For years, administration and business management remained a relatively uncelebrated part of the school machinery. However, the role took on new importance with local management of schools and has now become crucial amid real-terms funding cuts, a cost of living crisis, and a growing multi-academy trust movement.
An effective school business professional (SBP) will carefully manage resources, providing good budget performance and strong negotiating skills to save you money, with direct implications for staffing and teaching and learning at your school.
However, it can also be a lonely job. Often heading a large but diverse group of staff, SBPs can be expected to work miracles with a struggling school budget and must justify difficult financial decisions to a teaching staff desperate for more resources. So how can you help your SBP during the difficult times that will no doubt continue this year?
Role within the school
Look at ways in which the SBP in your school can be given the job satisfaction they deserve. Take time to talk to your SBP:
- Do they feel sufficiently involved in leadership decision-making or do they feel they are the last to know? If so, how can you remedy this?
- Are there tasks that they are currently engaged with that could be delegated, freeing them for more specialist areas?
- Do they feel supported in the difficult decisions they have to make?
- Are they sufficiently recognised as a key member of the school community and leadership?
- Are there any resources, software or hardware items that could take some of the drudgery out of the role?
- Are there any concerns about the teams they are responsible for that they need more support with?
Take time to identify your SBP’s strengths and areas for development, for example using the School Business Leader Professional Standards from the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL). This should be part of their CPD cycle and might lead to the identification of further training and development opportunities.
Training and development
Although experience is a very important factor when it comes to the SBP role, training and developing through qualifications both complements and enhances this.
Apprenticeships
Following an apprenticeship course has the advantage that your SBP continues working while also improving their skills. There are different levels of apprenticeship depending upon existing experience:
- Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship
- Level 4 School Business Professional Apprenticeship (SBPA)
- Level 6 Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA)
- Level 7 Senior Leadership (Degree) Apprenticeship
Be aware that although the SBP can continue working within your school there is a requirement for them to have one day a week out.
Core qualifications
The Institute of Leadership and Management offers two core generalist SBP qualifications – the Level 4 Diploma for School Business Managers and the Level 5 Diploma for School Business Leaders. These have been developed for SBPs who already have a school business professional role within a school.
Specialist qualifications
A list of specialist qualifications is available on the ISBL website, including those related to finance and operational leadership, human resources, estate management, and project management.
Short courses of interest
The training and development listed above all require a significant commitment from the SBP (and the school) so be cautious about raising their workload, albeit with the best of intentions. Pursuing further qualifications is not for everyone and you should be cautious about placing any pressure on your SBP if they do not wish to study further at this stage in their career.
However, be prepared if they are keen to take up a course to support them with some funding towards its cost and/or time for them to study.
Alternatively watch out for conferences and short, independent courses that are available to help SBPs brush up on particular aspects of their role – for example the implications of a new law or requirement. If your SBP is anxious about making too large a commitment, then Future Learn provides online courses many of which are short and free.
Networks and partnerships
There is a growing movement to make sure that the SBP feels part of a wider network. The Department for Education says that there are currently more than 100 school business professional networks in the UK and has published a helpful directory (DfE, 2023). If a network isn’t already available locally they are encouraging individuals to establish their own. Your SBP might already be a member of a local group that is not formally recognised, but if not linking up with like-minded individuals through courses or conferences can be a good way to begin.
Career progression
Most headteachers aim to develop their deputy headteacher and actively encourage them to aspire to, apply for and move on to the role of headteacher. The SBP’s career development should be similarly nurtured. There is a new tier of SBPs that are associated with MATs and come under a range of different titles including chief operating officers (COOs) and chief financial officers (CFOs). These roles are in high demand and short supply. Becoming a consultant SBP is also an option for those looking to combine generalist and specialist provision.
Looking to the future
The SBP – whether generalist or specialist – is a valuable asset to your school and the opportunity to grow and increase in self-confidence is vital. One of the dilemmas for a senior leader is that you appoint a good member of staff, put in the strategies to make them even better and then they decide to move on.
However, this cycle of improvement and movement is far better than that of stagnation. Having an SBP who is motivated to develop their career, prove themselves and go on to higher things may mean that their time with you is limited but they bring a huge amount of added value to your school while there.
With this in mind, it is important that you always have one eye on any potential SBPs in your team who can be coached on the job to become your next prodigy. Equally, if you have an SBP who sees their future career as based with you, make sure you don’t take them for granted. Nurture them through CPD, be there to listen, support and advise and, most of all, make sure they enjoy the recognition they deserve.
- Suzanne O’Connell is a freelance education writer and a former primary school headteacher. Read her previous articles for Headteacher Update via www.headteacher-update.com/authors/suzanne-oconnell
Headteacher Update Autumn Term Edition 2023
- This article first appeared in Headteacher Update's Autumn Term Edition 2023. This edition was sent free of charge to every primary school in the country in September. A digital edition is also available via www.headteacher-update.com/content/downloads
Further information & resources
- DfE: Guidance: Join or create a network for school business professionals, 2023: https://tinyurl.com/2k9m4fuf
- Future Learn: www.futurelearn.com
- Institute of Leadership & Management: www.i-l-m.com
- ISBL: School Business Leader Professional Standards: www.isbl.org.uk/isbl-professional-standards
- ISBL: Apprenticeships: www.isbl.org.uk/apprenticeships
- ISBL: Specialist qualifications: www.isbl.org.uk/specialist-qualifications