I’ve often thought that the profession of the School Business Leader is a bit like a closed shop. It’s hard to get a role until you have experience of working in education, and it’s hard to get experience until you have secured a role!
I know some amazing people, some who do work in education, some who work on the periphery, and some who have no clue what they are letting themselves in for. All of whom, given the opportunity, would make excellent SBLs.
Take Bob (names have been changed to protect the innocent). He’s a qualified accountant, has small children and a good sense of humour. He is resilient, empathetic and has proven himself to have a huge capacity to learn new skills. He has wide experience in auditing and externally supporting schools, and he would make an incredible SBL, but can I persuade him to take the leap and apply? No, because it is scary and he doesn’t know where support will come from (apart from me, Bob).
Then there is Betty. She has got years of experience working in schools, is going to be an incredible SBL and has, at long last, started to apply for jobs. A school is about to get a really lucky break in appointing her. But she is super nervous about one element of the role in which she doesn’t have much experience, and she doesn’t know where the support will come from (apart from me, Betty).
This is what gave me the idea of a 1st Pillar’s 1st 100 days support package. Schools now have the opportunity put a support framework in place for their new SBL, giving them 5 months of;
- An experienced and approachable mentor who is there when needed with a regular virtual get together, and a ‘sticky problem’ helpdesk.
- 4 face to face visits within the first 100 days to support them in developing a 3 year strategic action plan.
- A structured training plan on all those things your SBL needs to know. ICFP, MI, GEMS, VfM, SEND, SLAs, ATH, KCSiE, PPP (that last one is my own – Policy, Procedure, Perception – may as well add to the zillion acronyms education already uses)
- A range of other benefits that only a ‘buddy-on-your-side-wingman’ can bring, such as introductions to experienced practitioners, support with building those all-important relationships, and someone to lean on when it all gets a bit overwhelming, as it inevitably will to begin with.
The 1st 100 days package has been developed to sit alongside the probation period so that Headteachers and CEOs will have the reassurance that their new appointment is a keeper.
So, what’s the alternative?
- You could rely on a hand-over, in-house support or acceptance of a slow burn (ie you could do nothing) this carries a real risk of your new appointment, in whose recruitment you have invested time and budget, walking away when the going gets tough.
- You could ask a local SBL to buddy up and support your new appointment, but that SBL has a challenging job of their own and you may discover their capacity to support is limited.
- You could ask your external auditor to show them the finance ‘ropes’ but that is only going to give your new SBL one aspect of what, as you know, is a much bigger role in your school or Trust.
It seems like a no-brainer to me. Give your new SBL the best start you can. Don’t be limited in your recruitment process to candidates who have experience of working in a school. And, at the end of those 1st 100 days in post, marvel at the improvements you can already see in your business operations.
As you have read this far… and I can hear my marketing expert son tutting as he says I should encourage you to call me to find this out…I’m going to give you an indicative cost;
Assuming you are one school (whether maintained, stand alone or part of a Trust) the cost of the 1st 100 days package is £1,500 for a secondary setting and £800 for a primary setting.
Considering all the benefits the 1st Pillar 1st 100 days package will bring, and the risks (and costs) involved if you don’t get your new appointment settled and up to speed, can you afford not to invest in your new amazing School Business Leader?
No, you can’t.
Call me to discuss when you want your 1st 100 days support to start.
Emma
