Category: HR + Skills

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Claire Walters, Academy Business Manager, joins me to share 7 tips to help you manage your school site safely and efficiently. We talk site managers, systems, schedules and contractors. You will definitely need a pad and a pen for this one!

The episode at a glance:

[1:55] –Claire talks about how she moved into the role of SBM 

[4:00] –Claire explains why it’s good to be nosy!

[11:19] –Claire talks all things checklists

[13:16] –Claire shares her insights on how to build a positive relationship with your site manager

[23:56]  –Claire tells us about the importance of a quick and accurate fault-logging system that works for everyone 

[35:20]  –Claire explains why she wishes she had created a service maintenance schedule sooner and how she went about it 

[42:40] – Claire talks about contractor management and what you can put in place to do this effectively 

[48:04] –Claire emphasises how important it is to walk the building regularly

[52:47] – Claire shares her thoughts on how to effectively line manage a site manager and the importance of setting targets

[58:38] – Claire has some helpful advice for where to start if you are feeling overwhelmed

Related content:

– Follow Claire on Twitter

If you’re a School Business Leader:

– PODCAST: 5 Things SBLs need to know about procurement

– PODCAST: How to hit the ground running without a handover

– BLOG: How to build your confidence

– BLOG: Are you feeling out of your depth?

– RESOURCE: HSE

– RESOURCE: The School Bus

– RESOURCE: The Key

– RESOURCE: IOSH courses

– RESOURCE: 365 Planner

Want to be a guest on the podcast?

Click here to leave me your details and I’ll be in touch soon!

Subscribe:

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Get in touch:

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 can also find Laura here…

–       Website, Blog & Free Resources

–       Twitter

–       Instagram

–       Facebook

–       LinkedIn

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Lisa Blatchford and Traysi-Jane Higgin join me to talk about the process of moving their payroll service from an external provider to in-house. We talk about planning, support and audit as well as exactly what to do if you want to follow in their footsteps…

The episode at a glance:

[2:45] –Lisa and Traysi explain how issues with their external payroll provider drove them to investigate alternatives

[14:13] –Lisa and Traysi talk about how and where they found the knowledge they needed to get the process started

[18:11] –Lisa and Traysi talk about the robust payroll proposal they presented to the MAT Board and how they put it together

[26:44] – Lisa and Traysi talk about the timeline from proposal to implementation

[33:56] –Lisa and Traysi talk about the challenges within both LA schools and MATs in terms of changing providers

[41:20] –Lisa and Traysi talk about support and succession planning to ensure the success of an in-house payroll service

[48:22] –Lisa and Traysi share their ‘must-haves’ if you are looking to switch to an in-house payroll service

Related content:

– Follow Lisa & Traysi on Twitter

If you’re a School Business Leader:

– PODCAST: How to develop the SBL role and gain recognition

– PODCAST: 5 things SBLs need to know about procurement

– BLOG: Top tips – Being a COO

– BLOG: Should you outsource your HR?

– RESOURCE: HMRC Payroll advice

– RESOURCE: CIPP Training

Want to be a guest on the podcast?

Click here to leave me your details and I’ll be in touch soon!

Subscribe:

If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes! 

·      Or click here if it’s easier!

Get in touch:

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 can also find Laura here…

–       Website, Blog & Free Resources

–       Twitter

–       Instagram

–       Facebook

–       LinkedIn

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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

Related content:

– Follow Lisa on LinkedIn

Resources mentioned:

– GDPRiS (in Schools) YouTube

– Data Protection Toolkit for Schools

– IT Governance Courses

– University of Derby: Free GDPR Course

– ICO Website

If you’re an SBM:

– PODCAST: 6 Strategic Tools for SBLs

– PODCAST: 5 Things SBLs Need To Know About Procurement

Want to be a guest on the podcast?

Click here to leave me your details and I’ll be in touch soon!

Subscribe:

If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes! 

·      Or click here if it’s easier!

Get in touch:

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 can also find Laura here…

–       Website, Blog & Free Resources

–       Twitter

–       Instagram

–       Facebook

–       LinkedIn

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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

Related content:

You can find Lorraine at:

–       Website: www.minervapcs.com  

–       Twitter: @minervapcsboss

Procurement Advice and Support for School Business Leaders:

–       DfE Buying for Schools & Regional Buying Hubs

–       Achilles – Public Sector Procurement

–       Procurement Portal – Mills & Reeve

–       ISBL – Chartered Institute Purchasing & Supply Award

Subscribe:

If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes! 

·      Or click here if it’s easier!

Get in touch:

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 can also find Laura here…

–       Website, Blog & Free Resources

–       Twitter

–       Instagram

–       Facebook

–       LinkedIn

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Helen Burge, Deputy Chief Operations Officer, returns for the fourth episode of the Summer of CPD podcast series.

Helen joins me to talk about sustainability, why it’s important and what she thinks the SBL role has to do with it! She shares her ideas about what actions we can take and gives us tips on how we can get the conversation going.

The episode at a glance:

[1:36] –Helen describes how the sustainability agenda relates to the school environment and why she feels so passionately about it

[4:51]  – Helen talks about why the sustainability agenda isn’t as far removed from the SBL role than you might think 

[8:58] –We dig into the detail of how schools can support sustainability in a variety of areas

[15:50] – Helen talks about change over time, why a plan is important and how we can involve others and gain support

[26:22] –Helen shares her tips on where to start and encourages SBLs to get in touch!

Related content:

– Follow Helen on Twitter

– Check out Helen’s blog

– PODCAST: 6 Strategic Tools for SBLs – Helen’s previous solo podcast

– PODCAST: SBL Wellbeing: Top Tips – Helen’s group podcast – the ABBLed roundtable

– ISBL Standards

– Eco Schools Website

– Plastic Free Schools

– Salix Funding

– Woodland Trust

Want to be a guest on the podcast?

Click here to leave me your details and I’ll be in touch soon!

Subscribe:

If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes! 

·      Or click here if it’s easier!

Get in touch:

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 can also find Laura here…

–       Website, Blog & Free Resources

–       Twitter

–       Instagram

–       Facebook

–       LinkedIn

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Jonny Coates, Business and Finance Director, returns for the fifth episode of the Summer of CPD podcast series!

Jonny joins me to talk about the how’s, why’s and what on earth’s involved in becoming a paperless school! He shares his tips on where to start, the benefits you’ll see and how to get others on board…

The episode at a glance:

[1:43] –Jonny talks about why he started on his paperless journey, how it improved his productivity, and his step-by-step plan to achieve it.

[9:37] –Jonny explains how he got others on board

[16:51] –Jonny talks about the COVID effect on digital systems and processes and the importance of virtual tools for communication

[21:48] –Jonny expands on the benefits of being a paperless school as part of the sustainability agenda

[26:01] –Jonny explains how you can support people through the process of moving to a paperless workplace

[35:20] –Jonny talks about why he isn’t recommending specific systems, how you can explore moving to a paperless school and where to find support

Related content:

– Follow Jonny on Twitter

– PODCAST: Moving from Primary to Secondary – Jonny’s previous podcast

– BLOG: How to set goals in 2021

Want to be a guest on the podcast?

Click here to leave me your details and I’ll be in touch soon!

Subscribe:

If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes! 

·      Or click here if it’s easier!

Get in touch:

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 can also find Laura here…

–       Website, Blog & Free Resources

–       Twitter

–       Instagram

–       Facebook

–       LinkedIn

Listen on…

Lorraine Ashover, Director of Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services, returns for the third episode of the Summer of CPD podcast series!

She joins me to share her tips on how to plan your procurement timetable.

How long should it take? How long could it take? How long should each stage of the process last for?

We’ve got the answers for you in today’s episode!

The episode at a glance:

[1:46] – Lorraine emphasises the need for setting up and understanding timetables now before the craziness of the new academic year carries us away! 

[3:01] – Where to start in terms of document preparation

[7:43] – Lorraine digs into the detail of the different stages and timelines 

[14:21] –Lorraine shares the common sticking points with procurement timetables and processes

Related content:

– Follow Lorraine on Twitter

– Check out Lorraine’s website – Minerva Procurement Consultancy

– Read Lorraine’s blog on this topic

Resources:

PODCAST: 5 Things SBLs Need To Know About Procurement – Lorraine’s previous podcast

PODCAST: 7 Tips For Good Estates Management

Want to be a guest on the podcast?

Click here to leave me your details and I’ll be in touch soon!

Subscribe:

If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes! 

·      Or click here if it’s easier!

Get in touch:

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 can also find Laura here…

–       Website, Blog & Free Resources

–       Twitter

–       Instagram

–       Facebook

–       LinkedIn