Laura Carter, a Senior Admin Officer, is currently studying to become a School Business Manager. She talks about her journey so far, why there’s no normal path to the role of SBL and shares her advice for Aspiring School Business Managers!
The episode at a glance:
[1:37] – Laura describes her journey into education.
[4:53] – Laura explains why she chose the SBM career path.
[6:49] – Laura talks about transferable skills from her previous roles and the value of the to-do list.
[8:45] – Laura explains her strategy for progression and where the SBM qualification fits into that.
[13:12] – Laura shares her advice for Aspiring SBMs.
You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you’d like to see in the future!
Leyla Tovey from School Business Services joins me to talk about National School Business Leaders Day, the challenges that SBLs have faced over the last year, why the SBL profession and community is so unique and why it is important to think big!
Also… keep listening until the end for a little surprise from me to celebrate National School Business Leaders Day!
The episode at a glance:
[1:50] –Leyla explains where the idea of National School Business Leaders Day (11th June 2021) came from and why it is important that SBLs are recognised for the amazing work that they do
[6:38] – Leyla talks about some eye-opening experiences from her long-term Bursar cover roles…
[13:16] – Leyla tells us about #SBLKudos and how school leaders (and fellow SBLs) can give SBLs a shout out both in the run up to and beyond National School Business Leaders Day
[16:11] – We talk about the power of the SBL community, the frustrations we face and the power of recognition
[19:34] – We talk about how by sharing a voice we can raise the profile and awareness of our amazing profession
[25:19] –Leyla gives you the full low-down on what’s happening, how to register and how to get involved in National School Business Leaders Day
[29:50] – Find out the details of my National School Business Leaders Day surprise!
You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you’d like to see in the future!
Lisa Murphy, School Business Manager, talks about the collaborative approach her school cluster has taken to GDPR and the Data Protection Officer structure. She talks about how they did it, the benefits they have seen and shares tips on how you can do it too!
The episode at a glance:
[2:29] –Lisa explains the concept behind the Collaborative Data Protection Officer Network that her school cluster have adopted
[7:00] – Lisa details the training that she and her colleagues undertook to gain the knowledge required to deliver this model
[9:26]– Lisa explains how the DPO network is growing and how the model has expanded to support other schools
[14:58] –Lisa shares her tips for starting your own DPO network
[21:44] –Lisa talks about the time commitment and processes involved in being a collaborative DPO
[24:35] – Lisa talks about the additional benefits that this type of model creates
[28:06] – Lisa shares her top tips for setting up a collaborative network and GDPR in general
You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you’d like to see in the future!
Welcome to the show about all things School Business Leadership!
If it doesn’t involve teaching children, then I can guarantee we’ll be talking about it here! Finance, HR, Governance and everything in between…
If you’re a School Business Manager, Headteacher, Senior Leader, Governor… actually, any type of school leader (!) – aspiring, new or experienced – and you want to learn more about the ‘business of education’ then this podcast is for you.
Don’t forget to hit ‘Subscribe’ so you don’t miss an episode!
Vicki Manning, Headteacher, talks about her amazing School Business Manager, how they have built a strong relationship & why the School Business Manager role is essential to the success of a school.
The episode at a glance:
[2:31] –Listen to why Vicki’s SBM is a pivotal part of the team.
[6:42] – Learn how Vicki’s relationship with her SBM developed over time and how they work together day to day.
[12:05] –Listen as Vicki talks about the teacher/support staff divide and how she approaches it as Headteacher.
[15:59] –The key ingredients of Vicki’s strong relationship with her SBM revealed!
[19:32] –Vicki talks about how she line manages her SBM differently to her SLT
[20:36] – Vicki talks about the importance of CPD for her SBM and in particular, the impact that coaching has had
[23:11] –Learn how coaching has affected Vicki’s relationship with her SBM
[26:30] –Vicki gets super-specific about the value her SBM adds to her school and why she believes all Heads should spend time investing in and developing not only the role but the relationship
You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you’d like to see in the future!
You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you’d like to see in the future!
Lorraine Ashover, Director of Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services, shares 5 things that all SBLs need to know about procurement!
The episode at a glance:
[2:07] –Lorraine tells me why she wanted to work in the education sector, how she got into procurement and why it can be a tricky area to navigate
[8:01] – Learn about the impact of Brexit on procurement processes – what’s the same and what’s changed
[14:08] – Learn how to assess which procurement process to use and when you might consider switching it up
[24:28] – Lorraine emphasises why you should always read the fine print in contracts and shares her tips on how you can tweak contracts to work to your advantage
[35:23] – Lorraine explains how to put contract management systems in place after you have completed the procurement process
[47:55] – Lorraine explains the benefits of collaboration in the procurement process and shares some examples
[58:13] – Lorraine discusses how contracts have been affected by the pandemic and how they may be impacted moving forward
[60:30] – Find out which frameworks Lorraine recommends and when to consider using them
[67:07] – Listen to Lorraine’s recommendations as to where you can find further procurement advice and support
You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you’d like to see in the future!
You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you’d like to see in the future!
You asked and I answered… Today, it’s me in the hot seat answering your questions! Talking about my life as a SBL, my journey to SBL coach, supporter and champion and everything in between…
Here’s to 10% braver!
The episode at a glance:
[0:41] – Had I not gone into education, what would my career have been and why? I tell you about my ‘almost’ careers and why surprisingly, I’m not too far away from them!
[1:47] – How did I become a SBM? I explain my roundabout route into the role and why it was definitely not part of my plan…
[3:00] – What was my favourite thing about being an SBM? So many things… I have a list (of course!)
[3:52] – What made me decide to come out of schools? I talk through my education career path and how that led me to where I am now.
[5:50] – How do I keep current now I’m not working in a school? Hint: it involves doing something I absolutely love to do!
[7:18] – Do I have a special talent or party trick? I reveal a couple of random skills… one useful, one not so much!
[8:15] – What is my favourite ever conference or training experience? I tell all about how I ended up speaking at my first conference… by accident!
[12:10] – What is the coolest project I’ve ever worked on? I share my thoughts on project dynamics.
[12:53] – Advice for new or aspiring SBMs? I talk about why education can be a strange place and how you can feel at home more quickly.
[13:26] – What area of the SBM role did I struggle with most? I talk about why this area was a struggle and where the ‘mental block’ came from…
[14:04] – What is the one thing I wish I had learnt sooner? Hindsight is a wonderful thing and hopefully, mine can help you!
[15:40] – What is my favourite Friends moment? I epicly fail to narrow it down… but I do have a shortlist!
[16:17] – How do we keep resilience going as SBLs? I talk about SBL CPD and the power of the SBL community.
[18:24] – What advice would I give someone who is at crisis point? I explain what you should (and shouldn’t) do…
[19:47] – If I could coach anybody, who would I choose to coach and what would I try and help them to do? Officially the hardest question.
[20:21] – What is the bravest thing I’ve ever done? I talk about how composure and 10% braver have been critical tools for me.
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You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you’d like to see in the future!
Jonny Coates, Business and Finance Director, joins me to talk about making the move from primary to secondary, the jaw-dropping challenges that came with it and the lessons he learned along the way….
The episode at a glance:
[3:34] –Jonny describes his journey into school business leadership
[7:33] –Jonny talks about the main differences he found between primary and secondary schools
[13:44] – Think you’ve heard it all? Think again. Jonny talks about his first day in his new job and the bombshells that followed
[23:02] –Jonny shares the challenges of culture change
[29:57] – Jonny describes his experience with a common emotion in the SBL role – loneliness – and how he went about fixing it
You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you’d like to see in the future!
