Case studies

Ann Barr - North West DSBM

I am Bursar at a large, all boys' community secondary school in the Wirral. I have been in my post here for some 15 years and am a member of the senior management team.

I decided to follow the DSBM route which contained all the course content I needed and gave me just what I wanted in terms of my own professional development and of increasing the effectiveness of my contribution to whole-school management.

This course lived up to my high expectations. It gave me the opportunity to reflect on my role and how it fits into the overall structure of the school, my own leadership and management styles and my contribution to the teamwork which is part and parcel of the way the school operates. It also gave me the confidence to try new ideas and to take on board new initiatives, knowing that I could say, "Well it's part of my course, I'm committed to doing this".

I'm delighted with what's come out of the experience. Some initiatives which were prompted by the project work have taken off and are now firmly embedded in the school culture. I am particularly pleased with a couple of working groups, one of which focuses on ICT support and the other on the use of pupil data for assessment. These supply a forum for the sharing of ideas and experience between staff who are providing a service and those who are using it.

I learnt a lot, not just about the theories and strategies of leadership and management, but also about myself. I had excellent support from my school, which meant that both I and the school got maximum benefit from the course.

This course was hard work, but well worth it. It will suit anyone who already has the knowledge and experience to do the job of bursar or business manager, but wants to develop or confirm their leadership and management skills which are increasingly a part of our role.

Headteacher's view

Ann and I have worked together for 15 years and seen huge changes in both the responsibilities that now lie with schools and the way we manage our affairs. We share many values and principles, one of which is our continuous effort to take on challenges and do things better. The DSBM course seemed to be the first really worthwhile qualification to suit Ann's development needs and at the same time fit our school's development plans. As the leading non-teaching professional, who better to demonstrate the importance of continuing professional development than the bursar?

Judith Williams - North East DSBM

My career in education began in 1991 when I joined a rural secondary school (11-18) of 850 pupils. This was a temporary post for six months and was part time, term time, mainly to do basic clerking and photocopying for the school. I was returning to the workplace after a brief absence following the birth of my son. I was particularly interested in working in a school for the usual reason - school holidays.

I saw that the headteacher and teachers were spending time on tasks not connected with teaching or management of the school (eg selling sweatshirts, ordering stationery).

Although as a school clerk I was considered proficient in doing routine work, it was not expected that I would be capable of taking on any other tasks that would involve money, using initiative, line management or planning, despite my background experience.

I plucked up the courage and approached the headteacher with a business proposition. I asked if I could take over the selling of the sweatshirts, purchase in bulk, obtain a discount and make a profit to be ploughed back into school funds. In the first year I made a profit of £600 and the head realised what a relief it was to delegate the job of selling sweatshirts.

I gradually took on more of the routine financial tasks in the school, although heavily reliant on the local education authority (LEA). At first my role was very operational as I found I had to convince staff (both school and LEA) that I was capable of doing the work and that I could make a difference and manage projects, but at this time there was no formal training route for support staff to follow and I felt this hindered people's perception of my role as I was not qualified.

In 1998, I embarked on the National Bursars Association (NBA) Licentiate Scheme. This course helped me to reflect on my role and demonstrate my level of knowledge and expertise. I then also completed a course with the NBA and Lincoln University to become a mentor and assessor for the Licentiate Scheme and have since that time greatly enjoyed helping bursars develop and gain a qualification. I also ran a course in my local area explaining the role of bursars and the qualification routes then available.

When the pilot course for the Certificate of School Business Management was announced by DfES, I was quick to enrol. The course was stimulating and working with other bursars and business managers in the North East as they progressed in their training was a great joy and something I would not have dreamed of being possible just a few years ago.

As part of the remodelling agenda, and with the support of the headteacher, other members of the school support team also had a chance to develop their roles eg exams officer, data manager, cover supervisor and teaching assistants. I was, and still am, passionate about all support staff in schools having an opportunity to develop their role.

When the Diploma of School Business Management was introduced in 2004, I enrolled. This course challenged my thinking and enabled me to see how I could be more effective in a leadership role. As I completed the course, I saw I had developed from being someone who reacted to being proactive - from managing to leading. It also meant I was no longer happy to go back to my previous role and I wanted to go further in my career.

As I completed my diploma course a position of workforce remodelling co-ordinator for Durham was advertised. I saw this as an opportunity to influence what is happening in schools today. This role entails ensuring the remodelling agenda is rolled out to 304 schools in the LEA and to co-ordinate and deliver the necessary training and support to schools and headteachers. I applied and was successful in obtaining the situation, although many of the positions of this nature had been filled by senior advisers or headteachers in other LEAs.

Remodelling has really been an opportunity for me. I have been able to take a career path I would never have dreamed of when I first began in education. I also feel I have an opportunity to make a difference.

Laurence Frewin - DSBM, South West

I am a peripatetic bursar in three primary schools. I started the CSBM programme in November 2003 and, while it was a difficult juggling act balancing completing the course with my role, I graduated in February 2005 and subsequently went on to do the DSBM course in July 2005.

As a result of experience on the programmes, I have subsequently been involved with many building projects in all three schools including lift installation, classroom expansion, toilet refurbishment, improved accessibility in all schools and am currently engaged in a large project to expand one of my school's intake from 75 to 90, having driven this by putting a strategy to governors and following through with the LEA school organisation team. Fund-raising will be the next big part of this project. I have also led workforce remodelling in three schools, each with a different solution and I am just beginning to look at and plan a staffing review and Teaching and Learning Responsibilities (TLR) review and considering future plans for Every Child Matters: change for children and all the strands this encompasses eg extended schools, new relationship with schools etc.

The impact on the school has been significant, with core changes including improved staff morale, better, more modern facilities and technology available and better organised space.

Children are benefiting from new teaching practices which take advantage of the improved technology and the CPD which accompanies this. They enjoy the modern facilities and are proud of their environment and have better surroundings, which increases their enjoyment of being at school and learning. Improved security means less disruption due to vandalism and theft and the peace of mind which accompanies this improves morale as do the cost savings. The headteacher has much more time to focus on teaching and learning and is convinced that the best-ever Key Stage 2 SAT results are entirely due to the workload I have removed from him and the improvements I make, such as getting better value for money through a clear plan for using budgets, eg devolved capital, effectively. Furthermore, governors have a very clear picture of what is happening, what will happen, how this will be resourced and the impact and benefits for the school.

Completion of the programmes has given me a huge increase in my technical knowledge, which has been especially valuable as I only began working in education in September 2003, having previously worked for 17 years in the commercial sector (banking). Personal confidence in my technical skills and ability has grown greatly following this course, mainly by making me realise I have the capability and confidence to tackle the role of a business manager, despite lack of school experience.