Editor’s comment

As we come down from what were both very exciting events at EdExec Live North and South, it seems we’re hurtling towards the summer break at a rapid pace. In just a few weeks, it will be time to wave goodbye to our leavers, take stock of our schools and start planning for the brand new academic year.

Reflecting on the year that has been, it hasn’t been the easiest of times for any of our schools. Sagging under the weight of budget restrictions and recruitment challenges, schools are one place where COVID is most definitely still a thing, and the impacts on our strategies, capacity and mental health are still reverberating around the halls. Tag onto this recruitment challenges, budget constraints and labour disputes, and I think we can all agree it’s been one heck of a ride.

Nevertheless, the school business manager community has stuck together, propping each other up in tough times. Despite the challenges, we’ve also seen a lot of innovation, learning and strategic development in the SBM world this year – long may it continue!

Our bumper summer edition of EdExec highlights some of the achievements and challenges faced by SBMs this year, kicking off with Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith taking a look at our role as pedagogical gatekeepers, while David Carne draws some interesting parallels between the SBM role and that of an airline pilot.

Laura Williams has some comforting words for when that feeling of overwhelm hits, while Phil Burton gives us some tips on dealing with difficult conversations. In our management section, we break down planed preventative maintenance for the SBM with Andrew Blench, and Sue Birchall takes a look at whether a ‘golden hello’ is the answer to recruitment challenges.

As usual, our ICT segment is packed with interesting features, including a look at the ‘creativity’ of AI, getting to grips with configuration management, and why building IT in at the start of a building project makes sense. Finally, Peter Sircar shines a light on the human costs of centralisation.

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

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

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 joanna@ intelligentmedia.co.uk

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.

JOANNA BAILEY

Editor

Education Executive

DAVID CARNE

Executive Business Manager Cardinal Griffin Catholic College

LAURA WILLIAMS

Director L J Business of Education

DR FIONA AUBREY-SMITH Director One Life Learning

SIMON HEPBURN Founder MarketingAdviceforSchools

SUE BIRCHALL

Long-standing SBL

ANDREW BLENCH SBM consultant School Business Partner Limited

PHIL BURTON Business leader SuccessAcademyTrust

NEIL LIMBRICK Founder theEducationCollective

JO BAILEY EDITOR

GARY HENDERSON

Director of IT Millfield School

NIGEL MILLIGAN IT technician manager StHerbert’sRCPrimarySchool

PETER SIRCAR

Director finance & resources HammersmithAcademy

NEWS & VIEWS

06 PUPILS MISSING OUT ON £5K OF FUNDING DUE TO CUTS

Those leaving sixth form this year have lost out by £5,384

08 SPOTLIGHT ON Absence rates this year so far

LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE

10 BEING CLEAR ABOUT PEDAGOGY

How to be effective pedagogical gatekeepers

12 WHAT LEADERS AND MANAGERS CAN LEARN FROM AIRLINE PILOTS

The first of a two part series on the parallels between SBMs and pilots

14 YOU’RE NOT A SUPERHERO SO STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP

An uplifting take for when you’re feeling overwhelmed

Management

16 POPULATION PROBLEMS – DEALING WITH SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS

How to avoid demographic change derailing your school’s development

18 IS A ‘GOLDEN HELLO’ THE ANSWER? Is offering a sign on bonus the answer to recruitment problems?

20 PLANNED PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE: THE SBM RESPONSIBILITIES

What the SBM needs to know about PPM

22 DEALING WITH THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

How to handle difficult discussions

ICT MATTERS

24 SWITCHED ON

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

26 GETTING A GRIP ON: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

Why IT configuration is something to keep on your radar

28 DALI OR DALL-E? QUESTIONING THE TRUE CREATIVITY OF AI Can artificial intelligence really be considered ‘creative’?

10 school business managers and bursars, bringing you the latest issues affecting your role, from finance to hottest topics in education management right here,

30 TECHNO GEEK

Don’t forget the IT in your buiding project

24 LIVE IT

32 LIVE IT

Grab a coffee and enjoy a relaxing read

34 COUNTING THE COSTS: THE HUMAN IMPACT OF GAG POOLING AND CENTRALISATION Why pooling resources isn’t always as straightforward as it seems

Editorial Editor Joanna Bailey joanna@intelligentmedia.co.uk

Sales info@intelligentmedia.co.uk

Publisher Vicki Baloch vicki@intelligentmedia.co.uk

The latest news and views from the world of education

The Guardian has reported that students whose families used food banks during the pandemic fared worse in their GCSEs than expected, reportedly losing half a grade per subject on average.

The findings form part of the COVID social mobility and opportunities study which investigates the short, medium and long-term impact of the pandemic in relation to educational inequality, wellbeing and social mobility. The study is the largest of its kind and tracks the lives of 13,000 young people in England who are due to sit A-levels and other qualifications this summer.

According to the study, one-in-10 young people are living in households classed as food insecure, with many describing running out of food and skipping meals, while five per cent of parents have reported going an entire day without eating.

“We understand the pressures that many families are facing,” a government spokesperson said. “We are supporting the most vulnerable pupils through pupil premium funding which is increasing to almost £2.9bn in 2023-24 - the highest cash terms rate since this funding began.”

@MichaelT1979: If Oftsed is going to expect subject leaders in primary to deliver the same level of monitoring, quality assurance, CPD and support as secondary subject leaders, then primary schools need the money for the time and TLRs to allow them to do that.

Government to fund 50% of tutoring scheme costs amid budget concerns from schools

The government will fund half of the cost of its flagship tutoring programme next year amid concerns from school leaders that they would struggle to deliver the scheme with current budget pressures, The Guardian has reported.

The Department for Education originally planned to fund a quarter of the cost of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) in the next school year; however, it has now said it will double that commitment following feedback from schools.

In March Sir Peter Lampl, chair of the Sutton Trust, called for the subsidy to be maintained, saying, “Although there have been issues with delivery, the NTP … has changed the landscape of tutoring, giving young people the opportunity to receive tuition who would never have been able to afford it.”

Nick Gibb, the schools minister, commented, “Since its inception in 2020 we have continuously evolved the national tutoring programme to ensure it works for pupils and schools.

“We remain committed to supporting schools to embed tutoring long term because we know the positive impact it can have on pupils. Next year, we will be able to match schools’ funding contributions, whilst also supporting them more widely through a £2bn boost in school funding.”