The Services to Schools SLA Portal is now open for Schools to use in relation to their Service Level Agreement requirements for 2026/27, please see the link http://sla.northumberland.gov.uk/default.aspx .
Please take the time to review the information on the portal, as in some cases services will have changed from that offered in the previous year.
The basic process remains as it was last year – after reviewing the information regarding a service on the portal, please select the packages that you require, and add them to your basket. Remember to “check out” by confirming the purchases in your basket. The shopping list is provided for all schools to assist you by reminding you of those services you purchased last year. All schools are reminded that these packages will need to be removed or added to your basket before you can check out. The nominated contact for the Service you are purchasing will subsequently provide confirmation.
We have again opened the portal to Schools earlier than in previous years in to support schools by enabling them to them to review and select their SLAs at an earlier stage thereby assisting with their budget preparation for 2026/27. In some cases this may mean that a small number of services are not yet available, further information will be provided as soon as this becomes available.
Pupil data used to calculate prices is based on the October 2025 census information. Schools should be able to check this information to the School Budget Share documents. Where price information is based on staffing information this will also generally be based on October 2025 information, where this is held. Academies and other non-maintained schools may be required to submit additional information in order to obtain a price for services. Schools are reminded that charges may fluctuate from year to year if there are changes in this data. Service Managers may also reserve the right to update or review prices where the data held does not accurately reflect a Schools position for 2026/27.
No charges are processed at the time you make your purchases, even where costs are provided. Costs will subsequently be charged by invoice or journal transfer in line with the timescales outlined by the service. Wherever possible we have tried to include Finance Code information to indicate which code will be charged for the specific service. There are also some services where it is not possible to provide pricing information within the portal but a manager will gladly provide a “price on application”.
The service contacts, as listed for the individual items should be the first point of contact for a particular service.
In some cases, the portal may simply provide advice regarding a service, if there is no specific package on offer then further information will be signposted.
Users are able to reset their own passwords by following the onscreen help.
A reminder that the “Customer Number” is the Schools 7 digit DfE number and the username is firstname.surname.
Attached is the training video SchoolCustomers_2021_2022.mp4 and the latest customer guidance notes, an online help facility is available indicated by this symbol at the top of the page.
If you have any comments or queries please direct them to schoolslas@northumberland.gov.uk
Reminder that we are holding a drop in session on Monday 2 February between 10 – 11 am – this is not a training session but a chance to highlight any issues you may have. Please complete the attached form if you would like an invitation sent to join the meeting along with the issue you would like to raise. Please note the dates have changed since this original form was sent.
