Editor’s comment

Three bank holidays, a coronation and an EdExec LIVE event… May is certainly spoiling us! It’s been a very busy month here at EdExec HQ preparing for our EdExec LIVE North and South events, but all the planning and hard work has paid off as we welcome you all to Manchester and London for two dedicated days of SBL learning and networking. In fact, you may be reading this magazine on your way back from our event after receiving it in your welcome pack (which I’m sure is now also filled to the brim with exhibitor freebies!), if so, I hope you had a great day!

If you are at EdExec LIVE, you may have got the train and worked on your way to the event, or even if you took the opportunity to catch up on your favourite television series you haven’t had time to watch due to your hectic schedule, you probably noticed other people around you working. Since the pandemic a lot of people are now adopting the ‘work from anywhere’ flexible working approach. In this issue, Andrew Blench explores flexible working including the benefits, recent changes to legislation and impact on the SBM role.

As we all are acutely aware, schools are currently navigating an incredibly tumultuous period of financial pressures, staffing issues and national debates around pay and inspections. Stephen Mitchell shares some advice on how schools can address some of the current funding pressures and staffing issues and Sue Birchall discusses different methods that schools can use during the current financial squeeze to save money and make budgets stretch further.

If dealing with external pressures wasn’t enough, SBLs also have the additional task of managing their internal teams - a job that isn’t always a walk in the park; Phil Burton shares some practical tips to help you cope with those colleagues who may be harder to get along with. And if you’re finding it difficult to find a place to start with all of these mounting tasks, issues and pressures then Laura Williams recommends doing an ‘SBL state of the nation’ to help you organise and prioritise - turn to page 20 to learn more!

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

STEPHEN MITCHELL Director KeystoneKnowledge

LAURA WILLIAMS Director L J Business of Education

SUE BIRCHALL Long-standing SBL

JUSTIN SMITH MD ChameleonConsultancy

PHIL BURTON Business leader SuccessAcademyTrust

NEIL LIMBRICK Founder theEducationCollective

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Finally, it is now time to pass the editorship baton on here at Education Executive and welcome a new editor to the publication. I’d like to introduce you all to my brilliant colleague Joanna Bailey who will be taking over from myself as editor. I’d like to say thank you all for your support, contributions and readership during my time as editor and I’m sure you will all join me in saying a big congratulations and warm welcome to Joanna. As I move onto pastures new, Joanna will be at the helm of continuing our support for the SBL community so please send any article ideas her way!

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

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 joanna@ intelligentmedia.co.uk or tweet @edexec with ideas, opinions or success stories.

ELLIE POTTER & JOANNA BAILEY

EX-EDITOR & NEW EDITOR

NIGEL MILLIGAN IT technician manager StHerbert’sRCPrimarySchool

ANDREW BLENCH SBM consultant School Business Partner Limited

VAL ANDREW Programme manager Best Practice Network DSBM Level 4

NEWS & VIEWS

06 NEWS AND VIEWS

Latest school business management news in brief

08 OFSTED ‘UNFIT FOR PURPOSE’, SAYS EX-INSPECTOR

Why ex-inspector felt his role did “more harm than good”

10 SPOTLIGHT ON School capacity in England: academic year 2021-22

12 DOES YOUR SCHOOL HAVE FLEX APPEAL?

The benefits, recent changes and impact of flexible working

16 TOP TWITTER TIPS FOR YOUR SCHOOL

How to elevate your school’s use of Twitter

20 THE SBL ‘STATE OF THE NATION’

What an SBL ‘state of the nation’ is and why you should be doing it

LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE MANAGEMENT

24 ADDRESSING CHALLENGES AND UNLOCKING OPPORTUNITIES

How schools can address funding pressures and staffing issues

26 DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

Practical tips to help you in your management of difficult peopl

30 BUDGETING IN DIFFICULT FINANCIAL TIMES

Different methods to use during the financial squeeze

ICT MATTERS

32 SWITCHED ON

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

34 GETTING A GRIP ON: CHANGE MANAGEMENT

How to implement change management effectively

36 TECHNO GEEK

Add a rocket to writing in your school

4 24

LIVE IT

38 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!

40 BUILDING PROFESSIONAL CONFIDENCE

Alternative ways of thinking to rekindle confidence in yourself and your role

16

Editor Ellie Potter eleanor@intelligentmedia.co.uk

Sales info@intelligentmedia.co.uk

Publisher Vicki Baloch vicki@intelligentmedia.co.uk