Creating Value In Schools
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The DfE’s school business professionals survey highlights the number of business managers still operating across a range of functions. Not all feel their role and value is fully understood, and while confidence is high around areas such as finance and operations, things are less straightforward when it comes to income generation and integrated curriculum finance planning (ICFP).
SBMs in primary schools tend to be generalists covering multiple SBP responsibilities, but with finance as their core responsibility. SBMs in secondary schools are more likely to be on the senior team: 93% vs 68% at primary.
There’s a difference in the level of involvement in strategic decision-making too. For example, only 21% of SBMs in primaries are involved in ‘all’ aspects of workforce deployment, compared to 37% of SBMs in secondaries and 43% in chief finance officer (CFO) or achieve operating officer (COO) positions.
Currently only 26% of primaries are using ICFP, compared to 60% of secondaries.
The most common reason for not using it is that ‘Governors/trustees and/or school headteacher are not sufficiently aware of it’, at 35%. This is closely followed at 31% by ‘SBP's lack of training and/or experience of ICFP’ (see page 36 of the survey).
The need for more training around ICFP came up in our Unbound SBLs: sector support and striving for excellence discussion. Emma Gray pointed out the importance of ensuring any training is setting-appropriate, as ICFP can function quite differently in primary, secondary or special schools, for example.
This also came up for discussion with the Unbound SBLs. Whose responsibility is income generation? Should it be the sole responsibility of the SBP?
In the survey, 39% of primary SBMs and 45% of secondary SBMs said they were fully responsible for income generation.
The most valued or most used sources of income generation were:
What also came through is that income generation is an area where more time, training and confidence are needed.
Optimism and opportunity: creating an income generation culture is a great place to start!
Sadly, some SBMs feel that their role is not sufficiently understood in terms of the strategic value they can bring, particularly in helping bring together curriculum, operational and resource issues.
Several respondents felt that their role was narrowly perceived as just operational, and that greater recognition of the possible strategic insight they could provide was not being utilised. (Page 28)
On a more positive note, many SBMs enjoy their role, with 55% of primary and 64% of secondary respondents agreeing that ‘I want to continue working as a SBP for at least the next three years’ (page 16).
Listen to the Unbound SBLs podcast (33 minutes).
