yet.
Sources & further reading
These resources go deeper into the points above:
- ISASA: The Role of the Bursar - how the bursar supports the head of school and leads the school's finances.
- ISASA: Financial Management - the financial control systems and procedures independent schools are expected to maintain.
- ISASA: Overview of the Bursars' Toolkit - practical guidelines and pro forma documents for bursars, compiled with SABISA.
- Start-of-Year Fee Setup Checklist - what to have in place before term one.
- How to Reduce Late School Fee Payments - the process view that reduces chasing.
This checklist is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Priorities in a new bursar's office depend on the school's circumstances. Confirm what applies to your school with your professional advisors.
