SBM qualifications

There are three specific school business management qualifications for new or experienced professionals:

• Level 4 Diploma in School Business Management (formerly CSBM)
• Level 5 Diploma in School Business Management (formerly DSBM)
• Level 6 Diploma in School Business Management (formerly ADSBM)

NASBM is pleased to announce that we are now a member of the SBM Partnership, who are delivering courses for these qualifications at centres across the country and on-line. Click here to find out more about the SBM Partnership and how to register for the courses.

SBM qualifications are also delivered by Anglia Ruskin University, for further information please click here. 

Find out more about NASBM's training programme, click here.

Level 4 Diploma in School Business Management (formerly known as CSBM)

This qualification is aimed at SBM professionals who are moving into a leadership role. Professionals working outside the education sector may also find this qualification a useful starting point for their SBM professional development. Successful completion of this qualification will enable candidates to: 

• manage resources within a school more efficiently, effectively and sensitively 
• renew and develop an understanding of the purpose of business management in a school context evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of business management within a school 
• demonstrate leadership and management decision-making skills 
• undertake business management strategies that will support a school’s curriculum and learning development 
• understand the nature of schooling in the 21st century 
• understand the political, economic, social, legal and technical environment in which schools operate. 

Level 5 Diploma in School Business Management (formerly known as DSBM)

This qualification is aimed at the SBM professional who is working within the school’s senior leadership team. It focuses on the role the SBM can play in determining the strategic direction of the school. It aims to support the professional learning of candidates by:

• extending their knowledge and understanding of the changing SBM role within the context of global economic and social trends, national education and welfare policies, and local developments in the organisation and delivery of services to children and young people 
• extending their knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning in schools, policy initiatives related to personalised learning, and the management of resources for learning 
• extending their knowledge and understanding of school leadership, consultancy roles, and coaching and mentoring techniques 
• improving their research skills to understand the school as an organisation and critically evaluate its adaptation to the changing educational environment of the 21st century 
• developing their professional skills in measuring the performance of schools and evaluating the effectiveness of the systems and processes that facilitate learning 
• developing their professional skills, specifically in the key areas of performance management, programme management, strategic financial management, organisational transformation and change management.

Level 6 Diploma in School Business Management (formerly known as ADSBM)

This qualification is designed to support the professional learning of experienced SBM professionals to enhance their contribution to the leadership and management of their schools as they face new challenges in increasingly complex organisational settings. It aims to support the professional learning of candidates by:

• extending their knowledge and understanding of the changing SBM role within the context of global economic and social trends, national education and welfare policies, and local developments in the organisation and delivery of services to children and young people 
• extending their knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning in schools, policy initiatives related to personalised learning, and the management of resources for learning 
• extending their knowledge and understanding of school leadership, consultancy roles, and coaching and mentoring techniques 
• improving their research skills to understand the school as an organisation and critically evaluate its adaptation to the changing educational environment of the 21st century 
• developing their professional skills in measuring the performance of schools and evaluating the effectiveness of the systems and processes that facilitate learning 
• developing their professional skills, specifically in the key areas of performance management, programme management, strategic financial management, organisational transformation and change management.