February 2016

The know zone

  • It's a jungle out there...
    As I walk around school during the day I am struck by the differing groups of students that I meet and observe. Each group has its own social structure, feeding pattern and natural habitat. While there has been little scientific research into these groups I have tried to collate my observations. More
  • Lessons in life?
    A new report from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner recommends compulsory personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons in schools. What are your views – should PSHE be a compulsory component in the National Curriculum? Here ASCL members share their thoughts. More
  • Leaders' surgery
    Hotline advice expressed here, and in calls to us, is made in good faith to our members. Schools and colleges should always take formal HR or legal advice from their indemnified provider before acting. More
  • Great opportunities for leadership development
    ASCL Professional Development (PD) offers a range of support to provide you with the solutions you need. Our events, which are accessible to members and non-members alike, are packed full of practical ideas that you can take back to school or college and are led by expert education practitioners from ASCL’s team. More
  • The appliance of science
    British Science Week (11–20 March 2016) is the UK’s largest grassroots celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) that takes place each March. Every year, it brings together schools, colleges, professionals and communities to celebrate and explore STEM. More
  • Engaging with parents to raise pupil attainment
    Parents say work commitments are the most common barrier to getting more involved in their child’s school life* but parents who have insight into their child’s progress can help to support their development. With the busy lives that parents lead, schools need to find new ways of engaging parents with their child’s progress: More
  • Know your rights
    Academies have changed the landscape on employment and too often staff find themselves with fewer entitlements than expected, so study your contract before you sign, says Sara Ford. More
  • Broadening their horizons
    As the latest research shows, children learn the basics best when they are taught as part of a broad and balanced curriculum, rather than in splendid isolation, says Julie McCulloch. More
  • Braced for change
    Working in a MAT or stand-alone school? Operational or strategic role? Val Andrew looks at what the future holds for school business leaders and school business managers. More
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Working in a MAT or stand-alone school? Operational or strategic role? Val Andrew looks at what the future holds for school business leaders and school business managers.

Braced for change

As academisation continues and with it the devolution of more responsibility to schools and leaders, it is becoming accepted that the school business manager (SBM) has a key role to play in leadership. Heads and principals, even those with sophisticated business acumen, find that juggling their additional responsibilities as a CEO can distract from their core purpose of driving improvement in attainment. 

Key facets of the SBM role include harnessing business and entrepreneurial expertise to manage dwindling resources; leading increasing numbers of support staff; maximising income generation; and that overriding commitment to the core purpose of every school – ensuring the children have every opportunity to achieve their full potential. 

More specialisation 

As the number of multi-academy trusts (MATs) and federations has increased we have seen more specialisation within the SBM role, while the more holistic and generalist role is still prevalent in stand-alone, individual schools. The ASCL blueprint predicts that fiscal pressures will bring about the demise of smaller stand-alone institutions and that they will be absorbed into MATs, federations or other collaborations.

Executive leadership models continue to emerge with many incorporating a mix of academic and business-related professional expertise. At the Academies Show in November 2015, there was a suggestion that the most efficient model for groups (in financial terms) would be those incorporating 15 or more schools. In groups of this size, is it possible that the balance of the leadership team could become skewed so that more commercially trained professionals whose expertise is in accounting, HR, marketing, data analysis, legal compliance and so on outnumber the educators? 

I believe that some schools – providing that they can continue to operate in a sustainable way and retain their autonomy – may continue to thrive as individual institutions. They will be a minority but the generalist model of SBM could continue in these settings. 

However, I also believe that there is a place for generalist SBM roles in MATs and federations. Some think this would only be at operational rather than strategic level but my view is that you would still need specialists working at operational level: leadership needs strategists who can think innovatively but also connect with the issues on the ground to deliver solutions that work. 

Streamline structures 

One immediate effect of collaboration is the need to streamline leadership structures that can help cut costs quickly. The challenge is then to ensure that the new leadership model includes high-calibre, innovative and strategic leaders with expertise in both educational and business disciplines. 

Changes of this kind naturally make us feel uneasy about what the future holds but I believe there will be more career development opportunities for business leadership and management practitioners. There will be openings for those with ambition who are also prepared to take advantage of gaining experiences in different environments. 

For the time being the mix of specialist and generalist roles in the system will continue. Rather than looking at this as a positive or negative, the balance of strategic and operational responsibilities is the key distinction. There is no ‘alone-size-fits-all’ model. 

In the spirit of the ASCL blueprint and the vision of a school-led, self-improving system, it is for practitioners to seize this opportunity and develop our own clear sense of where we want this profession to go and what we are seeking to achieve and to play an active role in shaping the future. ASCL’s change in terminology to school business leader is intended to underline that the role is an integral part of the leadership structure. 

There are still some pockets of resistance to the ongoing evolution of this role, where there is reluctance to recognise that qualified professionals who do not have a teaching background should be part of a senior leadership team. ASCL has been lobbying for the government to acknowledge the value of the SBM role to our system and to support the removal of those barriers that still prevent total inclusion at leadership level in some parts of the sector.

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