Education Executive March 2023

Making the most of staff appraisals

Editor’s comment

Happy March! The daffodils are here, Easter eggs are filling up shelves and British Summer Time is on the horizon. I don’t know about you, but that’s certainly enough to put a spring in my step!

This issue features a series of articles centred on the theme of SBL self-belief and the value of the SBL role. Andrew Blench starts things off by looking at the reasons why SBLs need to make themselves a priority, and recognise their value. Laura Williams gives her advice on why you should stop comparing yourself to others, Phil Burton looks at the steps you can take if you are feeling undermined by your team and, after posting a tweet asking why so many school business leaders are leaving the profession, Val Andrew was overwhelmed with responses - with many citing the feeling of being undervalued as one of the main reasons for leaving the role. Turn to page 36 to read Val’s thoughts on this.

We also look at a range of other hot topics this month. Stephen Mitchell explores how putting philosophy into practice could help SBLs deal with the daily ethical dilemmas they face, and Sue Birchall explains why investing time and energy into effective staff appraisals could help to combat the current recruitment and retention crisis in schools. Simon Hepburn wants to know if you consider yourself an extrovert, an introvert or an ambivert? He explores the difference between these three personality types and discusses how schools can engage better with those who class themselves as introverts – a somewhat overlooked group in schools, he feels.

We have not one but three IT experts on hand in our ICT MATTERS section, ready to give their advice on three diverse topics. Neil Limbrick gets the ball rolling by looking at how you can get a grip on your crucially important IT service desk, and Nigel Milligan closes the section by explaining why, as the time approaches to renew your IT support contract, it’s really important to not disregard your IT technicians. Sandwiched in between is an article from Gary Henderson focused on a topic that is currently dividing opinion – ChatGPT. Gary discusses the benefits and drawbacks of the AI bot that has been the centre of many recent heated debates - read to the end of the article to discover the twist!

Contributors

The education sector can be difficult to navigate at times, and those in school business management play a pivotal role in steering schools to success. Tasked with everything from finance and procurement, to HR and admin, you keep the education cogs turning. Education Executive addresses the most pressing matters faced by SBMs, offering meaningful insights and practical advice.

ELEANOR POTTER

Editor Education Executive

ANDREW BLENCH

SBL consultant School Business Partner Ltd

STEPHEN MITCHELL Director KeystoneKnowledge

LAURA WILLIAMS Director L J Business of Education

SUE BIRCHALL

Long-standing SBL

SIMON HEPBURN

Founder MarketingAdviceforSchools

PHIL BURTON Business manager HallbrookandCosbyPrimarySchool

NEIL LIMBRICK

Founder theEducationCollective

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

As always, we’d love to hear any suggestions you have for the magazine. If you’d like to get involved with EdExec, or if you’d like us to cover a certain topic, please do let us know. Contact eleanor@intelligentmedia. co.uk or tweet @edexec with ideas, opinions or success stories.

Is your school doing something wonderful? Do you have an opinion or experience you’d like to share? A story suggestion? Or some advice you’d like to share with your peers?

Get in touch – email eleanor@ intelligentmedia.co.uk

ELEANOR POTTER EDITOR

GARY HENDERSON

Director of IT Millfield School

NIGEL MILLIGAN

IT technician manager

StHerbert’sRCPrimarySchool

22

YOU BEING

28 CHATGPT IN EDUCATION: EMBARGO OR EMBRACE Gary Henderson’s

32 TECHNO GEEK

Sparing a thought for your IT technician

LIVE

34 LIVE IT

Close your eyes. Inhale. Count to five… now exhale. Time to take a few moments out for some light and interesting reading – a wellearned break from numbers and statistics!

36 WHY ARE SO MANY SCHOOL BUSINESS LEADERS LEAVING THE PROFESSION?

Val Andrews explores after opening up the conversation on Twitter

Education Executive is the first business management magazine written exclusively for school business managers and bursars, bringing you the latest issues affecting your role, from finance to premises, procurement EdExec delivers the lowdown on all the hottest topics in education management right here, every month.

@EdExec

Amanda Lancaster alancasterdesign.com

Editorial Editor Ellie Potter eleanor@intelligentmedia.co.uk

Sales info@intelligentmedia.co.uk

Publisher Vicki Baloch vicki@intelligentmedia.co.uk

NEWS

The latest news and views from the world of education

Edinburgh education cuts ‘would hit poor children’ and could make staff ‘finally break’, warns union

Cuts planned to Edinburgh’s education budget would undermine vital work to tackle the attainment gap between children from rich and poor backgrounds, a teachers’ union has warned, and staff working under ‘intolerable strain’ could reach a tipping point where they ‘finally break’.

Council officials are proposing cuts of £7.1m from education as part of a massive council-wide savings exercise forced by a government funding squeeze. A report by officials insists cuts will not affect ‘core teaching activities’ but, in a letter to councillors, Alison Murphy, Edinburgh secretary of the EIS, Scotland’s biggest teachers’ union, says, “Our schools are already chronically underfunded. Please do not labour under any misapprehension that what is proposed here will do anything other than make an already bad situation worse.”

The proposed cuts include a reduction in the number of ‘transition teachers’ who work with pupils as they make the switch from primary to secondary school - long recognised as a time when some children’s learning can dip or even go backwards.

However the report from officials states that these posts are no longer needed. ‘These posts were allocated to provide additional support during the pandemic and can now be removed without impacting on core teaching activities or core support activities.’

@miconm: Heard that Welsh govt has offered teachers an additional 3%. That’s over and above the 5% already offered. Wonder if that’s something we may see in England now?

Counter-extremism workers have warned of a rapid rise in the number of cases being referred to them by schools concerned about the influence of the self-styled misogynist influencer Andrew Tate, The Guardian has reported.

Incidents include the verbal harassment of female teachers and other pupils, and outbursts echoing Tate’s views - which are disseminated and spread mainly on social platforms TikTok and Instagram despite the fact that he has been banned from them.

Frontline practitioners delivering the government’s counter-extremism Prevent programme told The Guardian that he was a factor in cases dating back into last year. Their warnings come amid criticism of a review of Prevent by William Shawcross, which concluded last week that the misogynistic ‘incel’ subculture, whose women-hating adherents have been drawn to Tate, was not a counter-terrorism matter.

@sbm_jo: Working from home day today. Me, my (very happy) dog, coffee machine, budget sheets and peace & quiet. Bliss! #sbltwitter

Dr Tim Squirrell, of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a counter-extremism think tank, said misogyny of the type peddled by Tate was “falling through the cracks” of counter-extremism policy. “Tate clearly represents a risk of radicalising young men into misogynist extremism, but this kind of extremism is not currently considered for support under Prevent.”

‘Rapid rise’ in Andrew Taterelated cases referred to Prevent by schools

Anger after Redcar lollipop lady removed near school

BBC News has reported that a decision to remove a lollipop lady opposite a school has led to parents claiming that children are now being put at risk of an accident. The patrol, near Coatham Church of England

Primary School in Redcar, was moved to a ‘busier location’ in November.

One parent said she “nearly got run over” as she had to stop cars to help children cross the road. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said it planned to reinstate the patrol.

The road, which does not have a pedestrian or zebra crossing, had been covered by the same lollipop lady for several years. However, following her absence, the council struggled to recruit people to patrol and needed to cover areas it deemed busier, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

“It has been suggested we don’t need the lollipop lady as the road isn’t busy enough,” Vicki Spall, who has two children at the primary school, claimed. “However, every day the kids are at risk of accidents because there are no safe crossings around our school.”

Bristol’s spending on special needs education becoming ‘unsustainable’

Bristol 24/7 has reported that the mayor has warned that the huge amount of cash spent on providing expensive special needs education is becoming ‘unsustainable’. Demand and costs for special educational needs (SEN) is rising across the country, with Bristol facing a growing budget black hole.

In an effort to stop these costs spiralling further, the Department for Education has given Bristol City Council £1m to explore what reforms can be brought in. While details of the reforms are not fully clear, they’re expected to begin by this April, affecting thousands of children.

This year, the council budgeted £78.5m for its ‘high needs block’, and next year this will increase to £86.5m - but this is still not enough cash to cover costs; this year’s deficit is expected to be £44m, and growing next year to a whopping £63m.

The expected reforms include increasing specialist places, providing extra funding to schools for early intervention work, and ensuring therapies are good quality.

Sheppey school to be taken over by new academy trust

A school rated inadequate by Ofsted will be taken over by a new academy trust, BBC News has reported. Oasis Community Learning’s board of trustees has agreed to transfer the Oasis Academy in Sheppey to another trust. The decision was made in mutual agreement with the Department for Education (DfE).

Last year, inspectors found pupils using ‘foul, homophobic, racist and sexist language’ at the school, which is the only secondary school on the Isle of Sheppey. A trust spokesperson said the decision was made “with a heavy heart”.

“Despite the hard work of our staff, and the significant investment and new processes that have been introduced at the school, we are sorry that we have not been able to successfully deliver the exceptional education environment that our young people deserve,” they said.

“We will work with the DfE whilst they appoint a new trust and will ensure this process is managed as smoothly as possible for the benefit of the students we serve.”

@susie_dent: I have only just discovered that the original meaning of ‘prime time’, in the 16th century, was Spring.

Defibrillator deliveries underway for all schools that need one

Deliveries of the first defibrillators mark the start of a roll out of over 20,000 units to almost 18,000 state-funded schools by the end of the academic year

Last year the government committed to supplying statefunded schools across England with defibrillators to make sure there is a device in every school. It follows campaigning from the Oliver King Foundation and its founder, Mark King, who has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the need for defibrillators since he tragically lost his son at the age of 12 to cardiac arrest while swimming at school.

The deliveries of the first defibrillators mark the start of a roll out of over 20,000 units to almost 18,000 state-funded schools by the end of the academic year. The government is also supporting schools in making defibrillators available to the community, with external heated defibrillator cabinets being provided to primary and special schools in areas where provision is low.

CELEBRATING A HUGE MILESTONE

An internal cabinet is being provided to secondary schools receiving two or more defibrillators, so that one can be placed in the school’s sports facility, where a cardiac arrest is more likely to happen. The Oliver King Foundation and other leading charities - including the British Heart Foundation, Resuscitation Council UK and St John Ambulance - have supported the creation of updated guidance which will give schools the tools and knowledge they need to use their new defibrillators correctly and with confidence.

“We’re celebrating a huge milestone as we start deliveries of defibrillators to schools, working towards every school having one by the end of the academic year,” said education secretary Gillian

Keegan. “None of this would have come about without the relentless and brave campaigning of Mark King and the Oliver King Foundation, and we are extremely grateful to him and other leading charities for the ongoing support they will doubtless provide to schools, from lesson plans to staff training.”

Mark King welcomed the long-awaited success of his campaigning. “This is a landmark moment and will be welcomed by pupils, parents and teachers up and down the country. It is a proud day for us because we’ve campaigned for schools to have access to defibrillators for over a decade. It is a major victory for the Oliver King Foundation.

“Defibrillators save lives and I have no doubt that lives will now be saved so that families do not have to suffer the heartbreak of unnecessarily losing a child. This is for our Ollie.”

This is the largest defibrillator programme in England to date and will ensure that pupils and staff have access to this lifesaving first aid equipment. The new guidance provides advice for schools on how to make their defibrillator available to the community, and awareness-raising videos are being provided to show how simple defibrillators are to use; schools are being encouraged to share these videos in staff meetings and assemblies. The government is also encouraging schools to sign up to The Circuit, the national defibrillator network.

This follows the announcement last month of a new £1 million fund to increase the number of defibrillators in communities most in need - providing an estimated 1,000 new defibrillators in community spaces across England.

Staff Absence Protection

Our market leading staff absence protection provides budget certainty, along with flexibility of cover.

We operate on a 'by schools, for schools' approach, with all year end surpluses being returned to the education sector. To date, over £800,000 has been reinvested.

Pupil attendance in schools SPOTLIGHT ON

The absence rate increase towards the end of the Autumn term was driven by illness which, during week commencing 12 December 2022, was 9.1% up from 2.6% at the start of the term. In the week commencing 23 January 2023, illness absence was 4.0%, slightly increased from the first week of the spring term (week commencing 2 January 2023) when it was 3.2%. Increase in illness absence at the end of the autumn term was in line with increases in rates of seasonal ‘flu and other seasonal respiratory illnesses

By school type, the absence rates across the week commencing 23 January 2023 were:

● 5.8% in state-funded primary schools (4.5% authorised and 1.2% unauthorised).

● 8.7% in state-funded secondary schools (5.4% authorised and 3.3% unauthorised).

● 13.1% in state-funded special schools (10.1% authorised and 3.0% unauthorised).

The data shows that the attendance rate across the academic year to date was 92.4%. The absence rate was, therefore, 7.6% across all schools.

By school type, the absence rates across the year to date were:

● 6.2% in state-funded primary schools (4.7% authorised and 1.5% unauthorised)

● 9.1% in state-funded secondary schools (6.0% authorised and 3.1% unauthorised)

● 13.3% in state-funded special schools (10.3% authorised and 3.0% unauthorised)

The absence rate was 7.1% across all schools in the week commencing 23 January 2023

These figures are derived from regular data automatically submitted to the Department for Education (DfE) by participating schools. The data is submitted on a daily basis and includes the attendance codes for each pupil on their registers during the morning and afternoon sessions.

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Knowing your worth

‘Nowadays people know the price of everything, and the value of nothing,’ writes

Oscar Wilde in The Picture of Dorian Gray.

In the course of my work as a school business management consultant and coach over the last seven years I have had the privilege of working with a variety of school business management professionals - some of them just starting out on their SBL careers and others more established. On the whole, we are a positive, glass half full bunch; the resilience and commitment of the profession in providing the systems and resources to deliver outstanding education for our young people is admirable and amazing.

But I also get a sense that there can be a tendency to lose ourselves in all of this, because we are the kind of people who focus on making sure that everyone else in our school/trust has what they need to help them succeed, our own professional needs can get pushed to the bottom of the pile if they are even considered at all.

In our personal lives many SBLs play a similar role of putting other people’s needs first, perhaps being the primary carer for children or elderly relatives. One of the key findings from the ISBL School Business Professional Workforce Survey 2020 was that 87% of the profession identify as female. Research conducted by Direct Line Life

Assurance in 2018 revealed that 64% of primary care givers to children were female and research by Birmingham and Sheffield Universities showed that half of women are likely to be a carer of an elderly, sick or disabled relative by the age of 46; for men, the equivalent age would be 57.

So perhaps we are also so busy meeting the needs of colleagues at work and family at home that we are either so exhausted or stretched that we do not consider our own needs. If we add into this scenario the demands that the COVID pandemic placed upon SBLs, it’s no wonder that many are now at burnout. We need a school system in which the role of the SBL is valued!

In many of the schools and trusts I work with they are valued, and I often hear senior leaders express professional admiration and support for their school business leaders. Sadly, this isn’t the case in every setting

ANDREW BLENCH, SBL consultant at School Business Partner Limited, emphasises the reasons why SBLs need to make themselves a priority and recognise their value

and I, along with others, will continue to lobby for the profession to be given proper recognition and value. However, if we don’t value ourselves, how can we expect others to do so also? This sounds like I am blaming the SBL, and that is not my intention, but I have heard many a SBL argue to me why the school can’t afford to send them on training, or why the school can’t justify giving the SBL some extra hours of staffing for the school office.

CAN WE AFFORD NOT TO INVEST?

The real question is why do we think we can afford not to invest in the SBL? We are the ones who keep the school and trust compliant, out of the employment tribunal and avoiding fines from the HSE or environmental health. We enable schools to set balanced budgets which deliver outcomes for our young people, we generate additional income,

keep everyone safe and ensure that the school runs smoothly day-in, day-out!

So, when it comes to knowing our worth and value how can we do this as SBLs?

● Insist upon an annual performance appraisal with your line manager at which your CPD needs are discussed and prioritised.

● Change the language you use when describing spend which relates to your role or department - an investment is a cost seen through a different lens.

● Celebrate personal professional successes – that successful bid to the national lottery; the new contract you negotiated which delivers an improved service.

● Tell people what you do! Ask for a slot on the SLT or governors meeting to discuss relevant issues.

● Complete a 360-degree feedback questionnaire! That sounds scary, I know but, in my experience, it has unearthed the value that your colleagues see in you which you are often not aware of.

● Ask for pay parity with other colleagues in your setting working at a similar level. There is help and advice around this area from ISBL and also trades unions.

● Set boundaries - and stick to them.

Make yourself a priority once in a while. It’s not selfish. It’s necessary.

We enable schools to set balanced budgets which deliver outcomes for our young people

Supporting your school

Our event is designed specifically for SBLsand you can tailor it even more to suit your school’s specific needs

The beauty of our live event is that you have the ability to choose the seminars you attend, ensuring that the content is even more relevant for your specific school needs and unique situation. You know the challenges you and your school face better than anyone, and we provide you with the opportunity to learn more about the areas you need to skill-up in in order to further the improvement of your school.

WHAT’S HAPPENING?

Seminars – tackling everything from leadership, whole school management and procurement to finance, funding and grants.

Networking – meet with peers from around the country to swap battle stories, compare scars and share best practice.

Exhibition – get a taste of the companies whose products and services could make a difference to your school.

WHAT’S THE VALUE?

Personal development – our event will send you away feeling enriched, motivated and ready to tackle your role with new vigour.

Unique event – tailor your day to your individual needs by selecting the most relevant sessions from the wide range on offer.

Peer testimony – be inspired and motivated by those who have walked in your shoes and excelled through hard work and innovation.

Unrivalled experience – based on over a decade of serving SBMs through our publications and events, EdExec LIVE knows what you need and delivers it.

SO, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

We want as many of you as possible to benefit from a day of learning and networking, so we are offering a limited number of FREE and DISCOUNTED tickets! Email hello@edexeclive.co.uk using the subject line ‘I want to come to EdExec LIVE 2023!’ to express your interest in tickets.

*Standard ticket price is £50 which includes all seminars, the exhibition, refreshments and a hot lunch.

Standard ticket price is £50 which includes all seminars, exhibition, refreshments and a hot lunch

“EdExec LIVE is a great way to network with other colleagues in different authorities. When you return to work you feel you are not alone juggling your workload. The whole day was very well-organised, with very interesting seminars and had a good range of outside agencies with interesting products.”

– 2022 delegate

Facing daily ethical dilemmas in schools – putting philosophy into practice

STEPHEN MITCHELL, director, Keystone Knowledge, explores two different philosophies which can help guide ethical decision-making in schools

As operational managers in schools you’re faced with a range of daily ethical dilemmas; from balancing student and teacher needs to making budget decisions, it can be tough to know what the right thing to do is. That’s why understanding the different philosophical approaches to ethics can be helpful, and bring fresh perspective.

Two big names in ethics are John Rawls and Immanuel Kant. Rawls is all about fairness and justice, while Kant is more focused on moral duty and universal principles. Let’s take a closer look at each of these approaches and how they might apply to your work as a school business manager.

JOHN RAWLS: THE FAIRNESS CHAMPION

John Rawls was an American political philosopher who believed that justice should be the guiding principle for institutions and resource allocation. He believed that the distribution of resources and opportunities should be arranged in a way that benefits the least advantaged members of society.

For school managers, this means that you should be working to create equal opportunities for all students, regardless of their race, gender or any other personal characteristic. You should also be thinking about the impact of your decisions on those who are less fortunate, and taking steps to help them.

IMMANUEL KANT: THE MORAL DUTY BELIEVER

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher who believed that moral duty is derived from universal moral principles which are independent of personal interests and desires. According to Kant, moral principles should be treated as absolute, and universal, and individuals have a moral obligation to abide by these principles, no matter what.

For school managers, this means that you should be guided by moral principles, even if doing so might result in a short-term loss for the school. You should act in good faith, be transparent in your decision-making, and avoid engaging in any behaviour that could be perceived as unethical.

COMPARING RAWLS AND KANT

While both Rawls and Kant offer important insights, there are some key differences between their approaches. Rawls is focused on the consequences of decisions and their impact on the less fortunate, while Kant is focused on universal moral principles and the duty to act in accordance with those principles. Rawls is also a consequentialist, meaning he focuses on the outcomes of decisions, while Kant is a nonconsequentialist, meaning he focuses on the moral principles behind decisions, regardless of the outcome.

SO, WHICH APPROACH IS BETTER?

In my opinion, it’s not about choosing one approach over the other; it’s about taking the best of both worlds and finding a balance that works for your school. By considering both Rawls’ emphasis on fairness and justice, and Kant’s focus on moral duty and universal principles, you can make informed decisions that are both economically sound and ethically responsible.

A strong commitment to ethics and ethical decisionmaking is crucial for the success and sustainability of your school. By taking the time to understand these different approaches, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the ethical dilemmas that come your way and make decisions that are in the best interest of your school and the students it serves.

You should be guided by moral principles, even if doing so might result in a short-term loss for the school

Why comparing only leads to despairing

What SBLs achieve on a daily basis is nothing short of superhero capability and sometimes I think you need reminding of that. Especially when you don’t feel super in the slightest. The thing is, recently, I’ve noticed SBLs calling other SBLs ‘super-SBLs’ - but in a way that means that they don’t see themselves as super. It’s a label we give to others but never to ourselves. It’s like a two-tier system!

Often, it’s totally subconscious but it’s also totally real...

These are the ‘other’ SBLs - i.e. anyone that isn’t you - who we can clearly see is managing more than any one person should be able to handle and is doing so with grace, confidence and a general kick-butt atttitude that we hope we can, one day, maybe start to aspire to…

And then there’s us.

We run a superhero SBL gauge in our head and position everyone else at various, high-flying, stages of awesomeness… and when we think of ourselves, we hardly register as a blip on the hero-ometer.

WELL, I’VE GOT A FEW THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THIS!

Firstly, there is no variable scale of superheroey-ness.

We need to stop rating each other as more or less of a superhero than that other SBL we once met because when I say we are all SBL superheroes, I mean it.

● I don’t mean yes, but she’s better than he is.

● I don’t mean, he’ll get there one day.

● And I don’t mean, everyone else is a SBL superhero except for you.

I get it. I truly do.

Some days you feel like Wonder Woman (or Superman) and some days you feel like Diana Prince (or Clark Kent) - but here’s the kicker; even when they leave their superhero costumes at home, they are still superheroes! They show up. For their job and their friends.

They embody the characteristics of a hero including the courage, conviction and commitment to keep going even

when, and especially when, things get tough. They do it all knowing, deep down, that whether others know it or not, they are still a superhero.

Yes, you will have days when you feel less than super and, in those moments, it’s easy to start comparing. We look at the snapshots we have of each other and start comparing our worst moments to that incredible feat a fellow SBL achieved on her best day…but here’s the thing.

WE ARE ALL DOING THIS!

Each and every one of us has our non-superhero alter-ego daysso if you’re struggling with ‘comparisonitis’, imposter syndrome or just need a bit of a confidence boost, I need you to hear this:

● There is no-one else in your shoes. Your school, your situation, your particular superpowers are all unique to you.

● There is no one that you can accurately compare yourself to.

● Being a superhero SBL is a binary state, not a fluctuating gauge of awesomeness. You show up, you make the impossible happen, you navigate through a labyrinth of logistics, legislation and politics, and you do it every single day that you are in the role.

The next time you feel like you’re channelling Diana Prince instead of Wonder Woman, I want you to remember your underlying truth...it doesn’t matter what outfit you’re wearing or what the SBL up the road or on Twitter is doing.

You’re a superhero in your own right - you just need to give yourself permission to fly.

As the old saying goes, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’. LAURA WILLIAMS, L J Business of Education, gives her advice on why you should stop comparing yourself to others

Your school, your situation, your particular superpowers are all unique to you

Make better decisions by using data analytics

Data analytics has the power to transform education. By e ectively gathering, managing and analysing data, schools and academies can make better decisions about teaching practices and operational activities.

CCS has launched a new commercial agreement specifically for data and analytics. Through it, you can buy a range of so ware and services to enable data-backed decisions and insights that can lead to improved learner experiences and outcomes. The agreement o ers:

• outcome from your investment

• policy compliance - a challenge to navigate, but using our agreement means most of this is already taken care of

value for money - be assured of the best commercial time savings - enabling you to buy with ease, and

• get on with what matters most, running your school

CCS category experts can help you access smarter data and analytics solutions:

crowncommercial.gov.uk/data-analytics

Power to your procurement

Making the most of staff appraisals

Life has become harder financially for us all, but our industry has never suffered so much from the lack of ability to recruit staff and, to some degree, retain them. The shortage of teachers and school leaders has been an issue for a while but is now joined by support staff. Recruiting for roles such as cover supervisors, teaching assistants and other classroom-based staff has become quite cut-throatoften causing a justified increase in salaries.

At a time when schools are feeling the pinch of higher costs, salaries have and are set to rise for teachers and support staff; oncosts can only go up in line with this and efficiencies are being sought across the board. Recruitment of staff can be an expensive business and shortages often lead to schools having to use agencies, and more expensive ways of recruiting, adding to the strain.

It seems prudent, therefore, to put in place effective staff wellbeing and retention policies to minimise turnover and reduce these costs. There are many ideas and solutions out there, but I would suggest concentrating on developing the one that is

already in use and, hopefully, embedded and effective; staff appraisals. If done well it offers incremental reward, career development, job satisfaction and is of benefit to both the employee and employer.

Historically the system of pay and reward in schools has been a slightly contentious affair, partly because of the different terms and conditions of teaching staff and support staff. This has led to somewhat fragmented approaches to appraisal and a less than uniform approach for most. Whilst this is understandable when you look at the different terms of pay, leave and benefits of education staff, it should not influence the fundamental benefit of having your contribution recognised and appropriately rewarded financially – however, appraisal should not be just about pay.

When done well it can not only be an opportunity for a proper assessment of a role but also an introduction to new ideas, a change of direction and a chance to celebrate an employee’s contribution. It is proven that receiving recognition and praise is as rewarding as a financial increase, and contributes to

At a time where staff recruitment and retention are only getting harder SUE BIRCHAL , longstanding SBL, explains why investing time and energy into proper appraisals could help

staff feeling settled and secure in the workplace. This, along with an appropriate salary, rewards loyalty, hard work and commitment, all of which adds to staff wellbeing and happiness, vital in retaining staff.

DEDICATED TIME TOGETHER

When you carry out an appraisal you are offering the individual your dedicated time, as the term suggests, to appraise their performance. The meeting should always be held somewhere that allows for you to hold your review without interruption, and the employee should have had the opportunity to consider a selfevaluation of their performance which they bring with them.

When given the time and attention it deserves it should be a positive experience for all concerned - it is an opportunity to share good practise and make changes. I have often started an appraisal with a colleague and, halfway through, changed direction on targets and outcomes; all of your staff are professionals and well-placed to offer suggestions for change and improvement. Obviously, one of the key

elements is to recognise when someone has gone over and above and to use the process to reward appropriately; after all, we work primarily for financial reward.

SOME PITFALLS TO AVOID!

Whilst it is tempting, and often easiest, to offer the highest of awards, year-on-year, doing this takes away the benefit; if staff are aware that they ‘earn’ their grade each year, it can be much more beneficial. Last year’s outstanding performance is now this year’s way of working so to achieve the highest grade there needs to have been further development.

The meeting should be used as an opportunity to ensure that the job description is appropriate and it should never be used to discuss any underperformance that has not been addressed previously.

Our staff are our most expensive and valuable resource; good staff are hard to find, and even harder to retain. Investing time and energy into proper appraisals will reap rewards through the development of your workforce and retention of your best staff.

Last year’s outstanding performance is now this year’s way of working

Communicating withintroverts

One of the first things you’re usually told in any form of sales job is that, ‘You are not your customer’ – a useful reminder that you can’t just assume the people you’re talking to will have the same interests, and behave in the same way, as you! This is clearly also the case in schools, with parents and other members of your community often having very different motivations and attitudes to staff.

I’ve always assumed that teachers and other school staff are good at adapting to these differences, but when I read the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking it made me wonder whether their usual empathy also extended to introverts. The book’s author, Susan Cain, is a self-confessed introvert who has worked in business and finance and has had to cope with a world that often best serves those who talk the most. One thought-provoking quote from her book is, ‘If we assume that quiet and loud people have roughly the same number of good (and bad) ideas, then we should worry if the louder and more forceful people always carry the day.’

Does this apply to schools? I think, in many cases, it can. How many job applications for school staff ask for ‘dynamic’ and ‘energetic’ rather than ‘dedicated’ and ‘focused’ people and, perhaps, put introverts off applying? How many senior leaders

are praised in the press and by government ministers for their ‘huge personalities’ rather than their ability to listen, innovate and bring people together? And - perhaps controversially - how many students thrived during COVID lockdown when they were able to work quietly and efficiently, at their own pace, rather than competing with their peers for attention in a busy classroom?

WHAT ARE INTROVERTS AND HOW MANY ARE THERE?

The concept of introversion vs extroversion was developed by psychologist Carl Jung in the 1920s. His idea was that introverts draw energy from being alone, while extroverts draw it from other people and their surroundings. Introverts will tend to be more comfortable working alone, take time to make decisions, prefer writing to talking and will feel tired after time with large number of other people. It doesn’t mean they will be shy or socially anxious - many teachers, and even successful salespeople, are introverts.

Psychologists have estimated that around 25-to-40% of the population are introverts, although there is some debate about whether many people are actually ‘ambiverts’ who can demonstrate both extrovert and introvert behaviours.

SIMON HEPBURN, founder of Marketing Advice for Schools, explores how schools can engage better with those who are introverted

SIX IDEAS TO HELP SCHOOLS ENGAGE INTROVERTS…

1

Learn about introverts and the way they like to work – for example, introverts will prefer to reflect on a presentation and give their ideas later rather than asking or answering questions immediately so, if you don’t offer this opportunity, you may be missing out on important feedback - as Professor Stephen Hawking once said, “Quiet people have the loudest minds.”

2

Think about how you ‘sell’ your school through your website, prospectus and prospective parent or student visits. Do you focus on high energy group events and showcase extrovert individuals, or do you take time to look at project work and thoughtful writing - and do you encourage and give people time to reflect and ask questions after school tours?

3

Understand how people feel about how you communicate. Self-confessed introvert Duncan Knox created the School Window app (https:// www.schoolwindow.app/) after he realised that many parents don’t like (or use) the plethora of different social media and would prefer a simple, one-stop, place for news and information from a school. If you survey your parents you might find they prefer, and will make more use of, this type of approach.

4

Change your recruitment processes –especially at a time when there is a real shortage of teachers and support staff, it’s important not to alienate potential applicants by making it seem that only extroverts are wanted. As well as making the language of your job adverts less extrovert, be careful about creating a recruitment day that only focuses on extrovert activities and offers little time for introverts to recover from tasks. For example, you might arrange lunch with a large number of staff followed by an observed lesson and panel interview, but this might not be ideal for an introvert if you don’t build in a break or a quiet activity.

5 Think about how you celebrate student and staff success – do your ‘student of the month’ or ‘staff member of the month’ awards look only for extrovert qualities and reward self-promotion, or are they open to hard-working, quiet introverts who do work that isn’t shared widely?

6 Check what activities you offer. For example, do you offer the chance for students to take up project-based activities outside school, such as the CREST Awards (https://www.crestawards.org/) in science alongside the more usual (and extrovert) sports, drama and acting opportunities? 

His idea was that introverts draw energy from being alone, while extroverts draw it from other people and their surroundings

Are you being undermined?

After noticing the topic being mentioned more frequently on Twitter, PHIL BURTON, SBM at Hallbrook and Cosby Primary Schools, explores the steps you can take to ensure you aren’t being undermined

Over the past few weeks I have seen more and more tweets about business managers who feel that their team is undermining them, or bypassing them. In the main, this seems to be around front office teams going directly to the headteacher for things, or simply not including the business manager in the communications. I thought this would be a good area to take a look at, to think about steps you might take to ensure that you are managing the situation effectively.

FIRSTLY, WHAT IS IT?

Undermining behaviour from a colleague involves them saying things or acting in a way that makes others question your professionalism, knowledge, abilities or work ethic. Such behaviour can not only damage your reputation, and sabotage your professional development, but may also have a negative impact on your mental health. Undermining behaviour can be difficult to identify as emanating from one specific thing as, more often, it’s a combination of many small actions that build into a pattern of negative behaviour towards you. Some examples of undermining behaviour include:

● publicly and purposefully sharing mistakes you’ve made with others, rather than sharing feedback privately;

● interrupting when you’re speaking, and contradicting things you say to make others question your ideas;

● lessening the importance of your achievements, or downplaying the efforts you’ve made to realise your accomplishments;

● making jokes about you, your work or your expertise;

● challenging your work in a negative or personal way, without providing constructive feedback;

● attacking your work ethic or values in the workplace;

● undermining your authority in relation to a team, or within a group project;

● claiming credit for work that you have done;

● keeping important information or updates from you.

The most obvious consequence of a colleague undermining you at work is a breakdown in the relationship you have with that colleague. This kind of behaviour can create an inaccurate depiction of you as a leader, peer or co-worker; it can damage your reputation and may even affect your relationship with other colleagues. Dealing with undermining co-workers can be difficult, but finding ways to overcome this situation can help you to continue enjoying your role.

HOW CAN YOU RESOLVE THIS?

1Build your relationship with the member of staff by making small talk, showing interest in their hobbies, making them a coffee or approaching them to do a collaborative piece of work with you.

2 Address the issue directly – have a private meeting and be honest about how you are feelingthey may not be aware that their behaviour is affecting you. If they are too confrontational go directly to your line manager.

3 Ignore the behaviour (not always the easiest option). Ask them to clarify what they mean if they make jokes about your performance. Calling them out demonstrates to your peers you will not stand for the behaviour.

4 Remain confident in your abilities – you are good at your job.

5 Share your concerns with your manager or HR –they may be able to support you with a plan to move things forward

6 Finally, whilst this may seem a drastic solution, leaving the school may be the best course of action. If all else fails you should consider removing yourself from the toxic environment for your own wellbeing and benefit. 

Why you should be thinking about print

Print probably isn’t on your mind right now. We understand why. Energy bills have shot up, and every pound of your budget is being squeezed. Printers sit quietly in the corner and, as long as they’re filled with paper, free from jams and have enough toner, there’s no need to give them a second thought. But to overlook print – especially during an economic crisis – is to overlook an area that’s waiting for significant cost savings to be made, where efficiency can be optimised and ease of use and security can be improved dramatically.

THE BENEFIT OF PAPERCUT

Most important of all, with PaperCut, implementing solutions to help you make print savings is easy. So easy in fact, that we’re already a favourite in many schools across the UK, while one in three schools in the UK and Australia have standardised on solutions from PaperCut. They’ve come to appreciate how PaperCut solves print needs while lowering costs, protects the environment, enables seamless print from any device and doubles down on data protection.

AUTOMATE YOUR REPORTING

But there’s more. The Copyright Licencing Agency – who’ll you’ll know from every time you’ve had to log information about books you’ve photocopied – liked our print solutions so much, it chose PaperCut to create its CLA Copy Button, which makes it much easier to automate reporting, save time and reduce paper waste whenever you’re copying.

TAKE CONTROL

Taking control of your print costs will bring financial stability and sustainability to all aspects of your print. Visit papercut.com/education to see how PaperCut makes your print one less thing to worry about.

SWITCHED ON

The latest news and views from the world of ICT and edtech

ChatGPT maker OpenAI releases ‘not fully reliable’ tool to detect AI-generated content

OpenAI, the research laboratory behind AI program ChatGPT, has released a tool designed to detect whether text has been written by artificial intelligence but warns it’s not completely reliable - yet, The Guardian has reported.

In a recent blog post, OpenAI linked to a new classifier tool that has been trained to distinguish between text written by a human and that written by a variety of AI, not just ChatGPT. Open AI researchers said that while it was ‘impossible to reliably detect all AI-written text’ good classifiers could pick up signs that text was written by AI. The tool could be useful in cases where AI was used for ’academic dishonesty’ and when AI chatbots were positioned as humans.

However, they admited that the classifier ‘is not fully reliable’ and only correctly identified 26% of AI-written English texts. It also incorrectly labelled human-written texts as probably written by AI tools nine per cent of the time. ’Our classifier’s reliability typically improves as the length of the input text increases. Compared to our previously released classifier, this new classifier is significantly more reliable on text from more recent AI systems.’

Since ChatGPT was opened up to public access it has sparked a wave of concern among educational institutions across the world that it could lead to cheating in exams or assessments.

European edtech report: smaller rounds and fewer deals

As reported by Tech Crunch, for the first time since 2014 venture capital funding to European edtech startups saw a decline, year-on-year, with startups only raking in $1.8bn in 2022 compared to $2.5bn a year earlier.

The global ecosystem has been on an upward trajectory, albeit less consistently, but the declines in new investment in 2022 were steep; global funding declined to $9.1bn last year, from $20.1bn in 2021.

Perceived declines in funding are being felt more acutely, given that 2021 was a boom year. Optimism that the pandemic was coming to an end, and that the world was reopening, extended to ambitious founders and early teams. This momentum carried through to the first half of 2022 for European edtech - funding was up 40% in the first six months of last year compared to a year earlier - but, as we now know, that momentum faltered in the second half of 2022. Optimism ebbed away, and European edtech startups raised only about $400m in the final six months compared to $1.4bn in the first half of the year.

Toxic gaming tackled by Ubisoft’s unique police alert system

As reported by BBC News, Ubisoft, makers of major franchises like Assassin’s Creed and Rainbow Six, has now signed a first-of-its-kind deal with police to try and tackle the issue of online abuse for its players. The hope is that this agreement will start a conversation within the industry and see others follow suit.

During the pandemic online games were a saviour for many people’s mental health; however, its dark side is also plain to see. Abusive behaviour, death threats and grooming - can all be found in online gaming spaces.

“We want to be on the right side of history,” says Damien Glorieux a senior director of the Newcastlebased Ubisoft Customer Relationship Centre. It’s here, and at four other locations around the world, that staff monitor how players of Ubisoft games are getting on - responding to requests for help and actively getting involved with the communities that have evolved around their titles. They deal with everything from purchasing issues to online toxicity.

Other companies have similar set-ups, but what’s unique here is the involvement of local law enforcement. The deal between the company and Northumbria Police has two elements. Firstly, specialist

officers share their knowledge and expertise on harmful online interactions with the 200-strong team working at the centre in Newcastle, who then apply that training to their daily work. Secondly, an agreement is in place so that, in extreme cases where there is a threat to life or potential serious harm spotted, staff can fast track the information to police. They will then decide whether or not to act.

“We have millions of players, and tens of millions of interactions - so how can we spot incidents?” Damien Glorieux told BBC News. “It is daunting but, at the same time, it is very important, which is why we wanted to sign this deal and try to make things right. We wanted to focus on the most extreme cases - make sure we do the right thing there because it gives us a solid foundation to build the rest of our work around.”

Fewer than 0.01% of cases dealt with by the centre end up requiring police intervention - roughly a handful of cases a month; most of the time accounts will be temporarily banned or permanently closed if players have breached a code of conduct. Staff in Newcastle may also recommend that the company starts legal proceedings in some instances.

Getting a grip on your IT service desk

IT operations in school are vast and diverse, so can sometimes feel overwhelming to manage. But they can easily be broken down into ten areas of focus, these ten areas that make up the IT operation in your school are:

● Service desk.

● Incident management.

● Problem management.

● Change management.

● Configuration management.

● Release management.

● Availability and capacity management.

● Service level management.

● Service continuity management.

● Financial management.

I’m going to focus on the first operational area which is the service desk. This is the bread and butter of any IT support team – whether that is in-house or managed through a third party. This is also the route by which most of your staff and students experience your IT support. For the sake of your users - and your IT support team - you should have one central place where all requests are recorded.

The most important thing a service desk introduces is accountability - not just in relation to the IT support team to deal with things, but also for the

NEIL LIMBRICK, partner and IT consultant at Limbrick Consultancy LLP, founder of theEducationCollective and ambassador for the Association of Network Managers in Education, on the fundamentals of the IT service desk

users to make sure they are helping the IT support team by providing all the necessary information. The service desk can be as simple as an exercise book in the staff room, or a shared spreadsheet, right through to a complex dedicated system. What does each type offer, and what are the drawbacks?

● Paper-based – this is by far the most straight forward; it’s simple to set up and maintain, and everyone can access it easily, but this approach can make it difficult for the IT support team to prioritise, produce reports and track calls.

● Simple spreadsheet or database – this can provide a bit more functionality but it does take a bit more time to set up and can also be prone to human error as people are able to overwrite existing entries by accident making it less useful as an accountability tool.

● Dedicated service desk systems - there are plenty of these systems to choose from –including some free options. They take a lot more

time to set up - and some of the more expensive systems may be cost-prohibitive – but they can help an IT support team be more efficient and spend more time working and less time tracking jobs. The overview that can be provided to SLT is also much greater in these types of systems, allowing the leadership team the option of proactively introducing both challenge and support when needed.

Whichever option you go for you it must collect information about the incident or request, the impact the problem is having on users (to help understand the priority the task needs to be given), any additional details that are relevant and somewhere for the IT support team to record how and when it was resolved.

This last bit of information is crucial in both helping to build a knowledge base which gives the team a starting point should the same thing happen again, identifying when something may need to be escalated to the problem management operational area - for example, it is isolated in itself but there may be many instances of the same things happening that would be better treated together rather than in isolation.

For a lot more information about implementing a service desk – take a look at the EdFITS framework on EdTech Centralhttps://edtechcentral.uk/framework/

The most important thing a service desk introduces is accountability

ChatGPT in education: embargo or embrace?

possible impact has become much more evident in the form of ChatGPT, with social media blowing up with discussions about how it could be positively used, balanced by others proclaiming it as the downfall of education as we know it.

So, what is ChatGPT?

CHATGPT

ChatGPT is a powerful language generation model developed by OpenAI. It’s based on Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) architecture, and is capable of generating human-like text on a wide range of topics.

ChatGPT is a type of machine-learning model known

learn patterns and relationships in the data and generate text similar to the text on which it trained.

In order to generate text ChatGPT takes in a prompt and generates a response one word at a time. The model uses the context of the prompt to predict the next word in the sequence, and the process is repeated until the desired number of words is generated. For example, when generating a response to the prompt ‘What is the capital of France?’ The model will use the context provided in the prompt to generate the answer ‘Paris’.

It’s worth noting that ChatGPT is a pre-trained modelwhich means that it has been trained on a massive dataset of

There’s been a lot of discussion around ChatGPT and its use recently. GARY HENDERSON, director of IT at Millfield School and ANME ambassador, gives his views on the controversy

text, and it can be fine-tuned to a particular task or domain by providing it with additional training data. This fine-tuning step allows the model to adapt to the specific characteristics of

the intricacies of the language. The model could also help students to generate new ideas for essays and research papers.

In addition to its potential uses as a writing assistant and automated essay scorer, ChatGPT could also be used in other areas of education - such as the more conversational agents and virtual tutors, where it could be used to provide students with personalised feedback and guidance on coursework and

automated essay assessment. Marking essays is time-consuming, and often tedious for teachers, and it can be difficult for them to provide individualised feedback for every student. Using ChatGPT educators could quickly and easily grade essays by inputting a prompt and a student’s essay and the model could then generate a score and feedback. This would save teachers time, allowing them to focus on providing more personalised formative feedback to their students.

Another potential positive use of ChatGPT in education is as a writing assistant. The model could be used to help students improve their writing by providing suggestions for vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure; this could be especially useful

ChatGPT’s language-generation capabilities could also be used to create educational content such as interactive storybooks, quizzes, and educational games - for example, it could be used to generate interactive dialogues and stories, in which students are required to make decisions and engage in conversation to test and improve their understanding of a particular subject.

From a negative standpoint, there are concerns that students could use ChatGPT to create their answers to homework or coursework exercises, thereby allowing them to avoid putting effort into the tasks. As ChatGPT is an AI its responses will be original - albeit based on training content - so they are unlikely to trigger plagiarism solutions.

One of the most exciting potential uses of ChatGPT in education is as a tool for automated essay assessment

algorithm reliant on the data it has ingested; as a result it may get facts incorrect and its overall responses may, occasionally, not make logical sense. That said, in the time I have had to play with it, I have been generally quite impressed by the responses it provides.

BLOCKING CHATGPT

Some schools have already taken the approach that ChatGPT is a tool which enables students to cheat and, therefore, have immediately sought to block it. I feel this is the wrong approach for two main reasons.

1. Blocking is largely ineffective because:

which follow will become more and more common in the

Might they enable students to focus less on the basics - which AIs will increasingly be able to help with - and more on the higher-order skills? Who knows what other ways they may benefit education in years to come?

There were significant concerns with the invention of the printing press, radio, television and the internet, but these are all now established parts of our lives. Useful AI models are here - and ChatGPT is just one - and, I suspect, they too will eventually just become another part of modern life so we just need to work out how to make the most of them.

Oh, and by the way, parts of this article were written by ChatGPT; can you identify which parts?

LGfL - the not for profit charity advancing education through the effective use of technology

There are thousands of reasons why we are growing … Just ask our schools

Sparing a thought for your IT technician

NIGEL MILLIGAN, IT

your IT

contract,

to school and

This month I thought it would be appropriate to write about the life of an IT technician working with schools. In many cases, at this time of year, schools are considering the renewal or replacement of their IT support contracts. I would like to start off by asking you to please spare a thought for the IT Technician who has been allocated to your school.

Over the years, throughout my journey and speaking to many different people at conferences and IT exhibitions, I’ve heard so many complaints about IT tech support and their inability to understand the needs of the schools they are working with. Please consider the following points from the side of the IT technician which you might not be aware of.

The technicians are only there to fix things; the contracts that they are working under means they are only there as a firefighting solution. The future development of the technology in school is 100% reliant on the vision and planning from the school

manager

businesses, on why, as the time approaches to renew

support

it is important to not disregard your IT technicians

leadership working closely with the IT development manager or customer relationship manager of the IT company. As a result, in many cases, the technicians aren’t involved in the strategic plan of the school, moving forward. This is further exacerbated by the fact that the IT company has a preferred set of solutions that work for them as a business, but which may hold the school back without anything ever changing.

This may lead to the vicious circle, highlighted above, which means that many IT technicians feel undervalued, and that nobody listens to their point of view. This can lead to them seeming uninterested and even becoming quite obstructive in their approach to new ways of working. I am proud to say that I have had the opportunity to speak to technicians such as this and, in return, there’s been further discussion with the senior leaders in school to encourage a change of mindset to help make a difference.

ADOPTING A WIDER APPROACH

Another very common scenario, especially in secondary schools, involves the Windows server and client set up that senior network managers or technicians love so much; it’s all they know, and they do not want to change. Whenever they are asked by the school about a different way of doing things, they become the biggest barrier to change, and present any excuse they can so that the decision-makers won’t pursue these possible changes any further.

The way to resolve all of these issues is to adopt a wider approach which includes everyone in the IT vision and plan. Talk to the technicians, listen to what they have to say about every possible consideration that needs to be made in relation all IT solutions - not just the things that have created an endless series of firefighting. Let’s aim to make the onsite time spent by technicians more proactive, rather than reactive.

As you approach the renewal date of your IT support contract, take into account all factors that you feel need to be addressed. Ask challenging questions and don’t be afraid to ask about new ways to do things.

Most importantly, don’t disregard your IT technicians; they are often a lot more enthusiastic than you may realise.

Ask challenging questions and don’t be afraid to ask about new ways to do things

LIVE IT

Time to take a few moments out for some light and interesting reading – a wellearned break from numbers and statistics!

Caption competition

Let us know your funny caption ideas by tweeting us @edexec

LIFE HACK

Delivering dancing lemurs

A critically endangered primate, nicknamed ‘the dancing lemur’ because of the way it moves, has been bred for the first time in Europe, BBC News has reported. The creature is a type of lemur called a ‘Coquerel’s sifaka’ and Chester Zoo has declared the birth of the baby as a ‘landmark moment for the species’.

A representative said the “precious youngster” arrived to parents Beatrice and Elliot 18 months after they were relocated from the US. Curator of mammals Mark Brayshaw said both mother and baby were “doing great”. The species is only found in the wild in the treetops of northwest Madagascar and has suffered an 80% decline in the last 30 years.

For chemical-free oven cleaning preheat your oven to 200c, fill an ovensafe bowl with water, place inside with the door closed and leave for 45 minutes. Allow your oven to cool and wipe away the loosened dirt with a clean cloth. Shelves can be cleaned by dissolving 250g of soda crystals in hot water, soaking the shelves and scrubbing them with a kitchen foil ball.

Pub quiz

1. On average, how far away is the moon from the earth in miles?

2. What was the most popular girl’s name in the UK in 2021?

3. What’s longer, a nautical mile or a mile?

4. Saying the name of which dried fruit used to be used to encourage people to smile for a photo in the 1800s, before the word ‘cheese’ became popular?

5. Which country in the world is believed to have the most miles of motorway?

(it’s 1.15 miles) 4. Prunes 5. China

Answers: 1. 384,400 km 2. Olivia 3. Nautical mile

DID YOU KNOW?

You probably know that snails are pretty slow creatures, but did you know that they also take the longest naps? One nap can last up to three years!

Reaching new heights for charity

As reported by BBC News, a six-year-old boy is climbing the height of Mount Everest to raise money to help children at a local hospice “have holidays”. Oscar Burrow said he wanted to take on the challenge as “it’s the hardest mountain in the world”.

The Lancaster boy had originally decided he wanted to climb the real Mount Everest but his dad Matt helped him come up with a more realistic plan. He is now midway through his quest to climb the equivalent height in the UK. “Oscar has always been active. He plays rugby, swims, rides bikehe has this crazy endurance and never-ending energy,” his dad said.

“He had been learning about Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first men to conquer Mount Everest, in school and decided that he wanted to be the youngest to ever conquer it. I explained to him why this might be a little bit tricky - but I didn’t want to dash his dreams, so we came up with a plan to climb the highest mountains in Great Britain.”

Well, knock me down with a feather!

The buyer of an original Mr Blobby costume - who was set to pay £62,000 for the item - has reportedly backed out of the sale according to Sky News. An eBay auction for the piece of TV memorabilia, which is more than 25 years old, attracted huge interest and the costume sold for £62,101, but it has now emerged the buyer pulled out of the sale within an hour of placing the large bid. The anonymous seller told the BBC “I thought it would get to a level of £100 perhaps - so I was shocked that it reached the level it did.” The seller has decided to keep hold of the Mr Blobby costume for now.

“

“

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin

THUMBS UP!

A BLOBBY BLUNDER

Why are so many school business leaders leaving the profession?

After posting a tweet asking why so many school business leaders are leaving the profession, VAL ANDREW was overwhelmed with responses…

Why are so many school business leaders leaving the profession? A hot topic at the moment, and one that has intrigued me, frustrated me, and concerned me in equal measure. I recently posted a question on social media to tease out some of the key reasons why SBMs and SBLs are leaving the profession, and I’d like to thank all of those people who took the time to respond; some were very positive - and some really heart wrenching. Let’s examine four of the key areas that featured most in my recent research.

PAY

Unurprisingly, this was a lead issue, cited by many which has been a bone of contention for many years. Since its inception in the early 2000s the SBM role has evolved and become incredibly diverse - particularly since 2010 with the introduction of academies. Whilst the original concept of the SBM role was well-founded, there were unintended consequences evident from the outset, not least around pay disparity. Developing leadership roles for support staff who were destined to sit in ‘no man’s land’ between two nationally agreed pay frameworks was always going to be complicated. Over the ensuing years there have been attempts to address this issue, many of which have been thwarted by two key factors:

● the huge diversity in the role which would make a dedicated national pay framework very difficult to implement and could be disadvantageous to many (be careful what you wish for!)

● a lack of understanding about, or appetite by those with the power to be creative and make the right decisions for, the fairness of pay.

Notwithstanding, this is a huge issue and suffice to say there are many in the profession who have successfully negotiated a fair pay award. This could be a topic for another, more in depth, article but there are other, equally important, issues to share from my recent research.

WORKLOAD

The relentless drive for efficiencies over the last 15 years have led to staff restructuring on a scale the sector has never before experienced. Support staff posts have been the biggest victim of cuts and redundancies, but teaching staff have also been affected in many areas. SBMs everywhere have seen their teams reduced resulting in a significant increase in their own workloads.

Ironically, the inception of the SBM role was an integral part of a government policy introduced in the early 2000s in response to an appeal for a previously unexplored topic in the field of education – a better work-life balance. The 2003 National Agreement sought to expand support staff roles in order to remove administrative burdens from teaching staff but the systematic starvation of investment in the sector since 2008 has reversed all of this leading to a situation of unmanageable workloads for everyone in schools.

There are things we can do individually to try and manage our own work-life balance, doing what we doadopting that stoic SBM approach/attitude - but the harsh reality is that things are unlikely to change significantly until there is a change in government funding policy towards education generally.

TOXIC CULTURE

For me, this was the most concerning aspect of recent responses, compounded by many separate conversations I’ve had over the last 10-to-12 years. When times are tough there is a tendency to lash out and resort to, or demonstrate, the worst of behaviours, the worst of modern culture.

However, we work in a sector that focuses on good behaviour. We are trying to instil good habits in the children and young people in our system as part of their wider education, both academically and socially. How, then, can it be presumed to be acceptable to do the opposite and demean colleagues – surely, we are all working towards the same goals, vision and values? This is happening to some people - not just SBMs and SBLs - and is a clear indication of weak leadership in allowing this to happen or setting the worst of examples for other staff to follow.

Speaking from personal experience, I have worked for heads who totally embraced the SBM role and were wholly supportive and engaged with the concept; equally, I’ve worked

with heads who constantly challenged aspects of the role, lacked understanding about the advantages of embracing a new way of working, who were very competitive and protectionist and basically felt threatened by someone from a professional background (rather than an educational one) operating within the realms of school leadership. The first scenario is a dream; the second completely toxic and draining. There are some you can educate into a new mindset and others you can’t; once you know which is which, the decision is an easy one to make.

Weak leadership is usually picked up by Ofsted but, in between inspections, it takes only one ‘bad apple’ to infect a whole school.

Whilst the original concept of the SBM role was wellfounded, there were unintended consequences evident from the outset

RECOGNITION, AND MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE ROLE

This leads on well from the previous issue of toxicity. As one of the first SBMs operating in the early 2000s, lack of understanding about the role was widespread, and we developed our own ‘elevator pitches’ quite quickly - but irritatingly, 20+ years on, there remains confusion about what the role actually entails, and misunderstanding and misconceptions about the scope and importance of the role are still prevalent. This, in turn, leads to a lack of recognition. As in many other spheres, there are practitioners who, perhaps, are not the best advocates of the profession and this can tarnish the views and experiences of others.

I do feel this is a top-down problem which could be better addressed by government and other national organisations, by educating the wider workforce within the sector and externally too. However we, as practitioners, also have a huge role to play in exploding the myths and educating about the fact.

Developing confidence and professional respect is not something that happens by osmosis – we have to work at this and sometimes it can be hard. This is the case in any profession. If we want to be perceived as school leaders, we need to have a positive perception of ourselves and our worth, by thinking and acting like school leaders - not easy to achieve, especially if you are working in a toxic environment, but there could be something you can do individually to help develop your self confidence to combat the effects of such toxicity.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I want to finish this piece with some context and a bit of positivity. The whole public sector is in turmoil, and the issues causing this are very similar to those cited above. This means that we are not alone in this but also that, as strategies and agreements are put into place for others, we have to ensure that we are also included in these wider initiatives. There are three elements involved in addressing many of these issues - three areas of responsibility that need to be both acknowledged and acted upon. They are:

a) what we can do ourselves as professional practitioners;

b) what our schools need to do to support us;

c) what needs to be done at national level by government and other national agencies.

We are losing experienced practitioners – my generation is retiring, and some are retiring a bit earlier. Some of this is natural wastage. The work I do as DSBM L4 Programme Manager for Best Practice Network has proved that there are still new entrants to the SBM/SBL profession - keen and enthusiastic business professionals, entering the world of education for a variety of reasons and looking to make an impact.

I can hear the naysayers responding, ‘Well, that’ll soon get knocked out of them!’ Changing legacy behaviours and toxic cultures won’t happen overnight, but that’s no reason to stop trying.

Cynically, I am old enough to know, and have experienced, that life goes around in cycles. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that some bright young thing is going to ‘re-invent’ the workforce reform concept as a way to address unmanageable workloads and add weight to a pay agreement to solve the current round of disputes!

In the short term, we need to keep talking about these issues and ensuring they are on everyone’s radar. Lots of SBMs and SBLs I talk to are engaging with mentors and coaches as a way of keeping perspective and helping to develop their own professional and personal confidence.

VAL ANDREW

● Programme manager for Best Practice Network DSBM Level 4 - find out more: https:// www.bestpracticenet.co.uk/ dsbm-l4

● Patron of ISBL.

● Formerly ASCL School Business Leadership Specialist (20102018).

● Recipient of ISBL CEO Award for exceptional contributions to school business leadership in 2018.

● Semi - retired SBL and very proud grandma.

Support staff posts have been the biggest victim of cuts and redundancies

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