School Business Manager Primary Cluster Grant 2014-15

In 2014, the School Business Manager Primary Cluster Grant was made available to schools. The grants were open to bids from clusters of primary schools to assist in the appointment of a cluster based school business manager. This role was one of the recommendations from the Department for Education’s Review of Efficiency in Schools, which highlighted the importance of having the expertise of a good school business manager, and how this was a factor associated with efficiency in the most effective schools.

There is much evidence to support the appointment of SBMs to provide:

• Financial savings, through improved procurement
• Financial efficiency
• Income generation
• And time savings for head teachers.

Typically successful applicants had no access to professional school business management, and the cluster approach has provided a cost effective means to providing a first-time solution to this.

Following the application process, 68 grants were approved and provided by the Department for Education (DfE). The successful applicants received funding to the value of £25,000 to support the appointment. 

On-going support support for SBM PC Grant clusters

NASBM and our partner FASNA have been working together to provide on-going support to the school clusters and their appointed SBMs during the period of the grant. Support from both parties’ remains in place during 2015.

Any questions relating to the grant programme should be emailed to: [email protected]. 

Resources

• Guidance to help school clusters understand the legal and organisational implications of any appointment.
• A spend analysis tool to help school clusters identify efficiency savings and thus demonstrate the impact of the SBM role.
• Example Cluster SBM job descriptions: Sample 1, Sample 2, Sample 3, Sample 
• SBM PC Grant National Conference - 12 December 2014- Full slide pack

Impact case studies

A series of case studies were developed by NASBM to support the evidence of success of the grant, and to facilitate the sharing of best practice. This webpage presents those 15 case studies according to themes (download the case studies by clicking on the pdf icon/s).

Theme 1 - Strategic planning - the Cluster SBM as a member of SLT and working with Governors in the strategic leadership and development of schools/cluster  

Theme 2: Small rural academies benefiting from shared service and economies of scale leading to identifiable savings  

Theme 3: Small rural maintained schools benefitting from shared service and economies of scale leading to identifiable savings  

Themes 4 and 5: Mixed school status (academy and non- academy) working collaboratively on cluster wide projects and Secondary school working with and supporting primary schools, leading to the provision of shared services  

Theme 6: Joint procurement savings from purchase or renegotiation of a contract  

Theme 7: Staff restructure leading to savings or improved utilisation 

Theme 8: School maintenance savings and shared resources 

Theme 9: Financial, audit and management control improvements leading to savings or improved reporting and compliance     

Theme 10: Improved outcomes for pupils through a new facility or service, for example, catering or UIFSMs  

Theme 11: Management of existing contractor(s) leading to savings / improved service  

Theme 12: Income generation – grants bid / income strategy 

Theme 13:  Multi-site working   

Themes 14 and 15: Formation of a new cluster and Creation of a new SBM role 

Five case studies from July 2015

These case studies were produced in July 2015. These case studies each cover a number of the same themes as those produced in April 2015 (above).