Without the School Business Manager, teaching staff would face empty classrooms, without the necessary resources, or pupils to teach. They’d find themselves unfed at lunchtimes and unpaid at the end of the month. Outside their classrooms, grass would go uncut, the grounds would fall into disrepair and the general health and safety and security of the site would be compromised. Don’t expect to see that new all-weather Astro; kiss goodbye to the arrival of those new iPads.
What Does a Business Manager Do in a School?
The role of School Business Manager is to oversee and coordinate pretty much everything that supports what goes on in the classroom: financial management and reporting, human resources, administration management, management information systems, IT, marketing, health and safety, business and site development, risk management and regulatory compliance.
You can bet they’ve been busy with the continuing challenges of coronavirus restrictions and ensuring the continuing provision of education and IT provision and connectivity for staff and pupils.
A complex, invaluable role
The job description is dependent on the school, and they’re known under different job titles: Bursar, Resources Manager or Finance Director – although there may be a separate person in this latter role.
Historically, their importance emerged in the late 1980s, when Headteachers were given greater control of their own finances, budgeting and strategic planning.
Rising from the teaching ranks, Heads needed someone to guide them with a completely different skillset: the highly technical side of running what is a medium-sized business.
While a Headteacher will have emerged from the classroom, a School Business Manager will most likely come from finance, industry or government. School Business Managers are there for the Head, who is their line manager.
The Head is in charge but ably assisted by their School Business Manager acting as both advisor and “fixer”. They’re experts who take an aerial view and see the bigger picture. They have a handle on the detail, while not mistaking the wood for the trees.
A good person to know
School Business Managers oversee income and expenditure, along with cash flow and budgeting. Handling contracts and contractors is a big part of that. So, if you want to sell to schools, they may well be key figures to get to know, especially for big-ticket items such as IT provision, cleaning and catering contracts and capital expenditure.
As with any business, reducing costs and maximising revenue is the name of the game; and with tightening budgets, they’re increasingly having to make fewer resources go further. Making the most of assets when they’re not in use, for instance, calls for creativity and leftfield thinking.
How do they keep all those plates spinning?
School Business Managers have their finger in many pies.
Faced with such a wide remit and requiring such a wide range of skills, how do they juggle these commitments? How are they expected to know all about grounds maintenance, faulty heating, landscaping, changes in employment law, the latest compliance guidelines? The list goes on.
The answer: be a jack of all trades while forging relationships with masters in each one. In this case, the saying “it’s not what you know but who you know” applies. The art of delegation and leading a team are integral to their success.
Not an easy person to pin down
We’ve written before about school procurement, if you’re looking to market to schools, it pays to know the bursar, but they’re busy people.
Cold calling will often fall on deaf ears, and good luck finding them at their desks. They spend a good deal of time out and about, on their feet, covering every blade of grass and every inch of asphalt overseeing the work of support staff. Even when they’re in their office, the receptionist may well have been instructed to say they’re “in a meeting”.
That’s no reason to despair, however. Procurement may well take place above or below the position of school business manager.
The Multi-Academy Trust model brings with it economies of scale and collective purchasing power. And there are also central administrative services which free Headteachers and their staff of the burden of dealing with payroll, budgeting, and contract negotiations.
Furthermore, within each institution, many purchasing decisions are delegated. Trusted, expert support staff, many of them hailing from industry, oil the wheels of schools and academies across the land.
It may well be the Lab Technician or Head of Reprographics, guided by policies and procedures, who spend their time chasing the best deals in terms of price, service and other factors schools look for in a supplier. These are the people to know if you’re keen to pitch to schools.
Final thoughts on the role of School Business Managers
School Business Managers are one of the key decision-makers, but they may not necessarily be the gatekeepers. When you want to do business with schools, it’s important to understand all the staff involved in selecting your product or service, and build relationships with the right people.
Curious to know how to become a school business manager? For more in-depth information on key stakeholders, gatekeepers and decision-makers, and to hear direct from a school business manager, download our FREE guide to marketing to schools.
