Ed Exec April 2021

ISSUE 162

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE HAVE PANDEMIC CHANGES POSITIVELY IMPACTED SCHOOLS? It’s not all doom and gloom

AN EDTECH MASTERCLASS How one school used edtech to drive school improvement

Supporting business and f inancial excellence in schools and academies April 2021

LEADING WITH YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

HELPING SCHOOLS BUILD BACK STRONGER

Craig Smith on his journey through school leadership

How alumni networks can help tackle the attainment gap

So, who looks after the SBL? Who looks after the person who looks after everyone else?

GET YOUR DIARIES OUT!

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Contents LEADERSHIP

BY EXAMPLE

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Leadership by example {A PERSONAL JOURNEY}

NEWS Latest school business management news in brief

A personal journey through education

ALISON CAPLIN, school bursar at Henry Beaufort School in Winchester, reflects on her journey through the education system - starting as a governor, moving on to university, starting a university course herself and, finally, becoming a secondary school bursar

08 NEWS REPORT A report reveals the impact of COVID on MAT growth News and views {BIG ASK}

How have changes made due to the pandemic positively impacted schools?

We are all more than aware of the negative impacts the pandemic has had on our lives – but it’s not all doom and gloom. Despite our lives being turned upside down, the pandemic has also resulted in many positive changes in schools

Sarah Jones, academy business manager, large secondary school

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This year has been a shocker. Society has been turned on its head, and unimaginable suffering has been experienced by many. We are exhausted, bruised and battered; however it hasn’t all been bad!

The pandemic has left a growing appreciation of schools as parents realised quite how hard it is to teach a child. People are impressed with how schools have risen to the challenges thrown at them – but there have been many positives for those of us actually at the coal face.

1. The importance of SBMs, admin, premises and ICT has never been higher - without them schools would not have been able to function. We have risen to the challenges thrown, been pushed harder than ever before and we have THRIVED. We have dug deep and realise that we are hugely capable and resilient. We have achieved more than we ever thought possible.

That’s powerful.

2. We have changed how we work with technology. From Zoom to Teams. We introduced BACS, we developed Google Forms, Doodle polls and electronic communications. We changed how we interact with parents; there has been a seismic shift away from crumpled newsletters and permission slips in school

bags. We completely changed how we operate. That’s fantastic.

3. Remote working and embracing a flexible working pattern are now accepted practice - you don’t have to physically be at your desk to get things done. Online meetings have also changed the way we do things. That’s transformational.

4. Networks and networking are powerful.

The SBM community on Twitter has been phenomenal. Not only have they shared resources, ideas and information, they have been there to lift each other up and support when needed. That’s brilliant.

5. Premises work has carried on throughout, and we have been able to complete so many of the ‘little’ jobs that never get done - along with some fairly hefty capital works. That’s a result.

6. Processes have been streamlined, and unnecessary tasks jettisoned. Within this process there has been nowhere to hide; the weakest members of the team have been exposed. There are going to be some challenging conversations in the months ahead but it can only be for long term good. That’s efficient.

Whilst I wouldn’t want to go through the past 12 months ever again, I can say that it has had some bonuses. That’s unexpected.

April 2021

BIG ASK: HAVE PANDEMIC CHANGES POSITIVELY IMPACTED SCHOOLS? Why COVID isn’t all doom and gloom

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HOW HAS COVID AFFECTED BUDGETS? The school budget has never been stretched further

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

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 well-earned break from numbers and statistics

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MANAGEMENT {MANAGING CONTRACTS}

April 2021

A PERSONAL JOURNEY THROUGH EDUCATION Alison Caplin reflects on her path to becoming school bursar

Better contract management and you

The minefield that is contract management can be an enormous challenge to traverse; here, we’ve put together some useful guidelines for what to look for in a new supplier, how to negotiate the deal that works best for your school, and why it’s important to maintain supplier relationships

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chool business managers have to deal with contracts every day, whether they be contracts for permanent staff, temporary staff or all elements of product and services procurement.

Juggling these contracts is potentially challenging especially if the products and services are coming from multiple suppliers at different points in the year.

How can you keep on top of

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19 LEADING WITH YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD Craig Smith discusses life as a trust chief operating officer and NLG

24 HELPING SCHOOLS BUILD BACK STRONGER How alumni networks can help tackle the attainment gap

26 FINDING THE WORDS The WORKING SBM on answering with more honesty

THE CONTRACT LIFE CYCLE

place’. CIPS has an easy-tounderstand contract life cycle wheel on its website, which is breaks the process into 12 steps under four ‘umbrellas’.

According to the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) ‘Contract management is a continuous procurement process that ensures suppliers - and buyers - adhere to their agreed contractual obligations, along with negotiating any future changes that need to take

Strategy, structure and resources 1. Plan and scope.

2. Stakeholders.

3. Administration.

4. Relationship management.

Implementation 5. Performance management.

6. Payment and incentives.

your contracts, find the ones that suit you, and maintain them?

7. Risk and resilience.

Development 8. Contract development.

9. Supplier development.

10. Supplier relationship management.

Life cycle management 11. Exit and termination.

12. Asset management.

This is a hugely simplified version of the life cycle, of course, but it provides good guidance for compliance – something schools have to be aware of, and adhere to.

DON’T BE HOOKED, LINED AND SINKERED How to avoid phishing scams ICT matters {CASE STUDY}

An edtech masterclass

April 2021

We speak to SHALINA LANNI, executive head teacher, PETE GODWIN, edtech lead across the trust, and SARAH MORGAN, assistant headteacher and DfE edtech demonstrator programme lead, of Pheasey Park Farm Primary School, about the edtech revolution that has taken place in their school

BETTER CONTRACT MANAGEMENT The difficulties in managing supplier relationships

Tell us about Pheasey Park Farm Primary School.

SL: Pheasey Park Farm Primary School is a large school with over 600 children. Six years ago this school in Walsall was placed in the Ofsted category of ‘requiring improvement’ and the governing body decided to appoint a new leadership team. One of the main things that Ofsted had identified was that learning in the school was very passive and teaching was very dusty - so we knew we needed to inject some life into what was going on in the school and bring it up-to-date.

We decided that we would use edtech as the catalyst. We built a whole edtech infrastructure into the school and brought in business links with companies like SMART Limited. We brought in expertise from consultants and created a leadership team centred around edtech. We put some funding in to purchasing resources and we empowered teachers by training them. Five years later we were graded as a ‘good school with a strong drive towards excellence’, and the inspectors actually commented on the use of edtech to develop

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collaboration across the school.

We were shortlisted 18-months ago for the Bett Impact Award and then, in April, we were asked to be a DfE demonstrator school supporting schools nationally – so far we’ve already supported around 100 schools. Outcomes and attendance at the school have improved yearon-year, and they are now above national.

Why do you think edtech is important for learning?

PG: It gets the children communicating and; it creates true collaboration. I think sometimes edtech is seen as a bit of a gimmick, and seems a little bit of a bolt-on - but, for us, it’s part of our day-to-day practice; teachers use edtech for teaching and children use edtech for learning.

What challenges did you face when trying to implement edtech in the school?

SL: One of the biggest challenges was professional development - teachers not having the skills to use the edtech. It was very easy to manage the resources - but the resources

April 2021

44 BEGINNING AT SBL BASECAMP Why an SBL’s CPD journey can be like climbing a mountain

46 60 SECONDS WITH Jo Gathern, school business manager at Glebe Primary School

AN EDTECH MASTERCLASS The transformation of Pheasey Park Farm school

41 TEACHING AND TECHNOLOGY: WHAT RESEARCH SHOWS YOU NEED TO DO Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith on the link between teacher beliefs and edtech practice

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE HAVE PANDEMIC CHANGES POSITIVELY IMPACTED SCHOOLS? It’s not all doom and gloom

AN EDTECH MASTERCLASS How one school used edtech to drive school improvement

Supporting business and f inancial excellence in schools and academies April 2021

LEADING WITH YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

HELPING SCHOOLS BUILD BACK STRONGER

Craig Smith on his journey through school leadership

How alumni networks can help tackle the attainment gap

So, who looks after the SBL? COVID IMPACTS  LEADERSHIP  EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

Who looks after the person who looks after everyone else?

WWW.EDEXEC.CO.UK

SO, WHO LOOKS AFTER THE SBL? Sue Birchall questions who looks after the person others rely on

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didn’t think was appropriate for an 11-year-old, so I approached the headteacher. Having that discussion prompted her to ask me if I would be interested in becoming a governor at the school - I said ‘Yes’ and that started my life in education!

Now, 20 years on, I am still in education, but in a very different role. Alongside my role as a governor, I started work at my local university - University of Southampton - in the finance department, and moved through

LIVE IT

APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 162

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n 2001 my eldest daughter went to secondary school; I thought long and hard about which school I would like her to go to but didn’t really know how to choose or what to look for. In the end I chose the local school as I felt that my daughter’s emotional wellbeing was most important, and all of her friends were moving there. One of the concerns I had with the school was the fact that students were allowed out to roam the streets at lunch time, something I

ICT MATTERS

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE

SPOTLIGHT ON: SCHOOL ATTENDANCE FIGURES How the pandemic has impacted the number of pupils in schools

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OPERATIONS

ISSUE 162

NEWS & VIEWS

On the cover Sue Birchall, business manager at The Malling School, ponders who looks after the person who looks after everyone else

Editor’s comment A month has now passed since schools fully re-opened again - and what a successful month it has been! Schools have gone above and beyond in order to adhere to the guidance, and make staff and students feel safe upon their full return. SBLs already have a myriad of skills and knowledge, but the last year has forced you to undertake tasks you probably would have never dreamed you would be doing - for instance, I’m sure there aren’t many of you who thought 2021 would see you become professional swab-takers!

In the first issue of our new, quarterly format we begin by analysing the impact of COVID on schools over the last year, including a look at MAT growth, the positive changes it has led to and how attendance figures have been affected. We then move our focus to leadership, as Alison Helm reflects on her journey to becoming school bursar, followed by an interview with Craig Smith who was recently awarded the ISBL Fellowship and, after a year of funding announcements and packages, we take a look at what this means for school budgets in real terms.

We explore the best way to manage your contracts, and go on to talk all things ICT which includes an interview with a school which has used edtech to completely transform itself. We wrap things up with Laura Williams discussing the challenges of CPD and finish with a fun 60 seconds.

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.

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 to HR. EdExec delivers the lowdown on all the hottest topics in education management right here.

@EdExec Design

Graphic designer Amanda Lancaster alancasterdesign.com

Editorial

Editor Ellie Potter eleanor@intelligentmedia.co.uk

Sales

info@intelligentmedia.co.uk

Publisher

Vicki Baloch vicki@intelligentmedia.co.uk

ED EXEC EDITORIAL TEAM 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 eleanor@intelligentmedia.co.uk

GET YOUR DAILY DOSE OF SBM NEWS, ADVICE AND GUIDANCE AT

WWW.EDEXEC.CO.UK

Education Executive is published by Intelligent Media Solutions Intelligent Media, 115 Mare Street, London, E8 4RU Tel 020 3794 8555 | Fax 020 3794 8554 Email info@intelligentmedia.co.uk Web www.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 – essentially, all you need to run your school. Our contributors, drawn from the Education Executive team and sector innovators and experts, offer invaluable business insights from both the sidelines and front line.

ELEANOR POTTER Editor Education Executive

SUE BIRCHALL Business manager The Malling School

LAURA WILLIAMS Consultant LJ Business Consultancy

ALISON CAPLIN School bursar Henry Beaufort School

NEWS STORIES RESOURCES EXPERT BLOGS

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE

News and views {NEWS}

NEWS

The latest news and views from the world of education

Pupil premium at risk due to date change Schools in England face a ‘significant cash loss’ from a change in the date for counting disadvantaged pupils eligible for extra support, says the Education Policy Institute. The think tank warns that using an earlier cut-off date to count pupils eligible for free school meals will miss many who have since become eligible in the pandemic. This could lower schools’ allocations of pupil premium funding because, if children are not counted, schools could lose out on pupil premium funding, which is mostly based on their number of pupils eligible for free meals.

The Department for Education says an earlier date helps budget planning, but headteachers have raised ‘grave concerns‘ that the change in timing will mean that schools serving some of the poorest pupils will miss out on millions in funding - despite rising levels of need. Instead of using January as the annual point for measuring numbers of pupils eligible for free school meals, the government has, this time, used October 2020. This has prompted warnings that the earlier date will miss many families caught up in recent months of rising job losses and financial pressures.

@Book_Junction: So at 9am the kitchen goes down after a positive LFT last night. All other staff sent home and the kitchen deep cleaned...I‘m now a master jacket potato server, and thankful that we run our own catering... pizza and chips tomorrow #sbmtwitter #sbltwitter

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April 2021

School drops gendered uniforms after campaign A school has agreed to make its uniform gender-neutral following a campaign by one of its students. Fin, 15, a pupil at Norton Hill , in Somerset, wrote to the head after noticing there were two sets of rules for boys and girls, which could cause problems to LGBTQ+ students.

“I wanted to change the rules so people didn’t feel like they were breaking them,” said Fin.“Coming to school, everyone should feel accepted and comfortable. We didn’t want to come across like we were attacking anybody, or destroying a system; we just wanted to adapt it.” The uniform policy had been blazers for boys, and jumpers for girls; this has now been amended to blazers for all, with optional jumpers.

News and views {NEWS}

MPs back law aiming to cut school uniform costs Schools in England could be required to make their uniform policy more affordable after a bill aiming to cut costs was backed by MPs. The legislation, drafted by a Labour MP and backed by ministers, would lead to new guidance encouraging schools to keep down costs. It would also force schools to keep compulsory branded items, like blazers, to a minimum; an MPs’ inquiry in 2019 found that such items can cost up to three times more.

Schools minister Nick Gibb said the government supported the bill because it would “help many families across the country” with uniform costs - but he promised that schools would not be forced to make “sudden changes to their uniform policy” for the new school year in September.

@mrsfinch2016: Actually NEED a Costa...not stopped for a breath today! Writing this as I head to get my lunch out of the fridge #noteatenyet #needcoffee #sendhelp #sbltwitter

England’s school catch-up scheme ‘chaotic and confusing’, say headteachers The tutoring programme to help disadvantaged pupils recover from COVID disruption has been labelled a ‘shambles’. The government’s scheme is ‘chaotic and confusing‘, headteachers have told The Guardian. Wider efforts to assist students after the pandemic remain in flux, with Amanda Spielman, chief inspector of Ofsted, casting doubt on plans proposed by Gavin Williamson, the education secretary. Williamson said he wanted a ‘transformative‘ moment for English schools, on a scale last seen following the second world war, mentioning ideas such as longer school days and a move to a five-term academic year as means to help pupils regain lost ground.

However, Spielman expressed some scepticism, warning that any changes must be supported by evidence, and have the backing of parents.

News in brief

School accountability leads to increased stress levels, says UCL Two-thirds of teachers in England reported feeling accountability-related stress compared with fewer than half of teachers globally. The results have been published in a working paper, School accountability and teacher stress, International evidence from the OECD TALIS. “It is important that school leaders continue to use student performance data appropriately,” said Professor John Jerrim, one of the researchers, “and do not make inappropriate inferences about it capturing the ‘quality’ or ‘performance’ of any individual member of staff. We also believe that our findings highlight the need for policymakers to recognise that increasing accountability within the school system is unlikely to be a one-way street to ‘school improvement’.”

@WirralSBL: So, specifically from SBMs, what are your‚ ‘covid keepers’?

Things that have changed as a result of lockdown that you are going to keep, moving forward? #sbltwitter

April 2021

07

News and views {NEWS REPORT}

Growth o f M ATs stunted by the pandemic The ninth annual Kreston Academies Benchmark Report has revealed that the significant growth multi-academy trusts have achieved in recent years has been stifled by the COVID-19 pandemic

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ublished annually

by Kreston International’s academies group, the report is a financial ‘state of the nation’ survey of over 300 trusts representing 1,400 schools, and covers the 2019-20 academic year.

According to the report, the growth of the academy sector has slowed from 10.8% in 2019 to 7.8% in 2020; the report also points to a complex picture in terms of trust finances.

Schools did see a significant reduction in costs of staffing, maintenance and utilities – a result of fewer pupils being in school during lockdown - with nearly three quarters of trusts (70%) saving money on the cost of supply staff.

However, much of these savings will need to be invested in technology and other resources in order to support and enhance the sector’s remote learning capability in the coming year. The majority of trusts (85%) plan to continue investing in IT in the future, further draining financial reserves and suggesting a more permanent

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April 2021

shift in the edtech infrastructure in education.

“On the face of it, the report suggests the financial picture for the sector is relatively strong,” says Pam Tuckett, chair of Kreston International’s academies group, and head of education at accountants Bishop Fleming. “School closures have cut many of the costs traditionally associated with running a school, such as staffing, heating and lighting classrooms that would typically be full of pupils.

“However, this masks the budgetary pressures relating to the increased cost of deep cleaning, and the heavy investment that is being made in technology to limit the impact of disruptions to pupils’ education.

The findings show that the impact of the pandemic will be felt for many years to come.”

Overall, the findings paint a positive financial picture for the sector, with reserves across all multi-academy trusts (MATs) reportedly moving from a £196K surplus in 2018-19 to a £221K surplus in 2019-20 and, over the same period, primary school reserves shifted from a

£12K surplus to a £25K surplus.

The most significant increase was seen in secondary schools, where the average, in-year surplus increased by around £130K, to £147K, due to additional savings generated by secondary schools generally being closed for the longest periods during the pandemic.

SUPPLY TEACHING MOVING IN-HOUSE Almost one-in-seven schools surveyed (14%) revealed plans to employ cover teachers directly once pupils return

to the classroom, rather than relying on agency staff presumably to cut costs and help counter the financial impact of the pandemic.

“The cost of supply teaching for some trusts can amount to tens of thousands of pounds per school,” Pam Tuckett explains.

“Our report suggests that the pandemic has sparked a rethink of how trusts can meet their staffing requirements in the months and years ahead as they navigate their way through this situation to return to previous levels of financial stability.”

A decline in MAT growth

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The percentage of trusts in cumulative deficit has fallen from eight per cent to five per cent over the last year.

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N early 60% of trusts submitted claims for additional funding for the 2019-20 academic year.

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Approximately 67% of trusts with at least eight schools had one or more schools in an individual deficit position.

When compared, the percentage of trusts with four or fewer schools that had one or more schools in deficit was 29%.

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T he growth of MATs has occurred primarily in the most centralised trusts. As of December 2020, there were a total of 9,399 academies compared to 8,721 in December 2019. The annual rate of growth has, however, slowed, from 10.8% in the year to December 2019, down to 7.8% to December 2020.

Transforming Academy Banking We can: • Increase the returns you achieve from your cash deposits and cash management* • Review your Cash Deposit and Investment policy* • Provide training for your Finance team to support Fraud Awareness (Fraud losses to the Education sector rose by 280% from 2017 to 2018)*

Where needed, advice and support on the following is also included in order to: • Significantly reduce the need for Mandate variations across Multi Academy Trusts* • Reduce control and fraud risks in your banking function and set up* • Remove annual card fees for Multi Academy Trust charge cards/procurement cards whilst giving central oversight and control* • Help you reduce cash in your schools and streamline procurement* In addition, we can:

• Offer a review of your DPO function and supply a compliant professional DPO service • Audit and advise on your HR & Risk Management approach • Supply a professional Clerking service

*

These services are provided on a “Net Negative Cost” to you with our fee being a percentage of the first-year modelled uplift in your interest earnings and banking fee reductions.

Interest guidance will be based on your own risk appetite in accordance with your Cash Deposit and Investment policy (we include the drafting of a policy if one is not in place or requires updating).

www.educationbanking.co.uk ianbuss@educationbanking.co.uk 07796 940193

Thursday 5 July 2018 Leicester/Northampton

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PRICES

At At Education Education Executive, Executive, wewe understand understand that that thethe school school across allbusiness areas ofmanager’s the school and the impactever-growing, on staff and morale. business manager’s role role is ever-changing, is ever-changing, ever-growing, The 2018ever-challenging Regional Conferences will focus on ‘Confidently approaching changes’ ever-challenging and and ever-rewarding. ever-rewarding.

AsAs thethe firstfirst and and quoting quotingreference reference“EESUB6” “EESUB6”totoqualify qualify only only business business management management publication publication forfor school school leaders, leaders, ourour aimaim is to is to support support and and champion champion business business 020 3794 3794 8555 8555 CALL CALL : : 020 of children and deliver a world-class education system. and and financial financial excellence. excellence. and meaningful dialogue, peer to peer, about how they can improve the life chances subscriptions@intelligentmedia.co.uk EMAIL EMAIL : : subscriptions@intelligentmedia.co.uk Every Every month month wewe offer offer inspiring inspiring articles, articles, sector sector news news and and Our regional conferences allow school business professionals to engage in a rich edexec.co.uk WEB WEB : : edexec.co.uk easy-to-read easy-to-read management management advice. advice.

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News and views {BIG ASK}

How have changes made due to the pandemic positively impacted schools?

We are all more than aware of the negative impacts the pandemic has had on our lives – but it’s not all doom and gloom. Despite our lives being turned upside down, the pandemic has also resulted in many positive changes in schools

Sarah Jones, academy business manager, large secondary school

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April 2021

This year has been a shocker. Society has been turned on its head, and unimaginable suffering has been experienced by many. We are exhausted, bruised and battered; however it hasn’t all been bad!

The pandemic has left a growing appreciation of schools as parents realised quite how hard it is to teach a child. People are impressed with how schools have risen to the challenges thrown at them – but there have been many positives for those of us actually at the coal face.

1. T he importance of SBMs, admin, premises and ICT has never been higher - without them schools would not have been able to function. We have risen to the challenges thrown, been pushed harder than ever before and we have THRIVED. We have dug deep and realise that we are hugely capable and resilient. We have achieved more than we ever thought possible.

That’s powerful.

2. W e have changed how we work with technology. From Zoom to Teams. We introduced BACS, we developed Google Forms, Doodle polls and electronic communications. We changed how we interact with parents; there has been a seismic shift away from crumpled newsletters and permission slips in school

bags. We completely changed how we operate. That’s fantastic.

3. R emote working and embracing a flexible working pattern are now accepted practice - you don’t have to physically be at your desk to get things done. Online meetings have also changed the way we do things. That’s transformational.

4. N etworks and networking are powerful.

The SBM community on Twitter has been phenomenal. Not only have they shared resources, ideas and information, they have been there to lift each other up and support when needed. That’s brilliant.

5. Premises work has carried on throughout, and we have been able to complete so many of the ‘little’ jobs that never get done - along with some fairly hefty capital works. That’s a result.

6. P rocesses have been streamlined, and unnecessary tasks jettisoned. Within this process there has been nowhere to hide; the weakest members of the team have been exposed. There are going to be some challenging conversations in the months ahead but it can only be for long term good. That’s efficient.

Whilst I wouldn’t want to go through the past 12 months ever again, I can say that it has had some bonuses. That’s unexpected.

News and views {BIG ASK}

Sue Prickett, chief finance and operations officer, SENDAT Academy

Before writing this, I’ve had to really stop and take time to consider the positives that have emerged from what seems a never ending period of semi-ordered chaos. I was glad to read I wasn’t the only one wondering as I took to Twitter for inspiration. Over the last year, processes and procedures in school have changed - and been adopted so swiftly - it’s difficult to remember the starting point, but here are some thoughts.

Firstly, the importance of teamwork has been the saviour during this time. We have good teams collaborating across all our schools but, in order to facilitate this, along with the rest of the country, all staff suddenly upskilled ourselves in using Sharepoint as a collaborative way of working everyday - not just now and again. We’d already moved away from servers, but the pandemic saw our organisation as a whole embrace cloud-based systems, and get to grips with using them, enabling welfare and safeguarding checks and updates.

Virtual meetings are, without doubt, here to stay. This, unquestionably, has had a positive impact on our young people as we’ve been able to complete all the annual reviews of our pupils remotely, support our families to attend them and, consequently, make sure all the targets in their EHCPs are being met; as a SEND Trust this was particularly important for us. With our schools having a 40 minute journey between them, it’s also enabled leaders to continue meeting regularly, cutting down on mileage claims and travel time, but still offering the support and fast decision-making required to navigate all the uncertainty.

Kudos to all the teachers and support staff who now have the skills and ability to teach remotely. Creative lesson plans and timetabling aside, whenever we have young people at home for any sustained period of time, we now have the ability to support their learning remotely.

They can join a class lesson, have therapies, speak and connect with teachers and friends, from their home. How empowering for students and for the staff involved, knowing that there is a continuation of learning and development and, importantly, that school hasn’t forgotten them just because they aren’t in class.

Everyone wants to see schools bustling with activity and return to being the thriving communities we know and love. We move forward knowing that our continued positive attitude and resilience has been the bedrock of implementing the new processes and procedures that will rebuild them once again.

Conny Brandt, school business manager, Peterhouse School

One of the main things that COVID has done is make us re-evaluate absolutely everything.

Things that we had always accepted as a given were suddenly no longer working, and we were considering ‘Do we really need that?’, or ‘Can we use a different approach?’ about things we never would have thought to question before; for example, everybody using the main door in the mornings rather than using entrances around the site to ease congestion.

Working from home brought obvious benefits, and some of our staff will continue to do some working from home, regardless of COVID. Remote learning has been challenging for some pupils, but has worked really well for others.

Parental engagement has also benefited; some parents who can be reluctant to engage with, or persuade to come to the school, have been happy to chat on the ‘phone or via Teams.

Meetings have been condensed to what is essential, and are only called when actually necessary – and, when they do happen, they are usually brief and to the point. Online training and conferences are much more accessible, and can be attended regardless of where they happen - and virtual meetings and training do not incur any travel costs or travel time.

While there are many obvious benefits to faceto-face meetings and events, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing people in person again, it will also be good to keep some things virtual.

In school, being thrown into a crisis situation has allowed some of our staff to really shine. Staff have come forward with innovative ideas, such as a gaming social group to help pupils to engage with each other, and with staff, when they are at home.

From my perspective, COVID has also really highlighted the significance of the SBM role!

Previously, much of our work would happen behind the scenes, with many staff not really understanding what we do, and seeing health and safety as an inconvenience.

Being the person staff turn to for risk assessments, PPE and testing has made staff appreciate our efforts – we are the people who help keep everyone safe.

April 2021

11

News and views {SPOTLIGHT ON}

SPOTLIGHT ON

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE FIGURES

4th March 2021

13th January 2021

2nd July 2020

18th June 2020

7th May 2020

13th April 2020

20 %

23rd March 2020

40 %

25th February 2021

16th December 2021

60 %

10th December 2021

80 %

19th November 2021

100 %

1st October 2021

O

ne of the most visual ways to demonstrate the magnitude of the pandemic’s impact on education is by looking at how attendance figures have changed since it struck.

We have created a graph using *statistics and data from the Department for Education to show how attendance figures have fluctuated over the last year.

24th September 2021

Although schools have been open during the pandemic, they have gone through periods of being closed to the majority of pupils which has impacted attendance figures

0 *Figures taken from: Department for Education - statistics and data - attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

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April 2021

Pilot launches... the writing instruments brand takes a step forward with an initiative that will contribute to fight against plastic pollution.

PILOT, is proud to launch into the European market a complete range of pens containing reclaimed ocean plastic, collected from marine environments*.

“The problem of plastic in our oceans and on our shores is a worldwide concern. Fighting against plastic pollution is essential and for this reason, we are happy to partner with TerraCycle to create a unique range of pens which contains reclaimed ocean plastic material*”, said Fumio FUJISAKI, CEO and Urban MARTELL, VP Sales & Marketing, of PILOT COROPORATION OF EUROPE. From 2021, the iconic B2P Gel pen will contain ocean plastic within its 89%** of recycled plastic bottles, already used in its composition.

And end of January, PILOT will enlarge the B2P range with a newcomer; B2P ECOBALL. A ballpoint pen made of 86%** of recycled post-consumer plastic bottles, including ocean plastic*, with a minimum quantity of colorant additives, and refillable.

The B2P pens are a part of the BEGREEN range, the first range of sustainable writing instruments, launched by PILOT in 2006. Made of at least 70% of recycled plastic and refillable, the Begreen pens allow to each of us to save up to 95% of CO2, thanks to the use of recycled plastic, and as soon as the pen is refilled 3 times!

With this initiative, PILOT adds a new R - Recuperating, less plastic in the oceans to reduce pollution - to its sustainable approach, that can be summed up in 4 words: DO BETTER WITH LESS, and that is embodied by its 3-R policy;

recycling,

less waste going to landfills, to turn old into new, by using recycled plastic material to manufacture our pens.

refilling,

less disposable to extend life duration, by making 63% of our ranges refillable to reduce landfilling.

reducing,

less plastic to reduce waste, by using preferably recycled carton material in our packaging.

And because sustainability is a part of our DNA, this initiative will concern other markets out of Europe, starting by Japan, the country of origin of PILOT. This initiative is not the final stage of a long journey initiated more than 10 years ago for producing eco-designed pens, contributing to reduce the impact of our products on the Planet, but the starting point of a larger program with concrete initiatives to act against pollution, which will be announced in the coming months.

* from oceans, beaches, rivers, lakes and the banks of those waterways. ** excluding replaceable parts.

PILOT GREEN PACKS the trash can wait!

Refilling your pen rather than the bin is now much easier with the PILOT GREEN PACKS Convenient sets of either 10 or 12 pens made from recycled materials with additional refills.

At Pilot, we do not expect you to throw away your pen just because you have used up all of the ink, and we encourage the use of refills.

Using a refill when the ink runs out, rather than a new pen will extend the products life and further reduce the amount of plactic which would otherwise prematurely go to landfill.

CO2 facts

Using refillable pens and PILOT GREEN PACKS can also help reduce “greenhouse gases” because manufacturing an entire pen produces more CO2 than just the refill components. From the manufacturing through to the end of the product life, it is estimated that using all of the pens and the refills in a PILOT GREEN PACK gives the following cumulative CO2 savings (compared to using the equivalent number of new pens and not refilling them): • B2P GREEN PACK -69% CO2 • G2 GREEN PACK -71% CO2 • V7 CARTRIDGE SYSTEM -81% CO2 • V-BOARD MASTER -75% CO2

News and views {GREY MATTER}

GREY MATTER

So, who looks after the SBL? SUE BIRCHALL, business manager at The Malling School, ponders who looks after the person who looks after everyone else

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April 2021

I

think we can all confidently say that the last year has been one of the most challenging in our careers of working in schools. Our normal way of working has been turned on its head and we have needed to be adaptive, reactive - and downright superhuman - at times in the situations we have faced. Whilst the same can be said for all staff in education, the role of school business leader - and all the roles that fall within this remit - is already laden with many levels of responsibility and workload.

This has meant that it has not only been a case of adapting the way we work, but also that many of the new tasks have been additional to an already heavy workload.

The SBL is often the person in our schools that other staff lean on when the going gets tough. We are seen as problem-solvers, aside from the fact that we ‘hold the purse strings’. The responsibilities to our staff during this time have been immense - and not just on a practical level. Increased needs across the whole school family particularly, but not exclusively, in relation to mental health, have necessitated additional surveys, personal meetings, arranged access to support and many more face-to-face meetings. Personally, I want to support my colleagues, and I dedicate a fair bit of my time to this, but this time has had to be found from somewhere.

Adaptation of the site to meet the ever-changing guidelines to keep our schools safe has often been a daily task. At the beginning of this period adaptations were constant, with daily missives

News and views {GREY MATTER}

from the DfE and our local authorities, meaning that there were times when changes were made and almost immediately altered. The support of our site colleagues has been invaluable in managing this, but the overall responsibility naturally sits within the SBL role.

RELENTLESS AND STRESSFUL Speaking of the daily missives, these have been relentless and, whilst the need for them is clear, they have often added to the stress felt by myself and I am sure others, worrying whether we have done the right thing, spent the money wisely and made the right choices. I cannot be the only one who found themselves looking out for these messages during evenings and weekends and then adapting things so that, back at school, everything was fit for purpose - and don’t even talk to me about budget and the money that we’ve spent!

However, I am not writing this article as a moan, more as a recognition of the amazing work that our profession has done during this pandemic. As professionals, SBLs love their role because it is diverse and challenging; we meet every day with a can-do attitude and solution-focused approach and would probably be quite unhappy if we weren’t ‘in the thick of things’.

Our ability to prioritise, multi-task - and generally be all things to all people - has been challenged during the lockdowns. Having said that, I believe that we can only be judged in the best light, not that anyone is judging! It is true that our role often goes unnoticed in schools simply

because it makes the world go round.

So, back to my original question, who looks after the SBL?

SUPPORT COMES IN MANY GUISES It is tempting, when you put things in place for your school, to see them as being ‘for others’ and, perhaps, not make use of them yourself. I am always promoting our employee assistance programme to staff, advertising the 24-hour support line it offers along with the sign-posting to a myriad of products which support all areas of life. We put in place a programme of wellbeing initiatives - some of which have been to address specific things such as anxiety and stress, and others to offer some light relief. All staff have a named person to talk to, and programmes of support for their many and varied concerns and problems.

Many staff have accessed, and benefitted from, the programme – but I have not even considered using it and, whilst this may say a lot about me, I am sure I am not the only one of my peers who would be in the same position.

For myself, my support comes in many guises. My business team are, and have been, amazing; having the day-to-day support from them rising to every challenge has enabled me to meet my own increasing set of demands head on. We have worked together within a team ethos which demands that no-one stands alone - including me.

Being part of the

Our ability to prioritise, multi-task and generally be all things to all people - has been challenged senior team, for me, has also been supportive, having daily meetings and being involved in the decision-making has shared the load and responsibility, always offering an alternative ear and opinion.

As a support mechanism, not feeling that you are on your own, and isolated, is a great comfort when you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, as we all have.

We have been supported, as always, by our industry experts such as EdExec and other publications, as well as the ISBL, through a constant flow of e-mails and details via publications and blogs. These serve us as in ‘normal times’ in allowing us to compare our plans and decisions with others in our industry - a form of benchmarking which has been particularly welcome in the

last year. The ISBL has also clearly been listening to us, and continue to liaise with the government to make sure that decisions are workable and adapted to make them achievable and viable for our schools. Knowing that this work is going on in the background is vital for our wellbeing; things can always be improved, and those on the ground are best placed to drive those improvements.

As we come out on the other side of these unusual times will we look back in a positive way? Who knows?

Until then, we need to look after one another and accept that we are only human!

April 2021

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Leadership by example {A PERSONAL JOURNEY}

A personal journey through education

ALISON CAPLIN, school bursar at Henry Beaufort School in Winchester, reflects on her journey through the education system - starting as a governor, moving on to university, starting a university course herself and, finally, becoming a secondary school bursar

I

n 2001 my eldest daughter went to secondary school; I thought long and hard about which school I would like her to go to but didn’t really know how to choose or what to look for. In the end I chose the local school as I felt that my daughter’s emotional wellbeing was most important, and all of her friends were moving there. One of the concerns I had with the school was the fact that students were allowed out to roam the streets at lunch time, something I

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April 2021

didn’t think was appropriate for an 11-year-old, so I approached the headteacher. Having that discussion prompted her to ask me if I would be interested in becoming a governor at the school - I said ‘Yes’ and that started my life in education!

Now, 20 years on, I am still in education, but in a very different role. Alongside my role as a governor, I started work at my local university - University of Southampton - in the finance department, and moved through

Leadership by example {A PERSONAL JOURNEY}

many departments through to a senior management role in student services. It soon became apparent that my roles at the university reflected very closely what was happening in school. The university is a large, Russell Group institution with a huge focus on engineering, computer sciences and education. The focus of both organisations was on outcomes for students, including attainment and progression into work and study, teaching and learning and the student experience. There was also a significant focus on finance and value for money.

At that time schools were quite well-funded and I recall a huge capital budget that we carried forward, year-on-year. Grants were available to improve sporting facilities and we applied to build a new sports hall built to support the school and the community. We then moved into specialist school status and decided to specialise in engineering; this fitted in with employment in the local area which included railway works, the Ford factory and also a cable works.

This status was rare among schools, and we attracted a lot of interest alongside an increase in grants and partnerships with organisations such as Cunard and Mott MacDonald - the lines between work and volunteering started to blur.

I spent 15 years at the university at a time when innovation and adaptability was key. My training had been in finance but I enjoyed working with people and seeing the journey that students took from fresher to graduation and beyond. I was fortunate to be involved in a number of projects which exposed me to many different areas of the university. I worked in partnership with senior leaders, academic leaders and administrators in faculties to deliver institutional change in IT systems and processes, as well as operational and financial changes including new, increased fees of £3,000.

I was responsible for distributing funds totalling more than £12m to students as bursaries, scholarships, studentships and hardship funds.

VALUE FOR MONEY Alongside this we ran a marketing campaign to attract students to the university amid extremely negative rhetoric in the media about the level of debt a student would incur. This prompted discussion - and change - around the value for money the university was able to provide to the prospective student. By this time my eldest daughter was looking to go to university herself and would be one of the first

At that time schools were quite well-funded students entering higher education under the new fee-paying regime.

This extensive experience - which included managing and coaching staff, managing operational budgets and working in collaboration - led to a number of roles including managing the Visa advice team and the careers and student services teams. These roles were varied in terms of expertise and focus, but very similar in terms of required skills. This was when I started to understand the balance between the need for knowledge and transferrable skills.

This enabled me to support the school in which I was a governor (now chair) in more strategic ways. I built up a network of employers in all sectors who I was able to speak to from the point of view of finding internships, placements and graduate schemes for university students, as well as understanding the impact of secondary education in accessing these opportunities as well as those at apprenticeship and entry level.

Over the years my experience of the school and education generally had grown; I had been through many different education secretaries with ever-changing goal posts and improvement strategies. Our school had become a national challenge school; however it always had good progress measures which were not reflected in the outcomes. The area was one of high deprivation and we were proud that we had been able to keep disengaged students in school and see them make good progress.

In 2014, I was working closely with my school as chair of governors and also with the local authority to find solutions to reducing numbers and its impact on the budget and student experience. I realised the impact I could have by using my skills and experience to make a difference to young people by working in the secondary phase – so, I applied for a role as a school business manager and that’s what I have been doing ever since.

My passion for education grew with my children and, in 2015, I decided to take a business degree at the Open University. I had been brought up and left school in the 80s, in a working-class family, and had never considered going to university. My work transition to the secondary phase in education collided with a

April 2021

17

Leadership by example {A PERSONAL JOURNEY}

If there is one thing I have learned throughout my career it’s the power of good communication

need to consolidate what I had learned in the previous 14 years into something tangible.

Both of these moves have been good for me and have broadened my understanding of the global world and the impact of education and the economy. The need to adapt, change and innovate - to fit the landscape - has never been more true than in our current climate, and I have been impressed at the way my school has grasped the nettle of online learning, working from home and supporting disadvantaged students. Never has education needed to be more innovative and adaptable in its delivery than this last year.

UNDERSTANDING OUR IMPACT I enjoy the variety of my role, and the fact that no two days are the same is both the best and worst part of the role. Planning is impossible!

The challenges are immense, yet we always find a way through. I feel that my foundation as a governor has supported my understanding of the funding of schools and the academic progress and teaching and learning that my team of professional services supports. What I enjoy most is opening the eyes of my team to understand the impact that they are having on

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April 2021

teaching and learning, and being able to directly attribute their objectives and achievements to our school improvement plan. I am proud that more than 50% of the professional services team were graded ‘exceptional’ in their performance management this year and I hope for this to be even higher next year.

I aim to introduce KPIs and analytics to almost everything that the professional services team do, linking their work back to the impact on student outcomes by highlighting the difference between groups in accessing opportunities and activities, levels of detentions, attendance and much more. COVID-19 has delayed this by a year but, if I can pull this off this year, this will be my greatest achievement so far - creating a dashboard to support SLT and the governing body in understanding the student profile and being able to evidence this from data we collect. So much of this information is assumed, but the data is collected in so many different places! I have a passion to collect it all up and present it as evidence; to be able to either to prove or disprove what we think we know would be amazing.

I am inspired by young people, my amazing team and working in education and this fires my enthusiasm for knowledge. I will often find myself down a rabbit hole looking into something - how this or that works, the history of our politics, globalisation, economics, or how to make a spreadsheet work. My current module in my OU degree is Leadership; power, identity, followership and ethics all of which I hope to apply to my current role.

If there is one thing I have learned throughout my career it’s the power of good communication - something which is so important, and yet so difficult to get right. The key here has to be listening and being willing to learn from others. If all you do is speak about what you need, or what you think is best, and how your way is the only way, people will stop listening.

This will always be my most important lesson, and the skill that I will never stop trying to improve.

Leadership by example {CASE STUDY}

Leading with your best foot forward Bedfordshire Schools Trust (BEST) is a thriving and expanding trust that aims to bring out the BEST in everyone. We speak to CRAIG SMITH, chief operations officer and national leader in governance, about how his leadership continues to drive trust improvement and how he feels about recently being awarded an ISBL Fellowship April 2021

19

Leadership by example {CASE STUDY}

Tell us a bit about yourself and the pathway to your current role.

After university I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do, but I knew I liked working with people. I was one of those classic cases of someone who really benefitted from an education provided by the state and I was always interested in the power of education to transform lives.

I spent about 10 or 12 years as a careers officer, rose through the ranks, and eventually ended up as an area manager. I then jumped over to Connexions and ended up as assistant director in Bedfordshire/Luton. I probably spent 20 years doing that - and then I wanted a new challenge, so worked for the Learning and Skills Council.

Next, I transferred over to Luton Borough Council and was quite high-up in the education department. Here I worked a lot with multiacademy trusts, and I watched and engaged as academies grew across the sector. I got quite close working with some of them - and I was also a school governor - and then I became an academy director as well.

Finally, this opportunity came up to work for BEST; it was a cracking opportunity - I really liked the look of the job, so I applied, and was successful, and have been here since October 2017.

What’s your input into the development and planning of the trust’s vision?

My areas of responsibility are quite broad. Our trust is quite big on school autonomy, and we try to give schools as much autonomy as possible - with accountability as well - so they are free to make lots of decisions themselves. We hold them to account for performance and a whole range of other issues. I have direct operational responsibility for support services to schools other than finance; this includes the schools’ IT, the comms work that we support for the schools and the trust, HR services, safeguarding, all the legal compliance, GDPR, health and safety, all the policy framework, and so on.

As COO I work very closely with the CEO on

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April 2021

our growth strategy and reporting through to trustees, determining our vision and our action plans relating to where we’re going in the next three to five years. We’re quite fortunate in that we’re a fairly close geographical trust; eight of our ten schools are in one school cluster area, and the other two aren’t that far away, so it feels quite a close-knit family of schools really.

How would you describe your personal leadership style?

As a leader of the organisation I think it’s about understanding where the organisation is going

Leadership by example {CASE STUDY}

Many of us have had a bit of time to reflect and think about the world; what sort of society do we want? as part of the trust.

My personal style also aligns with this very well. I like to think it is about collaboration, it’s about listening, it’s about giving autonomy - but with a framework of support around this so that, if people wobble, if they need some support, if they’re not certain, they will feel propped up, and supported, but they don’t feel that they’re so tightly wrapped up they can’t move, and that they own their jobs.

What would you say motivates you and inspires you?

In something like a multi-academy trust we all come together because we have a common purpose about what we want to do - I find it really inspiring that we can work together to push the trust forward. It motivates me that we want to be the best trust we can possibly be.

We want the community that we serve, all those parents and the wider community, to think, ‘I’m really glad my child goes to a BEST school’.

That’s really important for me.

and being a co-constructor of that journey. The trustees are, ultimately, responsible for this but they take a lot of guidance from the executive team, and me and the CEO. How you develop that leadership, and how you decide where you’re going is, for me, a lot about moral purpose. Why do we exist as a trust? What are we trying to do?

That’s in our vision and values, so it should then encompass how we lead, shouldn’t it?

It is collaborative; we do want people to come on the journey with us. It’s quite key for us that each of those ten schools must feel there is benefit to them at an individual school level,

How do you evaluate success?

I suspect there are hard and soft areas there.

The hard things include Ofsted grades, school performance, being financially viable; they’re all there, and you can never ignore them. You have to get good Ofsted grades - it’s the absolute bottom line - and all our targets are about schools achieving at least 50% of the national average, and aspiring to be in the top 20% we don’t want to coast.

However, those soft measures are equally important and you can look at parent feedback scores and all the things they raise. For example, if you look at staff retention and

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Leadership by example {CASE STUDY}

staff mobility, are staff happy here, do they stay, do they see their careers develop and grow?

There’s a little bit of me that likes to sit on the nest, see the eggs, watch them crack and watch people grow and develop, and - again cliché but if people in your team do well, and grow and develop, that’s really inspiring.

What would you say are the biggest challenges facing the education sector at this time?

Schools have had to adapt to new technology much faster than they might have thought they were going to do. The model of a teacher standing in front of 30 children, which we’ve had since the year dot, how’s that going to morph and develop? There will always be a role for that, a professional in front of learners, but we’ve learnt as well that actually some learners are much more comfortable home learning, or on the screen, and they find it suits their style better. So how do we use technology, how do we use the learning coming out of COVID, to adapt the education system to meet the needs of our learners? That’s always been an issue for schools, but it just gets more and more acute.

When you look at Black Lives Matter, George Floyd and that terrible incident last year, then you look at Marcus Rashford and free school meals, and then you look at the Sarah Everard case, it raises key issues around how equal our society is - how well do all sections of our society fare - these issues have really come into a sharp focus during COVID. I was pondering, is there now a greater awareness of the unequal society; how we can challenge that inequality, and how education can do that?

During COVID many of us have had a bit of time to reflect and think about the world; what sort of society do we want, and how we can make it more equal. How do we make it that your ability to succeed in society is based on what you can achieve, not in the way you were born, the colour of your skin, your gender, or anything like that. I think that’s a massive challenge for education and one that I absolutely welcome because I think it’s exactly where education should be.

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You were recently awarded an ISBL fellowship.

Tell us a bit more about that.

I looked at the ISBL membership and joined, then I looked at the fellowship and thought I did meet the criteria. I’ve been trying to lead school business professionals sharing and networking in Bedfordshire - there was some good stuff going on already, but I tried to pull something together. I’m also a national leader in governance (NLG) so I’ve got lots of school governance experience and I’m in a relatively senior position in a trust. I’ve worked for the local authority, I’ve worked in funding, so I’ve probably got a really good broad basket of skills.

Leadership by example {CASE STUDY}

There are plates spinning all the time you probably develop a good antenna for understanding which ones are beginning to wobble. I think, fundamentally, one of the most important things you do as a leader is to select good people, and work with good people around you, and empower them - you can’t do it all by yourself. I saw something the other day which said, ‘Don’t be afraid of appointing people who are much brighter than you, and much better than you’. I think a lot of managers are scared of that - ‘I don’t want someone coming in who’s going to embarrass me, or show me up’ - but, actually, bring in the brightest and best people you can possibly find to support you.

I suspect I probably met their criteria because of my career pathway - I like the idea of systems, leadership and people coming together.

What advice would you give to other people who are wanting to apply for it?

I’d say go for it, absolutely go for it. I’m still relatively new to it but I’ve been invited to engage in some forum work and shared practice. It’s opened my eyes to how other schools work.

How did it feel to be recognised for all of the work you’ve done over the years?

My mum was pleased when I told her! I had a sense of pride because it was recognition and a validation for what we’ve been trying to do as a trust, and on a personal level. I actually felt really proud, and was really pleased about it.

How do you balance your time between being an NLG and COO? There are plates spinning all the time and

What lessons has the last year has taught you?

That people can be incredibly agile and responsive. Schools like to plan, we like to do school improvement plans, self-evaluations, developmental plans and CPD plans. Schools have a natural cycle around terms, exam seasons, and so on, and COVID has made us take a lot of that away and just respond to the immediate. What is really powerful is how well schools, generally, up and down the land, have really responded.

One of our biggest challenges was the government sending out guidance at four o’clock on the Thursday before the Christmas holidays, and then saying, ‘This will be in place by the first day of schools’ return’. That was incredibly challenging. I don’t know a single school that hasn’t managed to do it and that’s a phenomenal achievement for schools to turn around practice. School leaders went in at weekends and over Christmas holidays – there are thousands and thousands of stories about people doing this so that, when those children returned, it worked.

I think that’s a big learning point about how agile we can be when we need to be.

COVID quickfire: BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Responding to very short notice government guidelines!

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: It’s that never-wavering delivery for young people and their families in the community.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: The resilience that people have shown, and their genuine interest in working as part of that community.

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNT: If you’d said last March that, in the next 12 months, schools will all do these things, people would have just shaken their heads. We can do it; we are agile, responsive, sensitive and focused on our core purpose.

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Leadership by example {CASE STUDY}

Helping schools build back stronger

T

here must be one sure bet for 2021 - it’s got to be better than 2020!

For a charity like Future First, committed to making sure a child’s start in life

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LORRAINE LANGHAM, chief executive of education charity Future First, explains how alumni networks in your school can help tackle the ever-growing attainment gap exacerbated by the pandemic doesn’t determine their future, it has been painful to see inequalities worsen with COVID-19. Schools and families up and down the country have worked incredibly hard to ensure students continue to learn, but

the effect on young people’s progress and development can’t be underestimated.

Research by the National Foundation for Educational Research has found that disadvantaged and black and minority ethnic pupils

lost more learning during lockdowns than other students; their families and communities also suffered the most, and experienced more deaths. It will take time and effort to recover.

The wider benefits of

Leadership by example {CASE STUDY}

attending school, including building character and essential life skills – like resilience, communication, motivation and self-belief will need additional support, particularly for the most disadvantaged young people, as we continue to combat the virus. This is especially true because it has been disadvantaged young people who have suffered most.

Britain has deep social mobility problems, with only one-in-eight children from a low-income background likely to become a high earner. Half of persistently disadvantaged young people don’t know anyone in a job they want to do; at Future First we want to change that.

Our work to build alumni networks in state schools and colleges across the UK connects the students of today with relatable role models who can inspire, motivate and build confidence in the workforce of the future. Through widening the horizons of young people we not only benefit the lives of these young people, but also ensure talent does not go untapped. Alumni are relatable, and their stories motivate and inspire. They act as mentors, buddies and coaches, provide information about university, careers and pathways, and link students to opportunities through work experience and visits.

ALUMNI MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE Future First has been working with schools for ten years now, reaching nearly half a million students and working with a third of all secondary schools and colleges in England. Our ambition is to reach every single one. Over the years alumni networks have made a

Whilst it’s a simple idea, it is harder to deliver than it looks huge difference to the seven per cent of pupils attending independent schools; this opportunity should be offered to every young person, not just those who are advantaged by birth.

Despondency is inevitable when faced with this awful pandemic but, hopefully, there are some encouraging signs for us to grasp. The new realities of a much-changed economy mean a growing focus by policy makers on mining all the talent in every community – not just relying on the small pool offered by the more advantaged. Alumni are a crucial force for igniting the spirit in students so their talents can be realised.

They are an under-utilised resource for state schools – not just as powerful, relatable role models, but also as employers, governors, funders and sponsors.

The government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda promises much; we need to play our part in ensuring that it is delivered. Yet, while we look to the government to provide the infrastructure, direction and some of the funding needed to make this a reality, it is schools and organisations, such as Future First, that must do the work to power it. It is our job to equip young people with the information, tools, skills and connections they need to succeed. Without intervention, the prospect of building a more equal future has little or no hope of succeeding.

CREATING A NATIONAL MOVEMENT Research carried out for the Princes’ Trust revealed that nearly half of 16 to 25-yearolds feel their aspirations have been lowered due to the pandemic, and our work to address this is needed now more than ever. We are determined to extend our reach and impact to more schools and students, especially those who are persistently disadvantaged.

We want to create a national movement of alumni, signed up to give back to their former schools or communities, sharing the benefits of their experience, wisdom and networks to help others.

One positive benefit of the coronavirus crisis has been the way it has accelerated the use of technology for all of us, including our work with schools. Through virtual workshops, on-line insight events, virtual work experience, SMS and on-line

Alumni are relatable, and their stories motivate and inspire mentoring, podcasts, videos and other digital resources, we have been able to connect pupils with alumni wherever they are, whenever it suits them. With schools making impressive efforts to ensure all pupils are connected to the digital world, these advances will complement the wonderful work of alumni in the classroom when we are able to safely return.

I’ve been chief executive

One benefit of the coronavirus has been the way it has accelerated the use of technology of Future First for a year but already I can see the enormous impact our work has. For every young person we help inspire and motivate to succeed we help improve not just the fortunes of that young person, but also the fortunes of our communities and society as a whole, as we emerge from a dismal 2020.

Educational inequality is morally indefensible, but it also defies logic. We need every ounce of talent to relight the embers in the hearts and minds of our students, and to keep their hopes and dreams alive. Thousands of people have signed up to support our work; good people who will make a difference.

It is unrealistic to expect all state schools and colleges to build their alumni networks alone; they don’t have the capacity or resource to achieve this in the way independent schools do. Whilst it’s a simple idea, it is harder to deliver than it looks – and sustaining engagement requires skill, time and expertise. This is the very reason why Future First exists; we stand ready to work with any school or college that wants our help. We will not let young people in need down.

My overarching hope is that necessity will rid our education system of the inequality that continues to blight so many lives. If the crisis achieves that it will be a wonderful silver lining to a terrible cloud.

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Leadership by example {WORKING SBM}

Finding the words In this month’s View From The Engine Room the WORKING SBM discusses why we should no longer keep a British stiff upper lip, and should tell those around us how we truly feel

O

ver the last year, how many times have you asked a colleague, “How are you?” and not really expected an answer? I know that if the same question is asked of me I often say, “I’m fine,” when I know I’m not. Not really. How can anyone be ‘fine’? But we accept the answer and move on.

I sometimes wonder if I am ever going to start finding the words to express how I am feeling without over-burdening, embarrassing or upsetting those around me? Should I worry about doing that? I also have concerns that, if I were to open up, I might not be able to close that sluice gate!

During the pandemic my husband, who has been working from home solidly since the start of lockdown, has taken an almost daily late

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afternoon visit to our local supermarket. A few weeks ago, on a Thursday, he was cheerily asked at the checkout, “Have you had a good day?”

Now what he wanted to say was, “Not really.

I have just been to the hospital to say goodbye to my Mum who is receiving palliative care for coronavirus.” But what he actually said was, “Yes, thank you.” We work hard to protect the feelings of others, sometimes without consideration for our own feelings - that, typically-British, ‘stiff upper lip’.

LEADER AND LISTENER As a school business manager (SBM) I often feel responsible for the wellbeing of staff. In good times past I’ve helped arrange Christmas parties, end-of-term dos, fun activities and treats in the staff room. I’ve listened to, and suggested,

Leasdership by example {WORKING SBM}

solutions to difficulties while effort to slow down! This is Useful phrases filling out individual risk not going to be easy for any assessments, and I’ve been a SBM but I’m going to try to willing sounding board should “It’s so lovely to see you; stop and look my colleagues anyone need one. what are you enjoying in the eye as I greet them.

In the recent, notmost about being back Instead of “Good morning, so-good, times I seem to in school?” how are you?” I’m going to have functioned more on say, “Good morning, do practicalities, focusing on “Is there anything I can you have everything you what needs to be done to keep help you with today?” need today?” everyone safe from the virus, If they would like to rather than finding solutions “Have you started to talk for a moment, I’m to support how individual staff make any summer going to give them that time are feeling and their mental holiday plans?” and recognise that it is as health; keyworker student important - especially for rotas, cleaning regimes, “How is your team/ the next few weeks - as the testing centres and return department/tutor group testing, the meeting I have to school risk assessments feeling today?” scheduled with a contractor, rather than dwelling for too my budget and my growing long on what is happening in unread email inbox! my community, and how it is affecting me and my friends and colleagues.

TIME TO TALK Of course, I know what you are going to say, There is so much support online, and in our “We can’t do it all!” We can minimise risks, and wider communities, to help us maintain our we can try to make the day easier for everyone, mental health but it depends on our willingness but we just can’t protect everyone from the to accept that all is not well - and our ability to personal impacts of a global pandemic - if they find the words and ask for that support. So, if will even tell us what they are experiencing. someone asks me how I’m feeling, I’m going Of course, that is not to say I don’t care how to tell them. “I’ve been up and down, but I’m my colleagues are feeling, just that I’m not sure so glad that everyone is back and I’m looking how to help them with something which has forward to working with you again.” had such a profound effect on our whole way of I think we should all start to find words that life. So, I think, as a consequence, I don’t expect don’t shut down the conversation that it is vital them to know how to help me. we talk about, now more than ever.

Words that make us feel like there is someone there who is not just listening, but hearing

SLOWING IT DOWN This term, as we finally begin to move out of lockdown, I want to start changing the way I communicate with colleagues as we rush past each other in the corridor. I want to start finding the words that make sense - words that give us an opportunity to talk if we need to - and words that make us feel like there is someone there who is not just listening, but hearing.

First of all, I’m going to make a massive

WorkingSBM has worked as an SBM for over 14 years – ‘supporting constant change and running the engine room!’ An active member of the SBM community, you can find her on Twitter @workingsbm or you can read her excellent blog at https://workingsbm.wordpress.com

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Finance {STRETCHING BUDGETS}

How has COVID impacted budgets?

School budgets are tight at the best of times, but the pandemic has resulted in budgets being stretched further than ever, despite government funding schemes

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he last 12 months since the pandemic began have been a rollercoaster, to say the least. A whirlwind of policies, instructions and guidance has been thrown at schools from every angle, often leaving school business leaders feeling confused and overwhelmed; this is especially true when it has come to finance and funding.

When the pandemic struck the Department for Education confirmed that state-funded schools would continue to receive their budgets for the coming year, regardless of any periods of closure. However, COVID-19 created many additional costs, including increased premises costs where schools stayed open over holiday periods for vulnerable children and the

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children of critical workers, with some schools having to provide support for free school meals where costs were not covered by the national voucher scheme, and money spent on making schools COVID-secure including increased cleaning, signage and hygiene provisions.

As well as additional outgoings, income was also lost from places like school-run catering, the inability to hire out premises to outside organisations, and not being able to put on the usual fundraising events.

MORE MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS To counter-balance these incurred costs the government put in place a process of reimbursements for certain, specific, exceptional costs incurred during the period March to July

Finance {STRETCHING BUDGETS}

2020. The government also recently announced a new, £700m, recovery package, £300m of which had already been announced by the prime minister in January.

The £400m of new money takes the total catch-up fund to £1.7bn. Of this, £200m will be invested in summer schools, which will be targeted initially at 11-year-olds moving up to secondary school next September. A further £18m will be used to support language development in early years settings.

The funding also includes a one-off £302m recovery premium for state primary and secondary schools, building on the pupil premium, to further support pupils who need it most. The average primary school will receive around £6,000 extra funding, and the average secondary school around £22,000.

However, NAHT has released new data that shows that the £6,000 average funding allocated to primary schools through the recovery premium has been entirely wiped out for many schools because of a change in how the government calculates the number of children eligible for pupil premium funding.

Normally schools report the number of pupils they have who are eligible for pupil premium in January but, for the 2020/2021 academic year, the government has changed the date for this census to October. This means that any children who became eligible during the intervening time will not receive any extra funding until next year.

In a survey of NAHT’s school leader members 62% of respondents had five or more pupils who had become eligible for pupil premium between the October and January census. Currently, primary schools

Findings from an NFER survey found that: ● S chools

●

●

●

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●

●

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have lost a significant amount of income, and incurred substantial additional expenditures, during the 2020/21 academic year. he government’s T ‘levelling-up’ agenda has resulted in deprived schools receiving the smallest average increases in funding.

Around 1,500 schools are at particular risk of great financial hardship due to COVID-19. These schools are disproportionately likely to be deprived.

Payments for the ‘exceptional costs’ associated with coronavirus scheme covered only some of the additional costs which schools incurred during the 2019/20 academic year. chools in London and S urban areas were more likely to apply for the exceptional costs scheme.

The new COVID workforce fund is unlikely to ease pressures on school finances. upils in the most P deprived schools, who are in the greatest need of catch-up support, are at the greatest risk of losing out. xisting and additional E funding will be insufficient to cover the additional costs of COVID-19, at least for a number of at-risk schools.

Funding also includes a one-off £302m recovery premium for state primary and secondary schools receive £1,345 for each child eligible for pupil premium, so the lost funding for five pupils is £6,725 – more than the £6,000 ‘catch-up’ funding allocated to primary schools, on average. This means that almost two thirds of schools surveyed have been left worse off, due to the change, even after the latest education recovery funding is taken into account.

STILL NOT ENOUGH According to calculations by the teachers‘ union NASUWT this year’s school funding would need an injection of at least £2.38bn if COVIDrelated costs account for as little as five per cent of expenditure; this is in addition to the largescale investment in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) that local authorities and academy trusts say they will need.

Further to this, new analysis by the Department for Education shows average per-pupil funding for five-to-16 year-olds fell by around 0.6 per cent in real terms between 2019-20 and 2020-21 - from £6,320 to £6,280. It was supposed to rise by 4.1 per cent, but this has been revised after the government updated its measure of inflation to take account of ‘atypical’ movement in prices caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; it means per-pupil funding actually fell slightly, in real terms, in the first year of the government’s new three-year funding settlement.

In addition, findings from an National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) survey which looked at the impact of the pandemic on the funding landscape in mainstream primary and secondary schools in England found that the majority of schools had suffered financially as a result of the pandemic.

It is likely that schools will continue to feel the impact of COVID on their budgets for many years to come. It is hoped that additional funding from the government will also continue to help ease the difficulties schools will face as there is a push for pupils to ‘catch-up’. Schools have proven their resilience and determination this year more than ever but, without additional money, they can go only do so much whilst they navigate the path to recovery.

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Fujitsu scanning solutions supporting administration and improving the learning experience As schools, colleges and universities attempt the tricky balancing act of cutting costs while improving service levels and adapting to new ways of operating, more and more are discovering the benefits of moving away from paper to digital processes.

Fujitsu are helping education establishments to embrace the use of technology in schools and in virtual learning environments. By enabling teachers to have the skills to develop an engaging and relevant curriculum this will, in turn help to ensure that the next working generation is equipped with the digital skills to match the ever-changing workplace. Learning and innovation go hand in hand and education needs to stay ahead of the curve by adopting technology to embrace digital transformation and place the development of their pupils and staff at the core of their ambitions.

"We are seeing the benefits in various ways, such as communicating with teachers and parents, and improving the student's learning experience. The amount of time that the scanner has saved us is astronomical it's amazing that one little machine can do such good" Sue Thompson, Attendance and Bursaries Officer, Student Services, Ryburn Valley High School.

Business Cards

Documents

Receipts

Photos

Watch Fujitsu Scanners in action Scan here for a YouTube hosted video featuring teachers talking about using scanners and the benefits of them in the classroom and for admin

Scanning in Education By scanning and deploying a document management solution, education establishments can more efficiently manage all their paper and digitally born material. By embracing digital transformation the ability to better manage business peaks and ensure smoother workflows and processes is enabled. Further key benefits include: • Centralised storage with enhanced security of all information, including client records, authorisations, contracts, identification and invoices.

• Enhanced compliance (GDPR) throughout all departments with all regulatory guidelines; address efficiently and timely your Subject Access Request and comply to retention periods

• A business process agility that can lead to productivity gains and cost savings.

• Faster access to client and staff information, leading to improved monitoring and execution, better engagement and empowered decision making.

• Ensure more success from information capture where enhanced and improved data analytics lead to more informed outcomes • A notable ROI, with most establishments reporting a full return on their investment within 18 months of implementation.

Automate administrative tasks and free up time

For securely archiving and digitizing large volumes

SP-1120N fi-7800

Ideal for student onboarding and I.D capture

Ideal for shared staff areas for intuitive capture and dissemination

fi-800R

Scan anytime and anywhere, battery powered Perfect for the classroom, overhead scanning iX1600 iX100

Reliability and robustness sees Fujitsu scanners the No.1 choice in Education

SV600

For further information visit – http://emea.fujitsu.com/scanners-in-education

MANAGEMENT {MANAGING CONTRACTS}

Better contract management and you

The minefield that is contract management can be an enormous challenge to traverse; here, we’ve put together some useful guidelines for what to look for in a new supplier, how to negotiate the deal that works best for your school, and why it’s important to maintain supplier relationships

S

chool business managers have to deal with contracts every day, whether they be contracts for permanent staff, temporary staff or all elements of product and services procurement.

Juggling these contracts is potentially challenging especially if the products and services are coming from multiple suppliers at different points in the year.

How can you keep on top of

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your contracts, find the ones that suit you, and maintain them?

THE CONTRACT LIFE CYCLE

place’. CIPS has an easy-tounderstand contract life cycle wheel on its website, which is breaks the process into 12 steps under four ‘umbrellas’.

According to the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) ‘Contract management is a continuous procurement process that ensures suppliers - and buyers - adhere to their agreed contractual obligations, along with negotiating any future changes that need to take

Strategy, structure and resources 1. Plan and scope.

2. Stakeholders.

3. Administration.

4. Relationship management.

Implementation 5. Performance management.

6. Payment and incentives.

7. Risk and resilience.

Development 8. Contract development.

9. Supplier development.

10. Supplier relationship management.

Life cycle management 11. Exit and termination.

12. Asset management.

This is a hugely simplified version of the life cycle, of course, but it provides good guidance for compliance – something schools have to be aware of, and adhere to.

MANAGEMENT {MANAGING CONTRACTS}

FINDING THE TIME Much of the challenge for SBMs when it comes to contact management centre around: a) fi nding the time to source new suppliers; b) t he sheer volume of contracts they have running; c) keeping all of them organised and properly managed.

Not having time to consider the options is a major issue for SBMs, and makes it very easy to let contracts continue to roll on – even though this might mean you’re getting a bad deal; this is very much in the interest of the supplier, of course, but not you.

You don’t want to be at the mercy of the supplier, which means either finding the time by delegating other work, or delegating some of your procurement tasks.

You could be throwing away money on out-of-date deals without knowing it, and it’s your responsibility to ensure the school is sensible with its limited funding.

Something else to be aware of is that schools are subject to some strict financial and procurement regulations specifically, the Public Contract Regulations 2015 – which dictate that contracts exceeding a certain monetary threshold can require up to six months to procure, thanks to the nature of the tender process.

As CIPS says, ‘If you simply continue an existing contract you are, effectively, awarding a contract without competition, and that puts your school at risk of a breach of the regulations and, potentially, open to legal challenge by other potential suppliers.’

CIPS suggests that looking at contracts in January should give you plenty of time to prevent any such problems from arising and that, long-term, putting aside a small portion of

the week, every week, to look over contracts will significantly reduce unnecessary stress.

NEGOTIATION Perhaps you’ve found a new supplier, and you’re starting to build a relationship - what’s next? Negotiating the best deal for your school is always a little uncomfortable but, remember, it’s exactly what the supplier is expecting. They are prepared.

Here is some useful guidance based on information from Info Entrepreneurs.

Top tip A local supplier will always deliver a better service than a national or international one. If you get your supplies from Amazon, or another big, e-commerce platform, you are likely to receive all your individual products in individual packaging, and you won’t receive after-sales support.

The amount of waste this creates looks bad for the school, and the lack of support means that, when there’s a problem, it can’t be fixed at source.

Building relationships with local suppliers means you can help them to create a bespoke service for your school, including a store cupboard audit, recurring deliveries of your most needed products and services, after-sales support at all times and a much smaller carbon footprint.

And, when something is needed in an emergency, Amazon isn’t the only place to offer next-day delivery for a small fee – many local suppliers will do this too. They will bend over backwards for you because they – unlike the larger players – know that you are the one in control. Of course, don’t take too much advantage of this, but do spend your money wisely.

SET OBJECTIVES When communicating with suppliers, bear in mind: ● P rice. ● V alue for money (which is very much not the same as price!) ● D elivery. ● P ayment terms and options. ● A fter-sales service and any maintenance arrangements. ● Q uality. ● O ngoing costs of the product or service. ● W hether that product or service is essential. ● D ecide what you are – or aren’t – prepared to compromise on before you go into the negotiations. If you establish your preferred outcomes beforehand, you won’t end up flummoxed by information the supplier may throw at you.

It’s important to develop a strategy before you enter into negotiations, so that you’re prepared for anything the supplier might say. The supplier doesn’t want to lose you – especially not at this early stage – but they will also push to get more money. This is their job - your job is to let them know that you hold all the cards, and won’t be intimidated, so that last point is the most important – decide what you’re prepared to compromise on right from the start. This gives you a baseline that you have to be staunch about not deviating from.

MAINTAINING RELATIONSHIPS Even once you’ve found the time to secure a new supplier, and have a strong agreement in place, managing that relationship has to be a priority – or you end up back where you were at the beginning, trapped in a deal which no longer suits you.

You don’t want to be at the mercy of the supplier The CIPS advice about putting a little time aside every week is worth reiterating here, as one of the key elements of supplier relationships is being consistent.

If you don’t have an open dialogue with your supplier, they won’t have one with you, and you won’t be made aware of what they can do for you. “It’s a fundamental rule in procurement law that all suppliers must be treated in a fair and equal way,” says Naomi Clews, of Millennial Procurement, in a recent EdExec web article on how to manage suppliers. “Be clear from the outset what your expectations are, what you will and will not tolerate. It’s a great idea to write a procurement policy and provide a copy to all your suppliers.”

Naomi also highlights the importance of remembering that the business you’re dealing with is made up of people - and people have feelings. If you expect them to be respectful of you, and do what you want them to do, you have to reciprocate. Don’t be overly demanding, don’t ignore them when they try to contact you, don’t cause problems for them and don’t pull the rug out from under them by cancelling a contract without warning.

Contract management is a two-way street, and your needs are not the be-all and end-all of their business.

For more guidance from CIPS, visit: https://www.cips.org/ en-GB/knowledge/procurementtopics-and-skills/developing-andmanaging-contracts/contractmanagement/

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THE LATEST UPDATES AND DEVELOPMENTS IN SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY

An edtech masterclass

We speak to Pheasey Park Farm Primary School about the edtech revolution that has taken place in their school TECHNO GEEK What does research tell us about the use of edtech in schools?

SHAR WITH E ME IT M YOUR ANAG ER

News and views {NEWS}

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

Study reveals one-in-five in West Midlands don’t use internet As reported by The Guardian, more than one-in-five people in the West Midlands do not use the internet - the highest rate in the UK - raising fears over the impact of digital exclusion during the pandemic. Analysis of Ofcom data for the Good Things Foundation found that 21.7% of people in the West Midlands were internet ‘non-users’ - meaning they either do not use, or do not have access to, the internet - while a further 23.3% were limited internet users. The figure is significantly higher than the proportion of internet nonusers nationally, which is 15%. The North East also has a high digital exclusion rate, with 53% of the population completely offline, or with limited internet use, compared with London and the south-east where the figure stands at 35%. The analysis, conducted by Professor Simeon Yates of the University of Liverpool, found that 11.4m people in the Midlands, the North East, the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber are either offline (3.9m) or use the internet in a very limited way (7.8m).

@ty_goddard: What next for #Edtech?

A few ideas: ■ Coherent @ Ofstednews interested in #Edtech ■ Blending learning for fun, knowledge consolodation & ‘recovery’ ■ New #Edtech strategy Office for #Edtech/#Digital skills for coherence & single minister ■ National peer-topeer support

@chiraagkapil: Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn. #edtech

Effect of remote-learning on early years could ‘last years’, says head COVID-caused disruption for children learning the basics of reading and counting could pose problems for years to come, BBC News has reported. Matt Hood, principal of the online Oak National Academy, said early years teaching was “sophisticated” and that it was “unreasonable” to expect parents to master it. He said we may see the impact when pupils sit GCSEs 10 years from now. He continued that there had been a six-month disruption in schooling, adding, “The year groups I’m most worried about are Reception and Year 1. I cannot stress enough how critical those early years are, focused on learning sounds, how to read and count. These things are so fundamental; they are some of the most sophisticated things to teach. They are not something you can reasonably expect any parent at home to become an expert in teaching.”

April 2021

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ICT matters {ONLINE SAFETY}

Don’t be hooked, lined and sinkered Over 90% of all fraud losses in schools start with a phishing attack – so how can you avoid this? Ian Buss, director at Education Banking Consultancy, shares his advice

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ICT matters {ONLINE SAFETY}

H

ow comfortable are you that everyone in your school using email can spot a phishing email?

There is no such thing as being too careful when it comes to avoiding fraud in the education sector.

Unfortunately, schools are considered to be easy prey for fraudsters. I suspect you will have already seen attempts at banking fraud at your school and, hopefully, you will have not lost any funds.

Despite most of us seeing (and stopping) some kind of fraud attempt, fraud losses incurred by the education sector continue to increase at an alarming rate, with actual losses almost tripling in a year.

Fraud such as cyberfraud, identity theft and credit card fraud is now the most prevalent crime, costing the UK an estimated £190bn a year. I have recently had the privilege of presenting to a number of schools in MATs on the subject of fraud and, despite a wide knowledge that the risk of fraud is high, nearly all schools I spoke to have not put all of their staff through fraud training. As fraudsters get more sophisticated and organised, we all need to be aware of the risks to the data and funds which our schools control.

INVOICE FRAUD Around two out of every three pounds lost to fraud in the education sector is in the form of invoice fraud, with CEO impersonation fraud being the

next biggest cause of loss.

We have probably all seen fake invoices sent to us in the post, or by email, and most of us have systems in place to recognise that these are not expected, making such attempts less successful than they were a few years ago.

These days fraudsters have taken invoice fraud up a level. They are hacking email accounts - your own account, or one of your supplier’s accounts. Once the account is hacked, the fraudsters can sit and wait patiently for the supplier to send you an

We all need to be aware of the risks to the data and funds which our schools control (expected) invoice. It is at this point they step in and intercept the email and change the invoice bank account details.

Whilst your school may have systems in place to control the change of a supplier’s bank account, these types of fraud do still happen, and the losses can be huge; just recently a local school lost over £40,000 to fraudsters who intercepted and changed a genuine emailed invoice.

CEO FRAUD We have probably all seen emails purporting to be from our head or CEO asking us to send money somewhere. Most

of these have similar - but not quite right - email addresses to the real person.

However, with phishing attacks being more sophisticated, resulting in malware being installed on school IT systems. Fraudsters are taking the opportunity to hack the genuine email accounts allowing them to send, read and edit all emails. This gives them the opportunity to learn the language used in order to make their fraudulent request for transfer appear more genuine.

We might say ‘this wouldn’t happen to us’ but nearly a quarter of all fraud losses happen this way.

PHISHING - THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK! So how do fraudsters get access to the IT system to enable them to hack an email account? Around 90% of successful fraud attacks start with an individual in your school clicking on a link in an email or web page that then installs malware.

Think about who, in your school, has access to external email; I suspect it is almost everyone. Now ask yourself ‘When did we last give all staff some form of fraud awareness training?’ If your answer is ‘We haven’t’ or ‘Not in the last year’, then the training is overdue.

Education Executive readers can download a free, 30-minute fraud awareness video from: www.educationbanking. co.uk/edexec

Practical steps to protect your school ●

aise awareness R of fraud, and have clear procedures for supplier bank amendments, including the registering of new suppliers.

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C onduct regular fraud training and testing.

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N ever assume a caller/ emailer is your bank, supplier or a senior leader – regardless of how much they appear to know.

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emind staff – your R bank will NEVER ask for a full password or two-factor authentication codes.

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se two-factor U authentication for important logons such as email.

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P revent malware form being installed on your system.

Update all security patches on software and do not use removable media such as USB sticks.

Keep your virus software and firewalls up to date.

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C onsider awareness lessons for students on fraud and identity theft.

April 2021

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ICT matters {CASE STUDY}

An edtech masterclass We speak to SHALINA LANNI, executive head teacher, PETE GODWIN, edtech lead across the trust, and SARAH MORGAN, assistant headteacher and DfE edtech demonstrator programme lead, of Pheasey Park Farm Primary School, about the edtech revolution that has taken place in their school

Tell us about Pheasey Park Farm Primary School.

SL: Pheasey Park Farm Primary School is a large school with over 600 children. Six years ago this school in Walsall was placed in the Ofsted category of ‘requiring improvement’ and the governing body decided to appoint a new leadership team. One of the main things that Ofsted had identified was that learning in the school was very passive and teaching was very dusty - so we knew we needed to inject some life into what was going on in the school and bring it up-to-date.

We decided that we would use edtech as the catalyst. We built a whole edtech infrastructure into the school and brought in business links with companies like SMART Limited. We brought in expertise from consultants and created a leadership team centred around edtech. We put some funding in to purchasing resources and we empowered teachers by training them. Five years later we were graded as a ‘good school with a strong drive towards excellence’, and the inspectors actually commented on the use of edtech to develop

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collaboration across the school.

We were shortlisted 18-months ago for the Bett Impact Award and then, in April, we were asked to be a DfE demonstrator school supporting schools nationally – so far we’ve already supported around 100 schools. Outcomes and attendance at the school have improved yearon-year, and they are now above national.

Why do you think edtech is important for learning?

PG: It gets the children communicating and; it creates true collaboration. I think sometimes edtech is seen as a bit of a gimmick, and seems a little bit of a bolt-on - but, for us, it’s part of our day-to-day practice; teachers use edtech for teaching and children use edtech for learning.

What challenges did you face when trying to implement edtech in the school?

SL: One of the biggest challenges was professional development - teachers not having the skills to use the edtech. It was very easy to manage the resources - but the resources

ICT matters {CASE STUDY}

You mentioned the edtech demonstrator programme - for those readers who might not know too much about it, can you explain it further?

SM: It’s a DfE programme which is based on peer-to-peer support.

An edtech demonstrator is a school which is maybe a little bit further along their edtech journey than others. The school will have been on the path that other schools will, hopefully, also want to go on. We can share our expertise and experiences on how we’ve used edtech as a driver to make improvements across our school in lots of different areas. It’s a DfE-funded scheme, so there’s no cost to schools that sign-up.

Why do you think the programme is so important?

SL: Schools have a duty to prepare our children for the future, so we’ve got to teach them what edtech can do, how it can be used, and how it can be used safely. There are many jobs that children will go into, going forward, that don’t even exist at the moment - but they will be centred in technology - so we have to teach our children that it’s there, and it’s there to be used safely.

The resources are only as good as the teachers are only as good as the teachers. Some of the teachers were quite long-standing; some hadn’t used technology for years - or had never been exposed to it at all. So, one of the challenges we had was getting the staff on board, sharing with them what the technology can do, what the potential impact could be, and then training those teachers with tailored CPD to bring them along with us on the journey.

The other challenge I would say is finance.

I think all schools would agree that, if you’re going to bring in technology, there is a cost to it. Therefore, finance has got to be carefully managed, and governing bodies need to be on board, because if you want to provide those resources you’ve got to be able to purchase them and have replacement plans in place so that things continue - once you’re on this journey you’ve got to keep it going to keep momentum.

You are also a SMART UK regional training centre; what does that entail?

PG: We were identified by SMART as being a SMART exemplary school (where they identify schools who use their products well). Because of this we have had officials from all over the world visit our school - we had a delegation of around 70 Hungarian ministers visit the school to see what we’re doing to try and implement it in their own schools. So we applied to become a training centre; some members of staff became trainers, and we were able to offer training to other schools on how to implement SMART technologies across their schools.

What did being shortlisted for a BETT Impact Award mean to you?

SL: We were really proud - one of the first things we did was get our children together and tell them how well they had done, how they’d embraced the technology, and how they were using it so effectively. We also told the parents to be really proud because this was recognition of the impact of all of the work that had gone on over the last five years. We showcased that pride, we celebrated with our children, we celebrated with Walsall local authority - and we celebrated more widely, because it showed that

April 2021

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ICT matters {CASE STUDY}

We actually received a personal letter from the secretary of state for education

How do you think edtech can be used to aid the catch-up of pupils?

SL: We’re actually looking at catch-up out of school hours. The children can go home What do you think are the biggest barriers to as they normally would - they might be able all schools using edtech to a greater extent? to have their tea first, be relaxed - and then SL: I think they need to look at what their vision is teachers will log in from home themselves. for their school, then look at what they want the They can then deliver quality catch-up to technology to do. Schools need to look at what the children out of school hours, which the learning model is going to means pupils are not going be, then look at what technology to miss out on their learning COVID quickfire: they need to bring in to enable during the day, but will get that to happen. The barrier is specific, targeted, opportunities going to be finance - managing BIGGEST out of school. I think that’s finances in very difficult times.

CHALLENGE: going to be a big benefit of We’ve been through a lockdown, Making people edtech going forward. we’ve been through the expenses feel safe.

What is one of your of COVID, so schools need BIGGEST proudest achievements? to find the money. I think it’s ACHIEVEMENT: SL: We took part in a separate going to be about demonstrating Getting all our parents remote education seminar on to everybody in a school what and children on board, behalf of the DfE; we were one the impact of the technology building an online of five schools who were asked can be in order to get people community that’s to take part, Oak Academy was on board. Then it’s going to been so successful. another, and that was really be about having really good BIGGEST successful. We’ve had a lot of quality CPD in those schools to SURPRISE: We had interest in the demonstrator bring people up to the level we the highest turnout for training on the back of that want them to be at, and that’s parent’s evening ever seminar. Last week we actually where demonstrator will come because it was online received a personal letter in. Staff confidence is always – something we from the secretary of state something that crops up; I think will continue. for education thanking us the demonstrator really supports BIGGEST LESSON for the work we’ve done in with that because they know LEARNT: Online the area of edtech, and there’s somebody at the end safety is really critical how we’ve inspired leaders of the ‘phone. If they’re trying so it is crucial to test in other schools across the something new, and it doesn’t go things out because country to embrace the to plan, we’re there to support there can be gremlins. technology and move their them every step of the way. schools forward! the hard work and commitment of everybody had paid off and been recognised by the DfE. That was a big accolade for us.

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April 2021

ICT Matters {TECHNO GEEK}

Techno Geek One of the unintended consequences of remote schooling during the coronovirus pandemic has been the leaps made in different uses of technologies, says DR FIONA AUBREY-SMITH

W

hilst much has been written about the different ways that different schools have used technologies, as a school leader you will have also seen a range of different approaches within your school. One of the opportunities ahead now is to unpick the variance across the school – to understand why different teachers do different things with the same technologies. I have recently published a doctoral thesis which unpacks the relationship between teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and their uses of technologies in their teaching and learning practices.

Here are some of my headline findings, and what they might mean in your school.

ROOTED IN BELIEFS Teachers who talk about their awareness of the importance of technology in children’s lives do not, necessarily, then incorporate technology meaningfully into their teaching practices - but this difference is not about their relationship with the technology itself; it’s about what they believe teaching and learning should

look like, and what they perceive technology offers, or threatens, in relation to this.

Teachers’ use of technology amplifies their existing pedagogical beliefs; in other words, whilst our practices may change when we use technology, our pedagogical beliefs do not. This is important because the language and behaviours adopted by a teacher and their learners may not change even when technology is used – which sometimes conflicts with the intentions of adopting the technology.

Using technologies can act as a catalyst for supporting children’s wider learning needs, but this stems from the teacher’s pedagogical beliefs, not the technology. It is important for school leaders to be aware that schools will have staff with a range of different pedagogical beliefs, even within a culture which has one overarching school ethos.

Teachers working within the same school, supporting the same vision and ethos, and using the same classroom resources including technologies - can have different pedagogical beliefs - even if it might not look that way on the surface. Therefore,

teachers using what appears to be the same technologies in their teaching practices can be enacting very different pedagogical approaches.

Therefore, technologies cannot be thought of objectively (transferrable across classes or lessons). Their use is socially constructed (class/lesson/ teacher dependent). This is an important point to bear in mind when thinking about ‘rolling out projects’ or ‘sharing best practice’.

TRANSLATING SCHOOL VISION Due to teachers enacting different pedagogical approaches, or framing their pedagogical beliefs differently, learners will experience learning differently even when engaging with ‘the same’ technologies’ processes or resources. Therefore, learners may not be experiencing, in practice, what the school vision intends them to experience. This is really important to consider when cascading policy or practice across a school or trust.

Most guidance around the use of technology in teaching practices emphasises the importance of focusing on ‘how’ it is used; however, most guidance

does not clearly define what ‘how’ means and, inadvertently, diverts attention back onto how the ‘what’ is used. If you want to understand how technology use is experienced by teachers and learners, and what difference it is making, you need to look at their behaviours, language and relationships - not the technology.

The impact will be seen in how those involved conceive the idea of what it means to be a teacher, or what it means to be a learner.

More info These findings are taken from Aubrey-Smith, F., (2020) An exploration of the relationship between teachers’ pedagogical stance and the use of ICT in their classroom practice. EdD Thesis. Full text available through ResearchGate. If your school or trust would like to be involved in further research which builds upon the findings above, please contact Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith (fionaaubreysmith@ googlemail.com)

April 2021

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Live it

LIVE IT Time to take a few moments out for some light and interesting reading – a well-earned break from numbers and statistics!

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

LIFE HACK Clean with baking soda to freshen things up all over your home. It’s a gentle abrasive, and a natural deodoriser, making it ideal for whitening grout, refreshing a stinky fridge, de-greasing dishes, and more.

Fly me to the moon Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has invited eight members of the public to join him for a trip around the moon on Elon Musk’s SpaceX flight, BBC News has reported. “I want people from all kinds of backgrounds to join,” he said in a video via Twitter, where he also shared a link to application details. He said he will pay for the entire journey, so those who come onboard will fly for free. “I have bought all the seats, so it will be a private ride,” he added. The mission, called dearMoon, is scheduled to fly in 2023. Applicants need to meet two criteria; they should advance ‘Whatever activity’ they are in to ‘help other people and greater society in some way’, and show they are ‘Willing to support other crew members who share similar aspirations.’

Pub quiz 1. Who was the owner of Buzz in Toy Story?

2. Which famous long-distance train had its first run in October 1883?

3. True or false: goldfish have a three-second memory?

4. What is the largest planet?

5. Amazon boss Jeff Bezos pledged $10bn to help fight what global issue?

Answers:1. Andy 2. Orient Express 3. False 4. Jupiter 5. Climate change

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April 2021

Live it

Thumbs up!

The queen of hearts

BBC News has reported that crocheted hearts and messages of kindness have been left around a town by a crafter dubbed ‘the queen of hearts’. The hearts and flowers have been found around Alcester, in Warwickshire, leaving residents keen to identify the mystery crocheter. They are attached to notes reminding finders ‘You are loved’. Residents said finding them has been ‘a pleasure’, and has helped them through difficult lockdown days. The identity of the person leaving the notes remains a mystery, but locals say whoever it is is ‘amazing’.

Well, knock me down with a feather!

A MIRACLE PUP

“

“

If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.

- Oprah Winfrey

DID YOU KNOW? The hashtag symbol is technically called an octothorpe.

According to the MerriamWebster dictionary, the ‘octo-’ prefix refers to the eight points on the popular symbol, but the ‘thorpe’ part remains a mystery.

One theory claims that it comes from the Old English word for ‘village’, based on the idea that the symbol looks like a village surrounded by eight fields!

A puppy with six legs and two tails has been born in the US - and vets are describing her as a ‘miracle’, Sky News has reported. It’s believed that Skipper was supposed to have a twin, but they failed to completely split apart, meaning that she has twice as many body parts from the waist down. Although she has just one head and chest, she’s got two pelvic regions, two reproductive systems, and two tails.

Veterinary specialists say they haven’t been able to find any published case studies of a puppy being born alive with her congenital condition.

April 2021

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Live it {PROFESSION PROGRESSION}

Beginning at SBL basecamp LAURA WILLIAMS, of L J Business Consultancy Ltd, on why an SBL‘s CPD journey can be like climbing a mountain...

W

hen I was asked to write an article about CPD for school business leaders and how you can develop your skills my first thought was… seriously? Over the last year you have been developing your skills faster than Lewis Hamilton on a flying lap! (Under two minutes, in case you don’t know how fast that is!)

SBLs have probably, collectively, been through a faster rate of development and role-evolution than ever before.

We’re talking about health and safety, safeguarding, catering, ICT infrastructure, HR and financial management in the middle of a freaking pandemic!

Unprecedented, unknown and uncertain times does not

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blooming cover it.

One thing is for sure, though, you did not allow yourselves to be unseen. You rolled your sleeves up, donned your superhero capes and marched into battle.

It’s only now - as the fog of war clears and you pop your cape into the machine on a ‘quick wash’ - that the progress made and battles won can truly be appreciated.

And not only appreciated, but understood.

I don’t have all the answers, and there’s much to be discussed but, in the context of developing yourself and your role, I am going to pitch up a starting point for the journey ahead. Let’s call it ‘SBL basecamp’.

To understand where you’re going, you need to understand where you’ve been. It’s been a

long and torturous road and, though I know it might be painful, it’s time to get some perspective and reflect.

QUESTION TIME I want you to get a piece of paper and put ‘you’ in the centre. Then I want you to answer the following questions with you, your feelings, your opinions and your future in mind. I want you to write down your answers quickly and from the gut. ● What happened? ● What’s the impact? ● What’s changed? ● W hat’s better? ● W hat’s worse? ● W hat’s been learned? ● W hat does this mean for the future? ● What do I want?

These last two questions

are the most important as, ultimately, what the future might look like, and what you want from it, will determine the GPS co-ordinates for your journey beyond basecamp.

If you don’t know what it is that you want, then keep writing on your piece of paper and focus on the following: ● W hat do I stand for? ● W hat are my values? ● W hat motivates me? ● W hat level of challenge and pressure am I comfortable with? ● W hat is my next logical step - and is it one I’m ready and willing to take? ● D o I have more than one option and, if so, when do I need to make a choice?

In terms of next steps, the development of your role may simply mean evolving further

Live it {PROFESSION PROGRESSION}

within your current context.

Progression doesn’t necessarily have to mean onwards (moving schools) or upwards (moving to a bigger or more specialist role); it may mean pulling up that long awaited seat at the SLT table, or it may mean building the capacity of your team so that, in turn, you can build your own.

If progression does mean moving onwards and/or upwards to you, then there are yet even more questions to consider. ● D o you want move to another education phase? ● D o you want to be a generalist or a specialist? ● D o you want to work within a MAT or LA structure?

I know the questions I’ve asked you so far seem huge but until you start to hone your thinking in this way, it will be impossible to answer the next question, which is:

HOW AM I GOING TO GET WHERE I WANT TO GO? Yes, the simplest, most obvious answer is ‘CPD’ but when it comes to determining what type of CPD, the path ahead becomes a lot murkier. First of all, let’s break down CPD into more manageable chunks – or three strands: STRAND ONE: if you are experiencing difficulty, or need to brush up/keep up.

STRAND TWO: if you need

to acquire new skills, or further enhance existing skills in your current role.

STRAND THREE: if you’re ready to acquire skills to prepare you for your next role.

Now, with your piece of paper in front of you, and your general GPS co-ordinates programmed in to Google Maps, ask yourself the following: ● W hat am I looking to gain from CPD? hich strand(s) am I W focusing on? hy am I focusing on it/ W them? kills, knowledge, S accreditation, credibility, meet compliance requirements? ● W hat is my learning style and preferred learning environment? lassroom, large group, C small group, one-toone, online, on the job, structured, flexible, formal, informal, quick, over time? ● W hat investment am I prepared to make? udget, commitment to B employer, time, workload, work/life balance, impact, value for money?

There isn’t a right or wrong way of learning, and what works for one person will not work for everyone - and perhaps over the last 12 months your focus and preferences have changed! You just need to make the best, most ●

●

●

●

●

To understand where you’re going, you need to understand where you’ve been informed decision for you.

There’s so much choice out there when it comes to CPD so here’s a quick CPD brainstorm to get you thinking! ● Qualifications ● Webinars ● Coaching ● Mentoring ● R egional and local SBL networks ● J oin professional association and/or union ● Social media networks ● Podcasts ● Online courses ● Become a governor NB: I know that some of the more obvious CPD activities are missing from the list… our options have been limited this past year in terms of face-toface events such as conferences, training sessions, network meetings etc. (you won’t believe how excited I am to meet you all in person!) but, as there is light at the end of tunnel, don’t overlook this type of CPD as part of your long-term plan!

Remember, each of these suggestions will have different

costs, time commitments, delivery methods and expected outcomes so do your research and before you part with your cash or sign on the dotted line…

Ask yourself this:

AM I SELECTING THE RIGHT TYPE OF CPD TO HELP ME ACHIEVE MY GOALS? If the answer is ‘No’ or ‘Not quite sure’ then put your pen down, put your piece of paper away and come back to it in a week. Or maybe you just want to hang out at basecamp a little while longer to gather your thoughts!

It might not even be until the summer break that you can finally take a full breath and look around.

That’s totally fine.

You don’t have to have it all figured out.

Just remember that whenever it is that you’re ready to venture out of basecamp, you’re not alone. I’m here, the SBL community is here and we’ve got your back.

Now go peg that cape out to dry and I’ll see you soon!.

About the author With over 10 years of leadership experience in the education sector, Laura is an executive coach and trainer working with SBLs, headteachers and CEOs. A former COO, CFO and business manager with CIPD and specialist CIPFA qualifications, she is an expert in all things business - operations, HR, finance and governance.

She enjoys eating chocolate, watching questionable TV shows and making lists.

April 2021

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Live it {60 SECONDS}

60 seconds with We speak to JO GATHERN, school business manager at Glebe Primary School in West Sussex, about being cupcake crazy and dressing up as a Roald Dahl character!

What led to your current role?

Jo Gathern School business manager, Glebe Primary School, West Sussex

I‘d had a very varied career when I found myself in school admin to fit in with children but had no aspirations to be an SBM. My now best friend was my line manager and the SBM; I used to tell her that I‘d never be an SBM as I saw how much stress she was out under. So, I left to make cupcakes after winning The Great Brighton Bake Off. It didn‘t last; there were highs and lows, but no regrets. I returned to school admin, but with addition of finance duties; that‘s when I realised that a SBP career was the path I wanted to take.

Tell us something unusual or interesting about yourself.

I still love making cakes. The highlight of my cupcake career was appearing on the US TV programme Cupcake Wars. It was a UK special called Cupcakes for the Queen to celebrate the diamond jubilee.

What has been your favourite aspect of working as a school business professional so far?

The huge variety of the role, and the wonderful people I have met, both within and outside of the profession.

What’s been your greatest professional achievement to date?

Restructuring the premises and cleaning team. The dedication, skills and team spirit they demonstrate has a huge, positive impact on the school.

locally and through forums and social media.

Conferences and events are also fantastic opportunities to discover new systems, technologies and workshops.

The SBP community is amazing, and is a continued source of inspiration Where do you take inspiration from, both work and life-wise?

Work-wise I take inspiration from other people; I‘m always open to ideas and suggestions, and love talking to, and collaborating with, others. The SBP community is amazing, and is a continued source of inspiration. Life-wise, the priviledge of having a a roof over my head, being able to pay bills, with money left over, and a loving family, inspires me to always be grateful and not to waste my life, but to live it to the fullest.

What three words would you use to describe your role?

Varied, stressful, rewarding.

If there was one thing about your job you could change, what would it be?

More recognition of the skills, expertise and positive impact the role has in school, and for all SBPs to be on the SLT, where we belong, without having to fight for it.

Funniest SBM moment you‘d care to share?

How do you ensure that you continue to grow, personally and professionally?

By listening to, and learning from, my peers,

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April 2021

Chasing teenage intruders out of my previous school while dressed in a heavily padded outfit as Mrs Twit! 

OUR NEW, ENHANCED WEBSITE IS LIVE!!

Take a look at our new offering at

edexec.co.uk

We wanted our website to better support its many and increasing users on a daily basis, so we built a bigger and better website that does exactly that!

The new website allows you to scroll through a shop-window style home page that showcases the latest, and most interesting, content across the most relevant categories to you role.

From finance and funding, to management and leadership, to ICT and case studies from your colleagues, there’s a wealth of filtered, relevant content to inform, innovate and advise. We hope you like it!

edexec.co.uk

your one stop shop for school business management and leadership support!

Manchester- 12th October 2021 London- 30th September 2021

GET YOUR DIARIES OUT!

We’re back with dates for our 2021 events!

It’s been a tough 12 months, with more challenges to come – so we thought we would bring a little slice of (professional) happiness for us all to look forward to...!

Get ahead of the professional curve, network and re-charge by joining us at EdExec LIVE – our leading school business management conference

SAVE THE DATE!

MANCHESTER - 12TH OCTOBER 2021 LONDON - 30TH SEPTEMBER 2021 email hello@edexeclive.co.uk to reserve your place Learn more at edexeclive.co.uk