Bringing business minds to primaries

The ‘Review of Efficiency in the Schools System’ (Department for Education, June 2013) concluded that one of the seven key characteristics of the most efficient schools is that they employ, or have access to, a skilled school business management professional who takes on a leadership role. Less than half of the state-funded primary schools in England currently have access to a school business management professional while over 90 per cent of secondary schools do.
    
One of the recommendations arising from the Department for Education’s Review was therefore to “provide small start-up grants to enable clusters of primary schools to take on a school business manager, who could then provide support to the entire group. The grant would last one year only, to contribute towards the initial recruitment costs, but we would then expect the role to become self-sustaining as the schools start to reap the benefits of that expertise.”

Grant scheme
NASBM is managing this grant programme on behalf of the Department, working closely with its strategic partner FASNA. The Department intends to make up to around 200 grants of £25,000 available to support the appointment of a school business management professional by a cluster of schools. The cluster must be made up of a minimum of four schools, at least 75 per cent of which must be primary schools, and must be able to match fund the grant award.     
    
Applications will be considered from: schools coming together for the first time with the aim of recruiting a school business management professional; schools that already have a school business manager professional who are able to establish a new role to support other schools in an existing or new cluster and enable them to access a school business management professional; and finally existing school clusters with no school business management professional who decide to recruit one.
    
The role must encompass both operational and strategic responsibilities to drive forward efficiencies so that the post in sustainable beyond the life-time of the grant. The application window opens closes 5.00pm 13 June 2014.

Criteria
Applications will be scored against a strict set of criteria. Regarding cluster size and structure, the cluster comprises a minimum of four schools, of which at least 75 per cent are primary schools, and a lead school has been identified. Clusters comprising all primary schools are also acceptable.
    
The grant application must have full support of all the head teachers and chairs of governors in the cluster schools, who will have agreed a joint rationale for the new school business management role.
    
Understanding of the school business management professional role is another consideration. There must be a joint understanding across the cluster of how the new role will be deployed to support both operational and strategic objectives, with agreement on key responsibilities and priorities.
    
There need to be clear governance and accountability structures in place, specifically to account for the management of the grant and the deployment of the school business management professional role.
    
The cluster should be able to recruit and appoint a suitably qualified and experienced school business management professional within the required timeframe, i.e. no later than 20 December 2014.
    
The cluster has to provide the necessary additional finance to secure the appointment of a school business management professional role in a strategic and senior leadership position for 12 months and has plans in place to sustain the role after the grant award.
    
Finally, the cluster must be able to provide support to the new school business management professional to enable them to be successful in their role.
    
If you would like advice on establishing a school business management professional role, including how the role can be deployed across clusters of schools or advice on recruitment, please contact NASBM. Free information and advice is available from one of NASBM’s Associate Practitioners, a team of experienced SBMs located in all regions.

Further information
www.nasbm.co.uk