Chapter 1: School Business Management
Chapter 1 looks at how school business management has developed from 2001. It focuses on the role of the School Business Manager and considers areas of responsibility they might have. There is also an overview and flavour of what will appear in the rest of the handbook.
Chapter 2: Financial Management
Chapter 2 gives a good overview of how finances should be managed within a school, covering financial planning, monitoring and reporting, accounting processes, governance and auditing and strategic financial leadership. Schools are all different and have different financial mechanisms, so this chapter is an overview of good practice across different types of schools.
Chapter 3: Enterprise
What is enterprise and how does it fit with the role of school business manager? This chapter will help you hone your own enterprise skills and to develop an ethos of enterprise in your school.
Chapter 4: Facilities Management
In this chapter particular focus is given to how funds can be raised through the sharing of facilities more widely and making the most of resources out of school hours.
Chapter 5: Fundraising
This chapter explores some of the strategies that can be employed to raise extra income for your school. The issue of grants is also addressed, in light of the ongoing crisis and shortfall of public finances.
Chapter 6: Human Resource Management
This chapter is designed to assist school business managers in the management of a wide range of often complex human resource management issues. It includes numerous templates which set out policies, procedures, checklists and includes links to additional sources of information.
Chapter 7: Information and communication technology
Students have grown up in a world where they take for granted access to IT for learning, leisure and communication. This puts a pressure on schools to not only provide access to current technology for all pupils, but also to look to the future with regard to further implementation of innovations in the IT industry. There is an additional need to use IT in communicating with the various stakeholders of schools and colleges. Government directives, such as reporting online mean that schools have responsibilities to review their working practices and look to enhance current provision.
Chapter 8: Marketing
This chapter considers what marketing is about and how it can help long-term financial sustainability of schools.
Chapter 9: Partnership Working
This chapter explores the different types of partnership working that will help school business managers make the most of collaborative working and increase awareness about the potential pitfalls. Effective partnerships should seek to share opportunity, expertise and resources and in the true sense of ‘partnership working’, offer an exchange of benefits that have a whole-school impact, particularly on pupil learning outcomes.
Chapter 10: Project management
This chapter provides the school business manager with support and guidance on how to prepare and implement a project plan to a successful conclusion.
Chapter 11: Risk management
In this chapter risk management is considered to be broader than personal injury alone. The level of risk in a school environment continuously varies and it is the responsibility of all staff to mitigate the risk on a daily basis and provide a safe learning environment.
Chapter 12: Sustainable Development
This chapter is intended to help the school business manager in their quest to develop sustainable operations in their school. There is a wealth of information on sustainability and sustainable development but it can be quite overwhelming and it is difficult to know where to begin, so this chapter offers clear guidance in helping the School Business Manager acquire eco-knowledge.
Chapter 13: Converting to Academy Status
Chapter 13 guides you through the complex process of converting to academy status, allowing you to support your headteacher and governor in making the decision and then taking you through step by step.
