Interruptions are a necessary evil in the life of a school business leader, but there is a way that you can deal with them that will help you to be more efficient and set some very important boundaries.
After giving up on a ‘Do not disturb’ sign – which I found to be rarely effective or, in some cases, too effective! – I implemented an ‘interruption management system’ that I have since labelled the ‘triage system’. When someone comes into your office, or approaches you to ask for ‘a favour’, or they start their sentence with ‘Can you just’ this is how I advise you to proceed…
Establish a set of actions that you can designate to every possible interruption.
Decide what you will deal with immediately (the true, fire-fighting moments that just can’t wait), what you will make note of to pick up at the next opportunity, and what can wait a little longer.
When someone comes in to see you, get to the point as quickly as you can so you can ‘triage’ appropriately. If the tasks can wait, ask them to come back later, or tell them you will go and find them, or ask them to send you an e-mail, or direct them to another member of staff. When someone comes in, get to the point as quickly as you can so you can ‘triage’ appropriately.
Don’t let them hover in the doorway – or worse, park themselves in your office giving you the full spiel of what they’ve done, where they’ve been and what they’ve tried already! By hearing them out, but firmly guiding them to the point, everyone feels heard, you’re available to deal with anything critical and anything non-urgent can be redirected as appropriate.
Making people take ownership of non-urgent issues can be powerful, over time, as you’re training them to solve their own problems. It’s also helpful if you need to break the same habit that I suffered from for longer than I care to remember; taking everything on and saying ‘Yes’ to things on the bounce!
Ultimately, if you’re polite yet direct, and consistently apply this method, it trains people to be more respectful of your time as well as helping keep you sane.
Here are some useful ‘triage’ phrases to get you started:
“Of course, I’ll look at this in more detail and let you know when I can get this done by.”
“I’m working on something else at the moment but I’ll ask one of my team to look at this and get back to you if I/they need more information.”
Depending on who is asking, and what the task is, you might say, “What would you like me to do first?” or, “I’ll check this out with the head and see how they would like me to deal with this.”
“I can see why you’ve asked me about this but it’s actually someone else’s remit. I’ll pass it on/you should pass it on.”
“I have a number of deadlines that I’m working to right now and, if you leave this with me, it just won’t get done in the time you’ve specified. If it can wait, that’s great. If not, it might be quicker to do this yourself/ask someone else.”
“From what you’ve said, I’m not clear exactly what’s involved – can you please explain it to me in more detail so I can prioritise accordingly?” [This is particularly useful for the drive-by – the person that mumbles something unintelligible, drops a file on your desk like a bomb and then hotfoots it out of the room.]
Remember, your time is valuable, you’re valuable and you’ve got more than enough to do without taking on everyone else’s to-do lists too!
In terms of hard data, your pupil numbers, curriculum model and financial bottom line provide you with more than a firm steer towards what your staffing structure should look like.
Whether you need to undertake a full restructure or simply make a few tweaks, your staffing structure is the nerve centre of your school and it requires almost constant attention.
The truth is, schools are always in the process of restructuring their staff – but by doing it with a long enough lead time, it becomes a change management process rather than a wholesale HR operation to be completed in a half term.
In the current climate of continuous change:
How do you make sure that not only is your staffing structure value for money but also fit for purpose?
How do you make sure that good on paper is good in practice?
Below is a three-phase self-evaluation tool designed to help you achieve just that.
Phase 1: Determination – Where do you need to be and what might stop you getting there?
It’s essential to determine your ‘destination’ before you set off on this journey or you are risking the wheels coming off along the way.
Curriculum led financial planning and benchmarking are key cornerstones of school budget management but other factors need to be taken into account before you start reshaping your staffing structure.
It’s easy to delete lines from spreadsheets and merge classes in SIMs but when it comes to dealing with people, assessing, evaluating and implementing the changes you need to make isn’t as straightforward.
Considering the current context, wider picture and long-term goals of your school is the starting point of any staffing review.
Ask yourself:
Is our vision, mission and strategic plan reflective of what needs to be done and where we need to get to?
Are there any external threats to our organisation that need mitigating?
Could upcoming legislation changes impact our capacity or hinder progress towards our objectives?
How can we ensure that accountability lines remain clear in the face of upcoming change?
How can we protect the continuity of operation and facilitate knowledge sharing to mitigate the impact of turnover?
What skills are we lacking that we’re going to need over the next year?
What knowledge do governors need and what role should they have in relation to any changes that we need to make to our staffing structure?
Phase 2: Assessment – What do you already have, what else do you need and how can you fill the gaps?
Determining your destination will almost certainly have flagged a number of issues that need your attention.
Recruitment or redundancy is often seen as the obvious way forward but both options can prove costly and therefore should only be undertaken if all other angles have been explored. It’s at this stage where marrying together as much as possible the ambitions of your staff and the ambitions of the organisation can really bear fruit.
The more you know about your staff and where you need to be – and the sooner you know it – the better you will be able to implement the changes you need to make. It may even be the case that upon assessing your current position, you re-evaluate your final destination.
The future is not predetermined so go through as many draft versions as you need to.
Ask yourself:
Do we have accurate and up to date information about our staff in terms of pay scales, job descriptions and skillsets?
Are the jobs being done across the school being done by the right people?
Are all the jobs being done needed to be done? Can they be done a better way?
Do we have capacity and is it in the right place?
Would a review of job descriptions, an investment in CPD and appropriate remuneration mitigate the need to recruit and secure best value from existing staff?
How can appraisal inform our thinking in terms of skills and talent management?
Could leadership roles be redefined across the school to reduce head count and cost but also foster talent management and create new progression pathways?
What impact will these changes have on our support staff and operational capacity?
Would a service level agreement or local collaboration be a preferable option?
If we need to recruit, what terms and conditions will suit both the role and need of the organisation best?
Phase 3: Evaluation – What risks come with your proposed strategy and how are you going to communicate it?
When it comes to staffing, there’s always going to be a curve ball that you didn’t account for. A maternity leave, a resignation or a long-term illness.
This phase is about both testing and safeguarding your strategy in as many ways as you can. Determine if this is a process that can be managed over time or if it needs to be implemented quickly.
Ask yourself ‘what if’. Think of your Head of English, Business Manager, Deputy Head and your Union representatives and what they could say about your plan. Think about would worry them, what would make them anxious and what questions they might have. Now think about what answers you would give them.
Ask yourself:
Will our proposal achieve for us what we need it to?
Are the reasons we have decided to make changes to our staffing structure sound and objective?
Are there any factors that are non-negotiable?
What are the main risks with the changes we are proposing and is our risk management process robust enough?
Have we truly exhausted other options and are we able to justify our decisions?
What is the best way to communicate these changes?
How can we include feedback from stakeholders in a meaningful way?
How can we be sure to demonstrate fairness and transparency throughout change implementation?
Top Tips
Beware the ripple effect– one seemingly small change can create a lot of problems. Don’t assume anything and always think at least two steps outside of the immediate ‘impact zone’ when it comes to adding, removing or changing any roles.
Have a contingency– don’t hang your strategy on one person or one plan. Have an alphabetised file of back up plans. ‘Just in case’ never hurt anybody!
Don’t be held hostage – if you do end up caught out, negotiate on your own terms. Don’t get panicked into a ‘knee jerk’ – and likely costly – response. Remember that hostage situations can be negotiated.
Consider intelligence, not just evidence– do your homework. Don’t just rely on hard data. Triangulate your knowledge with numerous sources before committing to anything.
You don’t need to be a mystic, just be aware– it’s not just about planning for the future; you can only plan so far after all and as we’ve said, the unexpected can and usually does happen. It’s how often you review your plan that enables you to be agile when you find yourself on shifting sands.
As school leaders, risk is something that we are incredibly familiar with. We have processes in place to ensure safety on school trips, that our site is secure and that the staff who work for us are screened in accordance with safeguarding legislation.
These systems are woven into the fabric of school life, often without issue or incident.
However, there are other types of risks to our schools – beyond the operational – that require more consideration and focus to allow us to mitigate them appropriately.
By taking a strategic approach to risk management, your school can be proactive and make well-informed and timely decisions.
What does risk management involve?
The process of risk management involves six steps; identification, assessment, measurement, management response, monitoring and reporting.
As an organisation, you should have a process that outlines how you follow these steps to ensure that the management of risk is clearly articulated, understood and implemented by key stakeholders.
At a strategic level, risk management should be linked to your school development plan and its objectives; specifically the risks that will impede you from implementing your plan effectively.
What types of risk are there?
It’s easy to fall into the mindset that everything is a risk i.e. an accident on a school trip or a break-in at school. While these are all risks, as outlined above, they will likely already have comprehensive mitigation measures in place.
Unless you have reason to believe that your measures are not working or are out of date, an audit identifies areas of concern or some other variable factor has changed, then these types of risk need not feature on your strategic and ‘live’ risk register (or similar document).
Risk management does not equate to voiding risk altogether as this is often not possible. It’s about forward thinking, taking appropriate action at the right time and ensuring that you’ve done all that you can to reduce the impact of any risk.
If your management actions are effective and the risk can be deemed ‘low’ then you are managing risk effectively.
Strategic risks usually fall into five main categories; governance, educational, financial, external and compliance.
Operational risks, as outlined above, may be incorporated into your risk management process but only if there is a significant impact upon your progress towards your strategic objectives.
Chances are, serious operational risks would be covered under one of the other five types of risk. Here are some examples of risk for each category:
Governance Constitution or structure of your LGB (numbers, attendance, committees), capacity of the LGB in terms of skillset and time, conflicts of interest.
Educational Outcomes, Ofsted, curriculum, provision, staffing etc.
Financial Limited income, insurances, procurement, internal controls, cash flow, inadequate information or reporting, asset management.
External Reputational, demographic changes, pupil numbers, community, changes in government policy.
Compliance Failure to meet legislative requirements, poor knowledge of responsibilities and regulations, audit issues.
How do we manage risk?
Where a risk has been identified, you need to be able to quantify both its probability of occurrence and the relative impact if it does occur.
When you have identified the measures you are going to put in place to mitigate the risk, you should then assess what effect these measures will have on both the likelihood and impact.
You should expect a lower probability of it happening or a lesser impact if it does after you have taken management action.
In the academy sector, this risk assessment process is documented on a risk register. In the maintained sector, you may have an LA risk register template that you use or you may record it in another way.
There are four main approaches to risk; tolerating (accepting and managing), treating (controlling or reducing), transferring (contracting out or insuring) and terminating (avoiding). The approach you choose to manage each risk will depend on your context and your resources.
To be clear on accountability and responsibility, you should determine who ‘owns’ each risk. This will likely be the person who is responsible for implementing the mitigating actions. While we know that the ‘buck’ stops with the headteacher, risk management is everyone’s responsibility. Line management and reporting to your LGB should incorporate the risk management process, ensuring that the accountability chain is robust.
How can we make sure our risk management process is fit for purpose?
When a risk has been successfully mitigated to what you determine to be an ‘acceptable’ level, there should be a point where this risk is removed from the risk register.
This means that the focus of risk management is not diluted and that priority is given to current and ‘live’ risks. In the future, it may be that some risks ‘return’ and at that point, they can be revisited.
When it comes to managing strategic risk, it’s important that the process is integrated into existing structures and systems. This ensures that it is a regular topic of discussion.
The more people that are involved in the identification, assessment and management of risk, the less likely it is that the process will become subjective or overlooked.
Risk management may appear to be an onerous administrative process but when it’s well implemented, it can help you to protect your school, staff and students as well as save money, provide stability and help you to make smart decisions about the use of time and resources.
Risk Management: Self-Evaluation
Do we have a formal risk management process?
Is it explicitly linked to our strategic objectives?
How do we categorise risk?
Is our assessment of risk robust?
What is our approach to risk?
Are accountability lines clear in terms of risk management?
How do we communicate management action in terms of addressing risk?
How does our governance structure support risk management in terms of scrutiny and challenge?
How do we keep our risk management process objective?
How do we determine whether a risk should be removed from the risk register?
Many things can affect how we feel about our jobs. I have both loved and hated my job in the same week – sometimes in the same day!
But if you’re feeling down or unhappy and have been feeling like this for some time, it’s hard to know whether you’re really falling out of love with your job or whether it’s just a rough patch.
Looking back on the reasons that help me decide I wasn’t in the right job, they vary pretty wildly:
My boss was leaving and I didn’t want to work for his replacement
I wasn’t challenged enough and the role was too monotonous
I felt that I had both hit my ceiling in the organisation I was at and a new opportunity came my way that was very appealing
I no longer felt aligned with the organisation and where it was heading
To help you figure out how you truly feel about your job and whether you should consider a change, I’ve put together a list of ten ways you can pinpoint exactly how you feel, why you feel that way and what you can do about it.
You & the Workplace
First, spend some time thinking about how your job makes you feel. It doesn’t matter if you work for the best organisation in the world if you don’t enjoy what you do.
1. How you talk about your job to other people
When someone asks you ‘what do you do’ how do you answer? If someone says that your job sounds great or interesting, do you agree? Or do you say it’s great, but you feel yourself cringe inside?
The language you use when you talk about your job with other people is a good indicator of your true feelings. If you’re not sure, ask your partner or your friends. Do they think you’re happy at work? Maybe you don’t realise how much you talk positively (or negatively) about what you do.
If you find yourself talking negatively about your job, ask yourself:
Where does this bad feeling come from?
How long have I been feeling like this?
Am I just going through a bad patch?
2. The tasks that you do
When you think of a typical week (ok, in education there’s no such thing so let’s say a half term), how much of what you do, do you enjoy? When you think of doing the things you don’t enjoy, does it colour your view of your job or do you accept that every job has parts that aren’t satisfying? Consider the ratio of good parts to bad parts and how happy you are with that.
If you’ve found yourself in the position where most of what you do, you don’t enjoy, ask yourself:
Has it always been this way?
Is this a temporary situation and if so, when will it change?
Is there anything that I can do to shift the balance?
3. What your days are like
Does the time fly, or do you find yourself constantly clock-watching? If you’re clock-watching, consider why that is. Are you struggling to concentrate? Are you behind on a deadline or are you just anxious for the day to be over already?
If the time flies, is it because you’ve got way too much to do or are you having fun?
Whether you’re strapped for time or are an avid clock-watcher, ask yourself:
Is this how I like my working day to be?
What changes can I make to my role or the way that I work to make this better for myself?
Do I need to speak to someone about this to get some support and help me improve the situation?
4. Your work/life balance
How easy is it for you to switch off at the end of the day? Do you find yourself compromising family time to get work done at home? Do you find yourself getting in super early and staying as late as you can (i.e. until the caretaker kicks you out)?
Work/life balance isn’t a science. Everybody has different thresholds and mechanisms for managing their time and workload.
If your work/life balance isn’t what you’d like it to be, ask yourself:
Is this a blip or has it become routine?
What does a good work/life balance look like to me and what am I comfortable and not comfortable with about my current situation?
Am I controlling my work schedule or is it controlling me? What can I do to address the balance?
5. Your plans for the future
When you think of the future, do you see yourself in the same job? Or do you see yourself in another job entirely? Have you outgrown your role or do you see that happening in the near future? Maybe you know that the job you’re in right now isn’t for you in the long term. But have you considered where you’ll go next?
Maybe you’ve got your eye on a promotion or maybe you’re waiting for a vacancy to come up in another organisation. Either way, having an eye on the future can help you address some of the issues that you have in the present.
If you’re not sure what the future holds and you’re feeling stuck, ask yourself:
Do I want to carry on doing the job that I’m doing now and if so, for how long?
Do I want to progress to another role in the future?
Should I be planning to move to another organisation or can I continue/progress where I am?
The Workplace & You
Now spend some time thinking about your workplace. It might be that you have the best job in the world but you’re not sure if you’re working for the right organisation.
6. The values and culture of the organisation
When people ask where you work, are you proud to tell them? If someone asks you if they should apply for a job in your organisation, what do you say? Do the vision, mission and values of your organisation motivate you? What is it really like to work there?
Does your organisation operate by its values or does it contradict itself?
Does how I feel about my organisation impact on my feelings about my job or my capacity to do my job well?
Do I really enjoy working there?
7. Your relationship with your Line Manager
Think about the interactions that you have with your Line Manager. Are they positive? Are they respectful? Does your Line Manager support you? How do you feel right before you’re due to go into a meeting with them?
Did you know that approximately 70% of people leave their job because they don’t have a good relationship with their direct line manager? That’s a pretty big number. Nobody is saying that you have to be BFFs but at a minimum, the relationship should be professional, respectful and supportive.
If you think your relationship with your line manager could be better, ask yourself:
What are the specific issues that contribute to how I feel about my line manager?
Would speaking to them about how I feel help to improve the situation?
What action can I take to improve or mitigate the negative elements of this relationship?
8. Your relationships with your colleagues
Throughout the course of the working day, how many interactions do you have with your colleagues? Overall, are they positive or are they negative? Do you have colleagues that you can talk to about what’s going on at work? Do the people you work with treat each other well and with respect?
We spend so much of our waking time in the workplace that having nobody to talk to or working in a toxic environment can really impact on how we feel about our jobs.
If you think that your working relationships with your colleagues could be better, ask yourself:
What is holding me back when it comes to building relationships with my colleagues?
How can I improve these relationships?
Do I have at least one trusted colleague that I can talk to about how I feel and give me some advice?
9. The opportunities that you have
Think about your job and the skills that you have. Does your job give you enough opportunity to use your top skills to best effect? How often do you feel challenged in your role? Is your organisation invested in your development and do they support you with appropriate CPD?
What are my aspirations for myself and my role, both now and in the future?
Does my organisation know what my aspirations are?
Who do I need to speak to about how I’m feeling so I can be supported?
10. The way you are treated
Think about how your organisation treats you, as an employee. Are you treated fairly? Are you paid fairly? Do you feel secure in your job? If you have an issue, how is it dealt with? Is the value that you add to your organisation recognised?
If you work for an organisation that you don’t feel a part of and you’re worried that someone is plotting to get rid of you, then this will, of course, have a direct impact on how you feel about your job.
If you don’t feel that your organisation treats you the way that you deserve to be treated, ask yourself:
Is it one incident or have there been many incidents that make me feel this way?
Is it just me that feels this way or do others feel the same way that I do?
Do I see this changing and if not, what am I going to do about it?
Being an SBL, we are permanently thinking about a million and one things. It’s how we manage to keep so many plates spinning simultaneously, but it’s also how we can walk into analysis paralysis and lose more than a few good night’s sleeps.
It’s a fine line between thinking at an appropriate level and overthinking. Now it’s entirely possible I’ve been overthinking about overthinking, but it seems to me that there are a few different ways that this can play out. And that means a few different approaches when it comes to shutting down the overthinking process and getting back a more useful level.
The Issue: Ruminating
Even been stuck in an endless loop of thoughts about a past event? The classic woulda, shoulda, coulda scenario can be horrendously destructive if you let it. Maybe you are ruminating on a negative appraisal, an inspection that was less than stellar or an off-hand comment that you just can’t let go.
The fix: Schedule in some time to thing and refuse to let it happen outside of this. Open up that calendar and time block it. Having a constrained amount of time of 15-30 mins will limit your thoughts from going wild. Then, split your worries into two piles – those you can control and those you can’t. If you can’t control it, it’s time to let it go. If you can control it, use the time to start strategising what you can do to improve the situation.
The Issue: Mystic Megging It
The reverse type of overthinking is when you are so future-focused, you can’t get anything done in the here and now. Contingency planning is a great skill, but if you are stuck focusing on every eventuality, you can end up holding yourself back. When something is utterly up to us, it’s easy to start spending every ounce of energy planning a dozen what if scenarios, but this can make us feel agitated and lead to a growing to-do list while we can’t move forward.
The fix: Use your skill to your advantage. Instead of looking to potential futures where something went wrong, spend some time thinking about the potential futures where something went right! Or where something went wrong, but you were able to correct it. You don’t need a plan for every single situation. You need to keep your eye on the ball and be prepared for the most likely scenarios. You are smart and adaptive. If something else crops up, you will deal with it just fine.
The Issue: Analysis Paralysis
We have all been there (me more times than I care to admit!). You dive into a project, but before you know you find out you dove straight into the deep end. You keep on researching… and researching… and testing… Yes, considering all the options and facts is important, but after a while, you end up deep in the weeds looking at a tiny subsection of a single element of a massive project. It’s like concentrating on which doorknob is the right choice hour after hour when the project scope is to build a new school building. Yes, the doorknob is important (if you don’t have one, you’re in trouble!), but once you’ve found one that does the job, 10 more hours of sifting through information isn’t overly helpful!
The fix: Stop trying to be the perfect SBL making only perfect decisions. Some decisions need perfection; others just need to be good enough. Build confidence in your ability to tell the difference so you can spend your precious time on the things that make the most impact while you confidently plough on with the rest. Of course, you didn’t become an overthinking overnight, and it’s probably one of the reasons you are so well suited to being an SBL. We have so much to consider, so many decisions to be made, and a constant influx of new information from the SLT, the parents, the government, even the postman has good advice! But at the heart of it, overthinking stems from a lack of confidence, and that can be hard to overcome. Some of it comes from experience (you’ll see what mattered and what didn’t), but some of it needs to come from within. Yes, we could get trapped in a cycle of overthinking, but if we can believe in ourselves to make the right decisions, then maybe it will feel just a little easier to stop.
In the world of Academies, GAG pooling is seen as something of a taboo. Though it first featured in the Academies Financial Handbook in 2013, it has been until recently, largely ignored.
With the increasing financial pressures on the sector and the depletion of resources throughout the system, it has steadily risen to the top of the agenda.
The DfE, the ESFA and numerous financial experts all cite the process of GAG pooling as a way to further increase efficiencies and improve the effectiveness of MATs.
“To enable financial governance to continue to improve it is essential that MATs become more centralised. This will, in turn, facilitate GAG pooling which will enable MATs to ‘look after‘ the financially weakest schools in the system.”
In a letter to auditors in June 2018, Theodore Agnew, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the School System said:
“I would like to share more widely across the audit sector several key points that will help boards govern more effectively and make best use of the freedoms they have. We are aware that a substantial proportion of trusts are still hesitant about implementing some of the freedoms and mechanisms to enable this.”
He encourages auditors to discuss these freedoms with their clients; GAG pooling being at the top of the list.
He said:
“This is one of the greatest freedoms a MAT has. The opportunity to pool GAG is particularly valuable, in particular, to simplify the provision of support to weaker schools in a MAT until they can grow their pupil numbers. It is worth remembering that a MAT is a single financial entity.”
Interestingly, out of the 350 Trusts represented in the Kreston report, only 3 are currently GAG pooling. In the opinion of Kreston, it is clear that ‘there is something holding the sector back’.
There’s no doubt that moving to a GAG pooling model requires a significant shift in both the mindset of leadership and governance and the culture, systems and processes of the organisation.
But with approximately 50% of MATs showing an in-year deficit, an increasing number of MATs having a cumulative deficit and continually depleting reserves sector-wide, why are so many MATs reluctant to GAG pool?
The Kreston report states that MATs said they were not GAG pooling because:
The politics were challenging (SLT, Trustees, LGBs) 46%
Financial position 22%
It was too difficult to implement 14%
They will do it or are seriously considering it 5%
Other reason 13%
The issues surrounding the ‘politics’ of GAG pooling include:
The belief that school-level funding allocations are for the benefit of the students in a specific school and therefore should not be redistributed
The concern that the deployment of resources from a central perspective would disadvantage individual schools and students
The reduction in the autonomy of schools, Headteachers and Local Governing Bodies
If the financial landscape was rosier, it’s clear that GAG pooling would remain an overlooked clause hidden in the depths of the Academies Financial Handbook. But with the financial future of the sector looking increasingly bleak, MATs may find themselves having to grasp this nettle.
If you’re open-minded to the concept or are actively considering GAG pooling and you’re wondering how best to approach it, then I’ve put together a list of frequently asked questions to help you navigate this largely uncharted territory.
What options do we have in relation to GAG pooling?
In truth, though the concept is outlined in the Academies Financial Handbook, the actual ‘how’ is not so clearly defined. GAG pooling can mean any one of the following:
Receiving all school funding centrally and allocating resources to individual schools and to the centre (removing the need to top-slice a ‘management fee’)
Allowing school allocations to continue at a local level but pool reserves and other specified incomes streams (whilst continuing to top slice a ‘management fee’)
In addition to the top sliced ‘management fee’, top slice an additional specified amount for central reserves/contingency
Increase the percentage of the management fee and from this, create a centralised reserve
How could we use these pooled funds?
Again, it depends on where the money comes from, how much of it is pooled and the overarching strategy of the MAT. Outside of school allocation, (however this is determined), the money can be used for:
Supporting the financially weaker schools in the MAT
Creating a contingency for cashflow, unforeseen emergency costs, building maintenance, ICT replenishment etc.
Increasing central resource and achieve efficiency savings MAT-wide (through centralisation and procurement)
Funding projects cross-MAT to support improvement and build capacity
In what situation would GAG pooling be most effective?
If there are clear inequities across your schools funding with surpluses and reserves varying to the extreme, you can argue a case for GAG pooling. The ESFA, though it monitors individual school performance, is more interested in the overall financial sustainability of the MAT as a whole. GAG pooling is one way to secure that. For financially vulnerable schools, joining a MAT should provide them with adequate protection rather than expose them to further threat.
If all of the schools in the MAT are running close to the red line, then you could argue that pooling these funds would not achieve much at all; like shifting the deck chairs around on the Titanic. If your central budget is not capable of generating surpluses either, then your MAT will likely need to consider a more drastic approach to bring things back into line and secure sustainability.
But redistributing funds away from the schools it was intended for is not right!
You could argue that having a ‘management fee’ does exactly the same thing as GAG pooling but is simply called something different. When you look at the size of or uses of the ‘management fee’ in some MATs, it could be said that they are GAG pooling already, with some reserves and contingencies sitting centrally. The difference with this is that the route to challenge and scrutiny by the schools is stronger and more defined in terms of quantifying the value for money provided by the MAT. In fact, I worked with a Head recently who said they felt the management fee that they paid their MAT was too low and they would gladly pay more to enable the MAT to do more for them.
If the MAT has a large amount of cash sitting in the bank but ‘cannot’ use it, it will merely be an onlooker as one or more of its financially weaker schools fail; thus negligent in its financial stewardship. In these cases, if the sole purpose of GAG pooling is to secure long-term financial sustainability of the MAT, then GAG pooling in some form should be a no-brainer.
So how do we reconcile the inequity that GAG pooling creates in the schools that are financially effective?
MATs need to decide how committed they are to GAG pooling and whether they are in it for the long term. Depending on the level of need and ‘pooling’ that needs to be done, MATs might consider some form of internal loan and repayment system to overcome short-term difficulties. If the GAG pooling mechanism is being used as a means to secure sustainability in the short term – either until funding becomes adequate, pupil numbers increase, or further local efficiencies can be achieved – then the MAT can account for the internal redistribution and repayment of funds. This mitigates the perspective of schools ‘losing’ or ‘giving away’ their reserves and being ‘penalised’ for their financial efficiencies. This option should be considered carefully, taking into account context, the level of need, the financial position and the long-term goals of the MAT. GAG pooling in any form needs to be articulated clearly in relevant MAT policies including the Reserves Policy.
What if there are other reasons that we need to use the reserves/pooled resources?
Implementing a transparent system around the management of these reserves is essential. If your MAT is pooling reserves to secure tighter financial control, it should implement a process whereby schools can apply for funds as and when they need it. The MAT should ensure that the criteria for decisions taken and the prioritisation of expenditure are clear so that no school feels like it has been unfairly treated. The Academies Financial Handbook states that an appeals process for such circumstances be articulated clearly in MAT policies. My advice is that the more specific you are around the allocation of pooled resource, the less chance there is that complications will arise further down the line. Ambiguity fosters distrust. If the MAT doesn’t have a robust process for managing GAG pooled resource and cannot justify its expenditure decisions, then appeals may be lost and the impact on the relationships within and the culture of the MAT may be devastating.
What about the National Funding Formula?
If the National Funding Formula achieves its goal to balance funding across UK schools, then this will ‘iron out’ any imbalance that the GAG pooling process is designed to achieve – thus making GAG pooling, at least at its extreme, redundant. Instead, the focus will shift back to the ‘management fee’ and value for money of the MAT.
Our MAT isn’t in financial difficulty – should we still consider GAG pooling?
If your MAT is in a sound financial position but determines that it could add more value if it had more control over its funds, then this is where GAG pooling becomes particularly contentious; especially if you’re opting for Option 1 – total control over school allocation. In effect, it means that your MAT is saying that it will override the methodology of the funding formula and all its component parts and determine itself how much money each school needs – in other words, ‘acting like a Local Authority’ (Robert Hill). This is where the argument in relation to the autonomy of Headteachers and Governing Bodies grows strong. If a MAT opts for this type of GAG pooling, it indicates a significant shift in culture, operation and autonomy beyond what is currently common in the sector. These ripple effects will impact on the role of the Head, the management of the schools and the way in which the Scheme of Delegation operates.
Before going down this path, the Trustees and central team need to be clear about what they are trying to achieve and whether GAG pooling is really the best way to do it.
Our MAT is looking to grow – should we be looking at GAG pooling?
Much of your decision making in relation to GAG pooling will depend on the points made above. However, growth does pose both financial opportunities and threats to a MAT. If your MAT is looking to grow, GAG pooling is just one piece of the puzzle and should be considered in relation to the context, strategy and objectives of your MAT both in its current and future state.
For those MATs who are looking to grow or are already in a growth phase, download my Guidance for Growth Tool, written for Capita SIMS, to enable you to articulate your vision for growth, test and risk-assess your strategy and identify actions to implement your strategy successfully. Just click the image below:
So how do we move forward?
In summary, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to GAG pooling. You’ll need to assess the current position of your MAT and identify your long-term challenges, priorities and goals to see if it is the right path for you.
For additional advice in relation to GAG pooling, get in touch with your auditors who will be able to provide you with bespoke, detailed guidance and support.
I know what you’re thinking: biscuits? Is this another excuse for Laura to bring snacks into the conversation? Not this time 😝
Andrea Stella, McLaren’s Team Principal, uses biscuits as a metaphor – but not the kind you’d find in the staff room.
He has a saying: “Don’t take the poison biscuit.”
It’s his way of describing those tempting ideas or quick fixes that look harmless on the surface but come with hidden costs that leave you questioning everything…
When you’re on top – whether it’s in F1 or in your school – people will try to stir up trouble, create doubt or mess with your focus.
But poison biscuits don’t just mess with your day, they mess with your culture. They tank trust, dial up the drama and distract everyone from what really matters.
And to make things even trickier, poison biscuits aren’t always external – sometimes, the biscuit baker is inside the team, cooking up chaos and dishing up drama.
Here are some examples…
😈 The “quick fix” that derails everything. Someone suggests a solution that sounds simple; a tweak here, a shortcut there. But once it unravels, it derails your plans and leaves you to clean up the 💩 while they vanish faster than chocolate in the staff room.
😫 The unrealistic demand disguised as a must-do. Someone drops a last-minute, poorly thought-out task on your lap and expects you to work miracles. Cue chaos, finger-pointing and frustration.
🤫 The seeds of doubt that grow into chaos. Whether it’s an internal pot-stirrer or the external rumour mill, these little disruptions quickly spiral into full-blown distractions. Suspicions rise and collaboration nosedives and suddenly, it’s like you’re on an episode of Traitors.
Wherever they come from and whatever their flavour, poison biscuits are designed to disrupt, distract and divide. The key is spotting them early and refusing to bite.
So, how do you avoid them?
1️⃣ Spot the biscuit early.
If it smells funny, it probably is. Ask yourself: is this helping my school or is it just creating more chaos? If it’s the latter, leave it where you found it.
2️⃣ Protect your team’s culture.
Stella says McLaren talks every day about ‘refusing the biscuit’ because unity is everything. The same applies to your school. Keep people in the loop, share the big picture and make sure no one’s nibbling on anything that could leave a bad taste.
3️⃣ Start like you’ve lost.
Stella says you can’t afford to get comfortable or complacent, no matter how well things are going. Every day’s a new race. Treat it that way.
4️⃣ Ignore the noise.
Tune out the chatter that doesn’t align with your priorities – it’s just static. Not every fight is worth your energy. Be strategic. Ask yourself: what’s actually worth my time and what’s just a distraction, no matter how well-meaning it may seem? Focus on the stuff that matters.
5️⃣ Call out the baker.
If you’ve got someone on the inside whipping up a batch of dodgy biscuits, don’t let it slide. Address it directly – but kindly – and bring them back to the bigger picture. A bit of honest feedback now can save a world of trouble later.
As SBLs, we’re wired to run into the fray and fix everything – it’s in our nature. But sometimes, the best thing we can do is stand back and let some (just some!) things pass us by.
Not everything deserves a place on our already fully stacked plate 💫
So this week, stay steady, lean on your team and toss these particular biscuits where they belong – in the bin!
In the summer our smoke alarm started beeping so I set about looking for a new battery. My husband was adamant that the alarm was wired into the electric and, therefore, there was no battery.
I’m debating with him over my shoulder as I’m digging through a pile of useless keys and old chargers in our bits-and-bobs drawer while he is frantically checking the fuse board under the stairs.
Finally, I produced a battery and, after another long (and noisy) fifteen minutes spent debating underneath the still beeping alarm, he decided to prove – once and for all – that the alarm does not have a battery. He muttered quietly to himself whilst fetching a ladder; I remained quiet – hands on hips, eyes in permanent roll mode.
I didn’t know it was possible for someone to stomp up a ladder, but he somehow managed it! Over the screeching alarm, his words were barely audible, “Pass me the battery.”
This type of thing happens regularly. It’s earned me quite the reputation of ‘always being right’. I can see how it looks that way, but the trick to it is simple. I only nail my flag to the mast when I’m already 99.9% sure I know what I’m talking about – which makes me right 99.9% of the time!
If I don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m the first to say, ‘I don’t know’ and ask someone who does. (Ok, this is usually my husband… He is right sometimes!)
As school business leaders we find ourselves in plenty of situations where we know we’re right, and we will die in that ditch if we have to; but there are other times when we just don’t know the answer.
Not knowing the answer can sometimes feel like SBL-kryptonite – and even worse, admitting it can make us feel like we’re bad at our jobs or that people will think we’re stupid.
Nothing could be further from the truth
Saying ‘I don’t know’ shows that you have self-awareness, that you’re secure in yourself, that getting it right is more important than what other people think and, more importantly, that you’re willing to find the answer. This will not only make people feel more confident in you, but also that they can trust you to get the job done.
Nobody knows everything – and the ones who say they do are lying! Confidence does not equal competence. Those who ‘talk the talk’ do not always ‘walk the walk’. We all know someone like this, and what do we think of them? Not much.
Assuming we should have the answers, and beating ourselves up when we don’t, is defeating ourselves before we even get started. The true power, in a world where everyone feels that being seen to be right is more important than actually being right, is to admit that we don’t know, and to commit to finding the right answer, the right way, or the right person to help us.
So, don’t worry about feeling like you’re on the back foot. Don’t worry if there’s an awkward pause. Nail your flag to your mast with just as much conviction as when you do know the answer and declare ‘I’m not sure but I’ll look into it’ or ‘I don’t know but I know someone who can help’.
People won’t remember all the times you said ‘I don’t know’, but they will know that you’re rarely wrong, always have an answer and are almost always, always right. Just ask my husband!
Recently, I spent an amazing day at a multi-academy trust 💫
They invited me to their INSET day to deliver two sessions to their SBMs, support staff and central team – one on productivity (aka my State of the Nation) and the second on Risk Management.
If you’ve been to any of my sessions, online or in person, you’ll know they’re usually a highly interactive affair with audience participation 😆
There are many reasons for this – it’s more engaging, it helps people to apply what’s being talked about to their own context and get something meaningful from it and… because I love talking to people and hearing what they have to say!
The power of discussion and digging into a topic in a group brings out all kinds of useful nuggets and insights.
In the risk session, when talking about labelling different types of risk, I asked the group how easy they found it to choose one category for each risk (for the purposes of their risk register).
Their answer? Not easy at all because risks often have many implications – financial, strategic, operational, compliance, governance. To pick just one category feels impossible!
This is true, it’s not straightforward and of course I had tips on how to make the process easier that I was about to share…
But before I could jump in, one attendee shouted out ‘It’s like an octopus!’
Huh? I asked her what she meant and she said: ‘It’s like putting an octopus in a box, there’ll always be at least one tentacle sticking out!’
I love it! How true is this?! 😆🐙
The things we deal with as SBLs often don’t fit into neat categories and rarely stay contained for long. We also spend a lot of our time wrestling with various tentacles to try and keep some kind of order in the midst of the chaos.
My tip to try and get a grip of your octopus or octopuses (a sentence I never thought I’d say 🤪) is to focus not on the tentacles but on the box (the category).
Whilst the issue may have far-reaching consequences, tackle it head on and in the middle.
Where is the most damage being caused? Where is the impact being felt the most? What is the most effective action to net the thing and put an end to the madness once and for all?
Yes, this week, I challenge you to get a grip of your octopuses 😝
And if you’re struggling, let me know, because two nets are better than one!
Many of the School Business Leaders I coach struggle with one issue above all else: being able to effectively demonstrate how fabulous they are in order to get the recognition that they deserve for the great work they do. The causes of this vary widely.
To any SBL who doesn’t feel heard, valued or recognised – please know that this does not mean that you are terrible at your job. It also does not mean that there isn’t anything you can do about it.
In my role as coach, I work with SBLs to help them interpret and navigate their contextual terrain to effectively identify and remove roadblocks. I’ve created a framework that is one of my go-to tools. How do I know it works? Because over a decade ago, I used it to both survive and thrive in my very first SBM role and every leadership role I’ve undertaken since.
1. Identify who
We’ve established the issue isn’t you… so who is it? Think about your school and context and identify who specifically isn’t listening to you, is stopping you from being heard or doesn’t value what you have to say. Is it one person? Is it a group of people? What level of the organisation are they at and how much of an impact do they have on you and on your role?
2. Identify why
Why do you think that they behave in this way? Is it lack of knowledge? Do they think they know better? Are they uncomfortable? Do they prefer to be in control? Do they have different priorities (or seemingly so)? Are they hierarchal? Do they not respect your role?
3. Identify what
When it comes to School Business Leadership, there are five tools that you, as an SBL, have at your disposal and have total control over. To illustrate these, I’m going to share with you some of my experiences as a first-time SBL and then ask you some questions to consider in your context, right now:
Your Knowledge
I fell into the role of SBM by accident – as so many of us do now – and it really was a baptism of fire. When I first started out, I didn’t know a lot. I had a good working knowledge of the school through other roles I had done but I had zero job-specific qualifications and limited education-specific knowledge. This meant I had zero credibility and zero influence. The gaps that I had were vast and my priority was to fill them as quickly as possible.
Your turn…
How long you have been in post and is that an advantage? What qualifications do you have? How strong is your knowledge of education? How well do you know your school? What is your school like to work in? How could it improve? Think about any knowledge gaps you have and how you can fill them. Also, consider how accurate your knowledge base is (is it objective enough?) and your knowledge sources (are they credible)?
Your Role
When I started as SBM, not only did I lack credibility but so did the role! My predecessor (and the first SBM in the post at the school) had left under a cloud therefore, the value that this role could create was still questionable. I had to gain credibility and fast. I had to be a strong leader to my teams, set clear boundaries with staff and evidence the impact of my work in a way that left no room for debate.
Your turn…
Are you seen as a leader or more operational? What does your Head expect from you? Are you seen as ‘essential’ or ‘extra’? Do you and your teams operate in a parallel universe? Do you have the appropriate level of autonomy to do your job?
Your Relationships
Because of my starting point and the history of the role, I found myself, more often than not, working in my own lane and on my own highway. I wasn’t invited onto SLT and was seen as somewhat of an adjunct. That was okay at first as I had a very steep learning curve – but then I found myself hitting walls when it came to getting things done. My rapidly growing knowledge was my power but my role was just words on a page. I had to make it come to life. My priority became reshaping and developing my professional relationships.
Your turn…
Think about your relationships with your Head and your SLT. Does your Head support you? Do you get enough time together? Are you on the SLT? Do you act like a member of the SLT? How do they support your work? How do you support their work? Do you go to SLT meetings? Do they listen when you talk? Do they trust you?
Your Way of Working
Creating new ways of working without compromising the relationships I had built was a tough task. I had to cut through some very well-established and sometimes jealously protected bad habits. To achieve this, I had to work really hard on adjusting my leadership style in accordance with context and personality as well as digging in for the long haul, picking my words wisely and my battles carefully.
Your turn…
Think about how you operate. What is your office like? Are you out and about in the school too much – or not enough? Do you prefer e-mails or face-to-face conversations? How do people get to know what you know? How do you get things done? How do you deal with difficult situations? What makes you speak up? How does the way you work impact on how you are perceived?
Your Presentation
When it comes to being an SBM, you don’t just have to ‘talk-the-talk’ you have to ‘walk-the-walk’. My first SBM role was an uphill battle from day one, and at every turn I was being tripped up either by my own feet or somebody else’s. Even though that got to me, I never showed it and I never wavered. Instead, I kept showing up – I kept moving. Some days, I ran to stand still and some days I actually got somewhere. I got through it by being relentless, consistent and downright determined.
Your turn…
How would your Head and SLT describe you? How do you walk down the corridor? How do you respond when challenged? How do you conduct yourself in meetings? In terms of your wellbeing, do you look after yourself well? How much do you value yourself? Think about this; if you don’t act like a leader and value yourself, then why should they?
One final thought…
Remember why you do what you do in the first place. Don’t let the judgement of other people take away your passion, dedication and commitment to this job. You can do this and if they don’t appreciate what you do or the value that you add, find a school that will!
