Landmark number of school business managers reached

Released 01/09/2010

The National College celebrates 8,000 school business managers and counting

The drive to help England's schools make the most of their resources has reached a new landmark as efforts are stepped up to train more highly skilled school business managers.

The National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services has now trained over 8,000 school business managers (SBM) with a further 2,600 progressing towards an accredited SBM qualification.

National College projections suggest a need for at least 13,000 school business managers (SBMs) and that more highly skilled SBMs benefit schools and academies the most.

The latest landmark of 8,000 means almost nine out of 10 SBMs or equivalent (88% per cent) working in English maintained schools now hold one of the National College's accredited school business qualifications - the Certificate of School Business Management (CSBM), Diploma (DSBM) and Advanced Diploma (ADSBM).

CRUCIAL SAVINGS

SBMs are adept at making savings and sourcing funding over and above the cost of their salary. They have the skills and know-how to make resources go further, re-negotiate contracts, co-ordinate joint procurement activities or shared services with other schools, and generate additional income. But research has shown that the best impact is most often achieved where schools collaborate in partnerships and employ SBMs qualified at Diploma level or higher.

Total benefits to the education sector of National College-qualified SBMs over the last few years have been put at over £300m, which includes procurement, cost savings, increased income and headteacher time savings.

Although most secondary schools enjoy access to a school business manager, a far smaller proportion of primary schools do. The National College is supporting schools, particularly in the primary sector, which want access to the skills of a school business manager to explore ways of sharing an SBM in local partnerships and clusters.

Trevor Summerson, head of school business management at the National College, said: "This is about freeing up headteachers from administrative burdens, helping schools run more efficiently and making every pound work harder for children and young people. We're making real progress and it's good news that there are more professionals dedicated to managing the business side of schools than ever before.

"However with a tougher financial climate and a rapidly changing education landscape, it's imperative that we continue to train higher level SBMs who we know can deliver the maximum benefits for schools. They will be sorely needed over the coming years with budgets tightening."

The SBM role has rapidly expanded from the traditional bursar, whose remit would largely be limited to looking after the purse strings. Whilst financial management remains key, business manager responsibilities can include procurement, human resources, premises and facilities management, school partnerships and other major projects - all of which would otherwise take a headteacher away from what he or she does best - leading teaching and learning.

SUCCESS IN KENT

Jackie Meers was one of the latest to successfully complete the Certificate of School Business Management (CSBM) programme and hopes to embark on the higher level Diploma (DSBM) this autumn. A Governor, SBM and PA to the headteacher at Bursted Wood Primary School in Bexleyheath, Kent, her responsibilities range from tendering, premises and health and safety to sustainable development, parental engagement, admissions and extended services. She also leads the administration team and takes part in the recruitment of all staff.

Since embarking on her CSBM course, Jackie has saved the school and nursery thousands of pounds through a tendering process for the cleaning contract and by reviewing IT and bursarial requirements. She has also generated a new funding stream by working with the headteacher to offer the revamped conference room for community use and networking purposes. She played a key role in securing £25,000 Early Years funding which enabled Bursted Wood Primary to create a Forest School.

Jackie said: "I found the CSBM course extremely rewarding and of huge benefit to Bursted Wood Primary School - I've been raving about it. It's given me the confidence to stand back and scrutinise everything for value for money which is so important when there are financial constraints. This frees up the headteachers time enabling her to concentrate fully on the things she excels at on the teaching side."

The National College's School Business Management Programme dates back to 2002 - when it was known as the Bursar Development Programme - and is run by the National College in collaboration with the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). Since that time the number of SBMs in the school system has been growing steadily year on year.

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