School Resource Management - Information for Schools
Excellent school resource management is essential for schools to reduce costs and get value for money and we are pleased to provide here some guidance for our schools.
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School Operations & Resource Management Network
The network runs regular sessions and seeks to provide support for School Business Managers to manage their operations/resources efficiently and effectively. Our aim is to ensure colleagues benefit from industry sector knowledge, updates and ideas to enable them to be compliant and gain the most from available resources.
The network is open to School Business Managers/Administrators from Primary and Secondary Schools and is free for Teaching Schools South West member schools and non-member schools.
The network runs regular sessions and seeks to provide support for School Business Managers to manage their operations/resources efficiently and effectively. Our aim is to ensure colleagues benefit from industry sector knowledge, updates and ideas to enable them to be compliant and gain the most from available resources.
The network is open to School Business Managers/Administrators from Primary and Secondary Schools and is free for Teaching Schools South West member schools and non-member schools.
Buying for Schools Website
Recommended deals are regularly reviewed, updated and published on the Government gov.uk website.
This summarises the recommended deals that are available to schools to help you save money on some of the things you buy regularly.
Recommended deals are regularly reviewed, updated and published on the Government gov.uk website.
This summarises the recommended deals that are available to schools to help you save money on some of the things you buy regularly.
Benchmarking and Data Service
Provides schools with the ability to compare your spending in various categories with that of similar schools.
Governors and school leaders can use the information on the website to challenge their Schools or Trust on their level of spend, to identify where savings could be made and to determine if there is potential to direct more resources into teaching.
Provides schools with the ability to compare your spending in various categories with that of similar schools.
Governors and school leaders can use the information on the website to challenge their Schools or Trust on their level of spend, to identify where savings could be made and to determine if there is potential to direct more resources into teaching.
Review of Resource Management, including Curriculum and Financial Planning
NLEs should ensure that schools undertake or have undertaken the School Resource Management Self-Assessment (Academies) or the Schools Financial Value Standard (Maintained Schools) in the last 12 months.
Noted below, these are both now compulsory returns to the Department for Education or the Local Authority and can be used to facilitate a conversation on resource management, including curriculum and financial planning.
The completion of one of these is a requirement for Tier 2 funding to be released, and confirmation that this has been done will need to be attached to the action plan developed by the NLE.
To support a school in undertaking a review, the following guidance may be useful.
NLEs should ensure that schools undertake or have undertaken the School Resource Management Self-Assessment (Academies) or the Schools Financial Value Standard (Maintained Schools) in the last 12 months.
Noted below, these are both now compulsory returns to the Department for Education or the Local Authority and can be used to facilitate a conversation on resource management, including curriculum and financial planning.
The completion of one of these is a requirement for Tier 2 funding to be released, and confirmation that this has been done will need to be attached to the action plan developed by the NLE.
To support a school in undertaking a review, the following guidance may be useful.
Financial Advice for Schools (Directory of Suppliers)
See the list here of organisations that provide financial ‘health checks’ for schools, and advice on how to source the best supplier.
See the list here of organisations that provide financial ‘health checks’ for schools, and advice on how to source the best supplier.
Schools' Buying Hub South West
The Schools' Buying Hub is a free-to-use procurement service funded by the Department for Education to help schools, Academies and Multi Academy Trusts across the South West to save time and money by running competitive tenders for high value goods and services; as well as answering any general procurement related queries.
The Hub will:
The Schools' Buying Hub is a free-to-use procurement service funded by the Department for Education to help schools, Academies and Multi Academy Trusts across the South West to save time and money by running competitive tenders for high value goods and services; as well as answering any general procurement related queries.
The Hub will:
- help to devise three-year buying plans
- assist with the management and delivery of procurements
- signpost towards DfE recommended national deals
- help Schools retender high value contracts such as catering, cleaning, grounds maintenance and managed ICT services
Training for Schools
The DfE have commissioned the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) to provide training for school business professionals.
The DfE have commissioned the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) to provide training for school business professionals.
If you already have some knowledge and experience of ICFP, it is recommended that you consider the intermediate training:
Other ISBL Qualifications and Training for School Business Professionals:
Other Training Courses
Training courses present a great opportunity for development, either by developing new knowledge and skills, or keeping existing ones up-to-date within an ever-changing education sector.
Training courses present a great opportunity for development, either by developing new knowledge and skills, or keeping existing ones up-to-date within an ever-changing education sector.
FREE Webcasts and Webinars
The South West Buying Hub have introduced 'Hub Live!' - a webcast series that tackles thorny procurement issues in a lively and refreshing way.
Topics include:
Topics include:
- Procurement Compliance
- Procurement Planning and Timelines
- Evaluation
- Catering
- Cleaning
- Frameworks and Dynamic Purchasing Systems
GDPR in Schools are providing the following free webinars:
- Data breaches that occur every day
- What are the risks of cyber attacks
- Your legal liabilities and responsibilities in data protection
- Making sense of data processing agreements
- SARS - when must you write a SAR or can you refuse
- Brexit - the implications of data transfer outside the UK
