school finances - forum training professional development · welcome to the march issue of school...

Access to practical expertise for SBMs, bursars and school administrators

Inside: 20 pages of ready-to-use checklists and tools!

Issue 30 | March 2019

Inside: Engaging contractorsHow to do it without increasing liability

Learning walksFocusing on health and safety

RecruitmentGetting it right from the beginning

Staff well-beingWays to encourage employee health

Roofing projectsFire risks and safety

Special topic:

School financesManaging amid falling per-pupil spendingChanges to teachers’ pay 2018–20Teaching, learning and finance management

www.sbmmagonline.co.uk March 2019 | School Business Manager Magazine

From the editorWelcome to the March issue of School Business Manager Magazine. Budgeting and finances are always high on the agenda for SBMs, so that is the focus of our special topic this month. We kick off with primary school headteacher Helen Frostick’s account of how her school revised its financial management in 2016–17. She details how to implement new funding streams, to

ensure that cuts are effective, and to create economies of scale.Nathan Waites summarises the October 2018 changes to the STPCD

and the September 2018 teachers’ pay grant, and what these mean for different school budgets. In his article ‘Teaching, learning and finance management’, Richard Steward makes the case for SBMs to become involved with pupils, teachers and classrooms, in order to inform their financial decisions and ensure efficient resource management.

Other topics include how to engage contractors without increasing the school’s liability. With school budgets squeezed across the country, it can be tempting to employ the cheaper option when engaging contractors. Kevin Clarke considers how to make decisions regarding contractors that are good for your whole school, not just the school budget.

In the second part of his two-part article on learning walks, Matt Bromley turns to the specifics of health and safety and offers suggestions on what to look out for when ‘walking the floor’.

Another area in which SBMs are closely involved is recruitment. Theresa Allotey shares her experiences and knowledge, and sets out the recruitment process step by step in ‘Recruitment: getting it right from the beginning’.

With an increasing focus from Ofsted on staff well-being, Steve Burnage shares seven ways in which schools can support their staff in taking better care of themselves.

If your school is planning any roofing projects then Peter Hendrickson’s article is a must-read. An expert in the field, he outlines the fire risks associated with roofing work and emergency repairs, and looks at ways to avoid the risks and engage the right contractor for the job.

The issue closes with our regular reader Q&A feature, answering questions on: increasing your school’s physical capacity to accommodate increased pupil numbers; teachers’ workload; and the multiplication tables check. If you have any questions or suggestions for future issues, please send them to me at [email protected], and don’t forget to use your online access at www.sbmmagonline.co.uk if you are a Premium or Premium Plus subscriber.

I hope you enjoy this issue.

Nikki Lucas-KrolEditor-in-chief

Published by:Forum Business Media Ltd, 3rd Floor Regal House, 70 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3QS.Reg. in England at the above address, reg. no.: 4425871 VAT no.: GB 799092370

Subscriptions:Telephone: +44 (0)20 8243 8704Fax: +44 (0)20 8043 0548Email: [email protected]: www.sbmmagonline.co.uk

© Forum Business Media Ltd 2019.All rights reserved. Toolkit documents may be photocopied for use within your organisation. No other part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Forum Business Media Ltd.

Disclaimer:Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is correct at the time of publication, the Publisher and the authors accept no responsibility for any errors, text omissions or advice given in the publication.

Team:Editor-in-chief: Nikki Krol [email protected]

Editor: Jo Kemp

Events and advertising: Jessica Sarfas [email protected]

Design and print: Mimeo Limited, Units 1-3, The Ermine Centre, Hurricane Close, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6XX.

ISSN 2048-8254

Join School Business Manager

Magazine on LinkedIn and twitter for further discussion and updates.

From the editor 3

www.sbmmagonline.co.uk School Business Manager Magazine | March 2019

4 Contents

Where you see this logo there is more information

on the subject available to Premium Plus subscribers at

School Business Manager Magazine Online.

Premium Plus subscribers receive a paper copy of the magazine, as well as unlimited access to the archive and additional content online. • Access expert advice and

practical tools immediately via our comprehensive archive of articles and straightforward navigation and search facilities.

• Save time with our bank of customisable Word documents enabling you to focus on doing the best job in the shortest time.

• Ask an expert, who will answer the most frequently asked questions in our Q&A feature online and in the magazine.

• Use your time efficiently by cutting bureaucracy with our template documents, which help you focus on doing the best job in the shortest time.

• Get value for money: all this online information, plus the School Business Manager Magazine delivered to you four times a year.

Upgrade your subscription to include access to the website. Go to: www.sbmmagonline.co.uk or call our customer services department on 020 8941 8589.

In this issue


Contents 5

07 Stretching school finances amid falling per-pupil spendingHelen Frostick outlines how her school has revised its financial management in 2016–17.

10 Engaging contractors without increasing liabilityKevin Clarke considers how to make decisions regarding contractors that are good for your whole school, not just the school budget.

12 Making effective use of learning walks: part 2In the second part of his two-part article on learning walks, Matt Bromley turns to the specifics of health and safety.

19 Recruitment: getting it right from the beginningTheresa Allotey shares her experiences and knowledge regarding recruiting as an SBM, and sets out the recruitment process step by step.

23 Summary of changes to teachers’ pay: 2018–20Nathan Waites summarises the October 2018 changes to the STPCD, the September 2018 teachers’ pay grant, and what these mean for different school budgets.

27 ToolkitUse these ready-made resources to streamline the processes discussed in the articles.

56 Teaching, learning and finance managementRichard Steward makes the case for SBMs to go beyond their offices to become involved with pupils, teachers and classrooms.

60 Promoting staff well-being: seven ways to encourage employee healthSteve Burnage shares seven ways in which schools can support their staff in taking better care of themselves.

65 Roofing projects: the fire risk and safe roofing specificationRoofing expert Peter Henrickson outlines the fire risks associated with roofing work and emergency repairs, and how to avoid them.

68 Q&AThe Q&A answers questions on: accommodating increased pupil numbers; teachers’ workload; and the multiplication tables check.

Premium Plus content:Exclusive online content for Premium Plus subscribers:

Articles:• Practical tips to improve communication:

PowerPoint and guidance notes

Toolkits:• Form – Outcomes of a SEN learning walk• Handout – Practical tips to improve communication


Summary of changes to teachers’ pay: 2018–20 23

Summary of changes to teachers’ pay: 2018–20Nathan Waites summarises the October 2018 changes to the STPCD, the September 2018 teachers’ pay grant, and what these mean for different school budgets.

Many schools will, however, choose to follow the previous ‘M’ scale bandings in between the minima and maxima, applying the same percentage increases. You can see a summary of these changes on the National Education Union website (https://neu.org.uk).

AcademiesWhile this statutory guidance applies to teachers employed in maintained schools, and teachers who have not been subject to revision/renegotiation of contracts in previously maintained schools upon academy conversion, it does not necessarily apply to all.

School teachers’ pay and conditionsThe new School teachers' pay and condition document (STPCD) came into force with effect from 1 September 2018 and was finalised by the government in October 2018. The STPCD applies to all teachers in maintained schools, and to any teachers who were employed at time of conversion from a maintained school to an academy, assuming there was no other revision of contracts. The document sets out that: • a 3.5% uplift is applied to the statutory

minima and maxima of the main pay range and of the unqualified teachers’ pay range

• a 2% uplift to the statutory minima and maxima of the upper pay range, the leading practitioner pay range and all allowances across all pay ranges

• a 1.5% uplift to the leadership pay ranges (including headteacher groups).

Summary points

�� Changes to the School teachers' pay and conditions document (STPCD) came into force from 1 September 2018. It details pay range uplifts for unqualified teachers, leading practitioners and members of the leadership team.�� In September 2018, the DfE announced a

teachers’ pay grant, to help support the cost of rises above and beyond the previous 1% pay cap.�� Each school will perceive the benefit of the

teachers’ pay grant differently compared with their original budget, based on a number of factors.


24 Summary of changes to teachers’ pay: 2018–20

What’s the impact?After a period of austerity and the public sector pay cap, some schools may only have been forecasting a flat 1% pay rise for teachers. Others may have taken the view that at some point it would rise, and budgeted a 2% rise from September 2018, particularly after the National Joint Council (NJC) pay scales for support staff rose in April 2018. Some may have taken the view that there could be a flat 3.5% pay rise for all teachers at all levels in line with recommendations from the school teachers review board.

However, some schools will have been left struggling to find the additional funds required to meet the additional cost base. In September 2018, the Department for Education (DfE) announced a teachers’ pay grant, to help support the cost of rises above and beyond the previous 1% pay cap. This is worth £187m in the 2018–19 fiscal year (April to March) and £321m in 2019–20.

The DfE calculated the overall annual pay bill for teachers, including additional costs such as pensions and national insurance, and applied the average percentage uplift of the announced 2018–19 pay award, then subtracted the 1% that schools would have been planning for, in line with the previous public sector pay cap.

The 2018–19 grant represents 7/12 of this figure, to provide for the 7 months between September 2018 and March 2019, and was paid at the end of October/early November 2018. The 2019–20 figure represents the ongoing cost of the 2018 pay award and so is for the 12 months of that financial year, which will be paid around May 2019. The grant will be paid based on the number of pupils at the rates per pupil shown in the tables (published September 2018).

So how do I know where I stand?Each school will perceive the teachers’ pay grant differently compared with their original budget, based on a number of factors; primarily on what percentage increase they originally budgeted for (1% or greater), and the proportion of teachers in each element of the pay scale. Some may have benefited from the grant if they have

Academies must ensure that they adopt their own pay policy. This is commonly in line with recommendations made in the STPCD, but there is some flexibility for academies to set their own pay scales. It is, however, worth noting that paying below the market rate may not attract the best candidates in a competitive market place, while setting higher pay rates will also attract increased ‘on-costs’, (employer national insurance and pension contributions), and so should be considered for their long-term viability.

Rates for primary schools

Region Rate in 2018–19 (£)

Rate in 2019–20 (£)

Inner London 19.51 33.65

Outer London 18.05 31.13

London fringe 16.90 29.14

Rest of England 16.40 28.29

Rates for secondary schools (with the same rate for all 11- to 19-year-olds)


Rate in 2019–20 (£)





Rates for special and alternative provision schools


Rate in 2019–20 (£)





Rates

“ Each school will perceive the teachers’ pay grant differently compared with their original budget.”


Summary of changes to teachers’ pay: 2018–20 25

who may all have input in reaching budgeting decisions in which the school can have confidence. It goes without saying that in times of uncertainty, decisions must be made with a collaborative and collegiate approach, as such budgeting calculations can affect other decisions made across the school.

Further information • School teachers' pay and conditions document, DfE,

October 2018: http://bit.ly/Pay-and-conditions • National Education Union, pay scales 2018–19:

http://bit.ly/NEU-pay-scales • ‘Teachers to receive up to 3.5% pay rise’, Hélène

Mulholland, TES, July 2018: www.tes.com/news/teachers-receive-35-pay-rise

• ‘Exclusive: Schools hit by devastating rise in pension costs’, Dave Speck, TES, September 2018: www.tes.com/news/exclusive-schools-hit-devastating-rise-pension-costs

Nathan Waites has a decade’s experience as a School Business Leader in a variety of maintained

and independent schools. He is currently Chief Financial & Operating Officer for The De Curci Trust, and is also a Fellow and member of the Advisory Panel of the ISBL. You can contact him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-waites-mba-5321a55a/

budgeted for a higher percentage increase, while those that have budgeted for a 1% flat increase, with a predominantly main scale staff base, may find that the grant does not cover increased costs. Some budgeting systems, particularly those provided by some of the larger software companies, may allow you to alter the percentage increases/pay scales to compare the increased costs and additional income.

What does the future hold?To date, only the above information has been published to cover the period until March 2020. At the time of writing, there is no further indication of what may happen to teachers’ pay scales from September 2019. This will always remain a talking point among school business leaders, school staff, governors and trust boards, with guidelines frequently not being confirmed until they are published. Some may feel it prudent to budget for a flat 2% increase in future years, or choose to base their calculations around inflation at around 2.4%, or base it on their own assumptions.

It is important to note that it has been reported that teachers’ pension scheme contributions are also set to rise in September 2019, from 16.48% to 23.6%. This would see an increase in those costs to schools of over 40%. The government has initially indicated that it will help fund the increased costs of these rises, perhaps in the form of a similar teachers’ pension grant or through central funding.

“ In times of uncertainty, decisions must be made with a collaborative and collegiate approach.”

SummaryWhatever your budgeting decisions, it is important to ensure that key colleagues are consulted, including, for example, the headteacher, governors and trustees, and auditors or local authority representatives


68 Q&A

Q&AWe answer some frequently asked questions.

Q We are an academy trust that would like to increase our pupil numbers and we are discussing plans to add additional classrooms to accommodate this. We are unsure about the formal process we should adopt. Could you help us please?

A If you were only planning to change your published admission number (PAN) without increasing the overall physical capacity of your building, this would not be considered a significant change. You would only need to follow the procedures identified in the School Admissions Code.

However, as you are planning to increase your school’s physical capacity, this is considered to be a significant change and will affect clauses in your funding agreement. As such, it is important to make sure that you follow the right procedure. You must submit your proposal to the Department for Education (DfE), and the decision about whether you can go ahead or not will be made by the Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) on behalf of the Secretary of State.

It is likely that if you are a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ school then an increase in capacity can be fast tracked. However, if you are not in these categories or are proposing a satellite expansion, then you will have to submit a full business case. You may also have to do this if the expansion is considered to be contentious.

You will need to demonstrate that you are in good financial health and have the capacity to make the changes without


Q&A 69

• reviewing and reducing the number of attainment data collection points per year and how these are used. The guideline for data collection points is given as no more than two or three a year.

The DfE has announced that it accepts the recommendations of the report in full and that it will carry out further research into the possibility of producing a workload reduction checklist for the toolkit in 2019. It has committed to working with stakeholders to improve teachers’ understanding of the principles of good formative assessment and will provide direction to schools on the opportunities for cloud-based working.

The issue of performance management and its links to data was raised in the report. However, the DfE continues to be convinced that an objective method of identifying and rewarding high-performing teachers can be found. In the meantime, you should avoid performance management discussions that are based on assessment data for a single group of pupils or teacher-generated attainment or progress data, or automatically generated predictions.

compromising your existing services. You will also need evidence that the local authority does not object to the change and that there will be no potential impact on a free school that is planned for the area. You will need to hold an open local consultation and the department will need to see that the changes you are proposing fit in with local pupil place plans.

You will also need to update the school’s details on the DfE’s ‘Get information about school’ (GIAS) database. For more details you should read the document Making significant changes to an academy and closure by mutual agreement. This also provides information about what you should do in the case of other proposed changes to your academy.

Further information• Making significant changes to an

academy and closure by mutual agreement, DfE, October 2018: http://bit.ly/Significant-Changes

Q I know that the government is looking closely at the issue of workload for teachers. Are there any measures being recommended that we should be aware of?

A One of the main issues in relation to teacher workload is that of the use of data. Not only is its use being linked to unintend-ed consequences when it comes to the curriculum, but is also linked to teachers’ workload. The government has now issued its response to the workload advisory group ‘Making data work’. As such, you would be well advised to consider the data manage-ment systems that you use and the extent to which they can be said to add benefit to pupils.

Recommendations from the workload advisory group include: • minimising or eliminating the number of

pieces of information teachers have to compile

• having simple systems for logging behaviour incidents and other pastoral information


70 Q&A

ORDER FORMFax to: +44 (0)20 8043 0548Or post to: Forum Business Media Ltd, 3rd Floor, Regal House, 70 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3QS, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 8243 8704, Fax: +44 (0)20 8043 0548, [email protected]

■ Yes, I want to order Attendance Matters Magazine Premium Plus subscription (online article and toolkit archive, plus additional relevant material, plus 4 x printed magazines a year)

Price P&P VAT Total price £179.99 + £17.99 + £14.04 = £212.02 54944/2/99156

■ Yes, I want to order Attendance Matters Magazine Premium subscription (4 x printed magazines a year plus online access to toolkit documents in Word)


■ Yes, I want to order Attendance Matters Magazine Print only subscription (4 issues a year)

Price P&P Total price £109.99 + £17.99 = £127.98 4944/1/99156

Payment■ Payment enclosed (cheque payable to Forum Business Media Ltd) ■ Please invoice me:

PO number .............................................................................................■ Credit or debit card - please place your order online via

www.forumbusinessmedia.co.uk to pay by credit or debit card.

Delivery address

Subscriber's name: ...................................................................................................

Subscriber's job: .......................................................................................................

School type: ............................................................................................................... e.g. state, primary, special etc.

Telephone: .................................................................................................................

Fax: ..............................................................................................................................

Address: ......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

Postcode: ...................................................................................................................

Email: .......................................................................................................................... We need an email address to fulfil this order.

Customer signature: .................................................................................................

The data you provide will be used for administrative purposes, and from time to time we would like to contact you with details of our products and services that may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive these messages please tick the relevant box:

By post ■ By telephone ■ By fax ■ By email ■

Terms and conditions: By ordering our products you agree to be bound by our terms and conditions. This magazine is a subscription product. You have 14 days from date of receipt of your first issue to return the magazine to us and cancel your subscription. The goods must be in their original condition and the return made at your own expense. Cancellations may not be made after the 14 day cancellation period and our invoice will be payable. Re-subscription after you have received the four issues is automatic. At the end of your subscription year you will automatically be re-invoiced for the next year’s subscription. We reserve the right to increase prices on renewal. You must notify us if you do not wish to renew your subscription before the end of your current subscription period. Once your subscription has been renewed cancellation is not possible until the end of the next subscription period. For more details of our terms and conditions visit www.forumbusinessmedia.co.uk. Payment terms: 14 days from date of invoice. Credit/Debit card payments will only be processed on despatch of goods. Contents: The contents list is provisional and for exemplification, and the contents may vary on publication: some content may be delivered via subsequent issues or online. Delivery: The above P&P charge is for UK orders only, for orders outside the UK please contact our Customer Services Team. Please allow 28 days for delivery after publication.

Forum Business Media Ltd, 3rd Floor, Regal House, 70 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3QS, UK Forum Business Media Ltd. Registered No. 4425871 in England. Registered Office: address above. VAT No: 799092370

THE PRACTICAL MAGAZINE TO BOOST ATTENDANCE!

ATTENDANCE MATTERS MAGAZINEAttendance Matters Magazine gives you concise, straightforward articles focusing on current issues in attendance for schools, along with ready-to-use template documents, giving you solutions tailored to your school’s needs.This quarterly magazine enables you to develop your understanding of recent changes to government guidelines on attendance, as well as to implement strategies effectively to improve attendance within your school.

To order today simply use the form below or visit www.attendancemattersmagonline.co.uk for further information. Alternatively you can call us on 020 8243 8704 to order. @FBM_Education

AMM Upgrade Ad – NEW.indd 1 28/11/2017 14:22

will be reported to each school for all the pupils who took the check. Schools will receive school-level results and individual pupil results, but these cannot be used as a diagnostic tool. Ofsted will have access to the information and schools will be expected to benchmark the performance of their pupils against national and local authority results. However, the results will not appear in performance tables.

You do have a little time still to prepare. The new test will not be administered until 2020 and we may see yet more changes before this time.

Further information• Multiplication tables check assessment

framework, Standards and Testing Agency, November 2018: http://bit.ly/MTC-framework

If you do use targets with your pupils you might want to review the methods you use for setting and tracking these. It is important that alongside motivating pupils you are also considering their mental health.

It is also important that you include your governors in discussions about teacher workload and the importance the DfE is now placing on this. The message does seem to be hitting home that data management is a huge issue for schools and one of the reasons why so many teachers have chosen to leave the profession.

Further information• Teacher workload advisory group report

and government response, Making data work: Teacher workload advisory group report, DfE, November 2018: http://bit.ly/WAG-report

Q How should we prepare for the new MTC?

A It is a little ironic that in the same month as the government subscribed to the report on teacher workload and data management it also launched its plans for data collection for a new test. The multiplication tables check (MTC) is intended to take no more than 5 minutes to complete. It will be available as a voluntary check at the end of this school year (2018–19) to all eligible Year 4 pupils. In year 2019–20 all schools will be required to implement the test, although some pupils may be withdrawn.

A new publication, Multiplication tables check assessment framework, has been released to give guidance to those who are preparing the assessment materials. More details for schools and teachers will be available in the annual Assessment and reporting arrangements (ARA) document, which will be published later this year. There will also be more details about the IT equipment and operating systems needed in MTC administration guidance that is anticipated early this year.

The MTC will be delivered online using a computer or tablet. Scores will be generated automatically and a total score out of 25

ORDER FORMFax to: +44 (0)20 8043 0548Or post to: Forum Business Media Ltd, 3rd Floor, Regal House, 70 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3QS, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 8243 8704, Fax: +44 (0)20 8043 0548, [email protected]

■ Yes, I want to order Attendance Matters Magazine Premium Plus subscription (online article and toolkit archive, plus additional relevant material, plus 4 x printed magazines a year)


■ Yes, I want to order Attendance Matters Magazine Premium subscription (4 x printed magazines a year plus online access to toolkit documents in Word)


■ Yes, I want to order Attendance Matters Magazine Print only subscription (4 issues a year)

Price P&P Total price £109.99 + £17.99 = £127.98 4944/1/99156

Payment■ Payment enclosed (cheque payable to Forum Business Media Ltd) ■ Please invoice me:

PO number .............................................................................................■ Credit or debit card - please place your order online via

www.forumbusinessmedia.co.uk to pay by credit or debit card.

Delivery address

Subscriber's name: ...................................................................................................

Subscriber's job: .......................................................................................................

School type: ............................................................................................................... e.g. state, primary, special etc.

Telephone: .................................................................................................................

Fax: ..............................................................................................................................

Address: ......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

Postcode: ...................................................................................................................

Email: .......................................................................................................................... We need an email address to fulfil this order.

Customer signature: .................................................................................................

The data you provide will be used for administrative purposes, and from time to time we would like to contact you with details of our products and services that may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive these messages please tick the relevant box:

By post ■ By telephone ■ By fax ■ By email ■

Terms and conditions: By ordering our products you agree to be bound by our terms and conditions. This magazine is a subscription product. You have 14 days from date of receipt of your first issue to return the magazine to us and cancel your subscription. The goods must be in their original condition and the return made at your own expense. Cancellations may not be made after the 14 day cancellation period and our invoice will be payable. Re-subscription after you have received the four issues is automatic. At the end of your subscription year you will automatically be re-invoiced for the next year’s subscription. We reserve the right to increase prices on renewal. You must notify us if you do not wish to renew your subscription before the end of your current subscription period. Once your subscription has been renewed cancellation is not possible until the end of the next subscription period. For more details of our terms and conditions visit www.forumbusinessmedia.co.uk. Payment terms: 14 days from date of invoice. Credit/Debit card payments will only be processed on despatch of goods. Contents: The contents list is provisional and for exemplification, and the contents may vary on publication: some content may be delivered via subsequent issues or online. Delivery: The above P&P charge is for UK orders only, for orders outside the UK please contact our Customer Services Team. Please allow 28 days for delivery after publication.

Forum Business Media Ltd, 3rd Floor, Regal House, 70 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3QS, UK Forum Business Media Ltd. Registered No. 4425871 in England. Registered Office: address above. VAT No: 799092370

THE PRACTICAL MAGAZINE TO BOOST ATTENDANCE!

ATTENDANCE MATTERS MAGAZINEAttendance Matters Magazine gives you concise, straightforward articles focusing on current issues in attendance for schools, along with ready-to-use template documents, giving you solutions tailored to your school’s needs.This quarterly magazine enables you to develop your understanding of recent changes to government guidelines on attendance, as well as to implement strategies effectively to improve attendance within your school.

To order today simply use the form below or visit www.attendancemattersmagonline.co.uk for further information. Alternatively you can call us on 020 8243 8704 to order. @FBM_Education

AMM Upgrade Ad – NEW.indd 1 28/11/2017 14:22

school finances - forum training professional development · welcome to the march issue of school...

Documents