Justin Smith, owner of Chameleon Consultancy and Training Limited, has 20 years’ experience working in secondary schools throughout Norfolk and Suffolk. Here, he shares his advice and tips on how to market your school efficiently using everything from student input to following the lead on successful charity fundraisers.
- Topic:
- Education
Almost every school has rapidly accelerated their use of technology over the past 18 months, replacing many of the out-dated, paper-based processes well known for draining resources. From student, parent and teacher communications to admissions and enrollment, specialist technology can boost engagement and provide a far more streamlined service.
- Topic:
- Education
To coincide with the start of the new academic year, the Department of Education have announced their planned changes to the in-year admissions policy which will have to be adhered to from September 2021.
- Topic:
- Education
There have been some major learnings from the pandemic and every school will approach the topic of wellbeing slightly differently moving forward.
From 2012 to 2019 Mandy Coalter was Director of People at United Learning, one of the largest school groups in the UK, running circa 80 schools across state and independent sectors and employing over 8000 staff
- Topic:
- Education
The Trust Capacity Fund (TCaF) is a competitive grant fund that will award up to £24 million over the 2021-2022 financial year to help trusts develop their capacity to grow. It’s focussed on supporting strong trusts to take on underperforming schools in areas of higher need.
The fund supports the government’s vision for every school to be part of a family of schools - or academy trust, so that every child can benefit from a high-quality education.
- Topic:
- Education
Over the past year schools and trusts have faced some massive challenges and now - with normality slowly starting to resume, many are looking to strengthen their financial planning and ensure every pound is put to the best possible use.
News that the government is currently planning a new ‘Get Help Buying’ service, offering buyers and other buying decision makers in schools access to specialist support, relationships, information and tools has been welcomed by many.
This comes after two successful pilots of the Schools Buying Strategy in 2017 in the North West and South West which saved £19.4m on non-staff spend across 2,000 schools.
Here, we explore how the new initiative will work and the difference it stands to make.
- Topic:
- Education
Walk to School Week is part of Living Streets’ National Walking Month campaign each May. The campaign emphasises the health and environmental benefits of walking to school.
Last year almost 200,000 children across the country participated in Walk to School Week, taking place 17th - 21st May this year, and with the pandemic forcing people to spend more time outside, this year the charity running the initiative, Living Streets, expects an even bigger turnout.
- Topic:
- Education
It goes without saying that the disruption caused by Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown impacted almost every aspect of school life, and like so many others St Bartholomew’s CE Multi-Academy Trust was forced to take swift action, to ensure pupil learning could continue and staff remained safe.
Here, Christopher Dryer, Director of Finance and Operations at the Trust, discusses how they adapted throughout the spring and summer term, the new processes put in place ahead of reopening and some of the positive learnings from lockdown.
- Topic:
- Education
Talk to anyone working in the education sector and most of them will tell you they are either burnt out, or getting there very quickly. With so many challenges faced by school business managers - such as managing the school’s reopening, balancing the books, as well as the mental and physical wellbeing of staff and pupils – it’s difficult to know where to start.
- Topic:
- Education
It’s undeniable that the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown has forced academies up and down the country to make some difficult decisions around budget and resource allocation. Here, we explore some of the key financial challenges facing academies as we look ahead into next year.
- Topic:
- Education
