Formerly the school business manager at Gawthorpe Community Academy, Hayley was instrumental in the conversion of Towngate Primary Academy and the creation of the multi-academy trust, Inspire Partnership, which manages the two.
But, that’s not all. This year is going to be a busy one for Hayley and her small team of financial support staff as they take on another four academies under the Inspire Partnership MAT.
In light of these events and her successes so far, we gave her a call to find out a little bit more about her role, her day-to-day life and her career so far.
How did you get into the role of CFO?
I started by studying for a CIMA Master’s degree in accounting. Since then, I’ve spent many years in finance and education, particularly at academy level at Gawthorpe. I’m also a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
What are the key priorities in your role?
On a day-to-day basis, making sure the finances are all in order and that the staff can do their jobs easily and accurately. Now that the MAT is taking on more schools, my job role has changed significantly and I’m spending more time focusing on this.
How has your job role changed in the last few years?
Well, it’s far more stressful I’d say that. And, now we’re taking on more academies, it’s only going to get more demanding. When the full six schools are on board, there’ll be around 1400 students to manage, so yes it’s going to get busy!
What excites you about your job?
Accounting! It sounds sad doesn’t it? But I really do get excited about balancing and reconciling figures. I wouldn’t be doing it otherwise.
What’s the proudest moment of your career?
Oh, definitely when Towngate Primary converted and when we created the trust. I mean, I may be a little biased as I project managed it but it was great that it went so smoothly, there were no massive glitches or anything like that. Just ask me the same question in a few months when we take on the others!
How have you found the conversion process to academy status?
School accounting has got a lot better since academisation in my opinion. I’d much rather the finances be in my capable hands, I’m a real fan of academy conversion.
Do you foresee any slow down in the trend for academisation?
It’s a bit of a toppling tower situation really. I think that the more schools convert, the more the rest don’t want to miss out. So, once one school in an area converts, more are going to.
Does anything worry you about the future?
Funding definitely. Our funding has gone down by 1.3% for 2017/18 so we’re going to have to tighten our belts quite a lot. It’s the chief concern really, managing growth and surviving with funding cuts.
How do you manage your day-to-day workload?
At the moment, I’m working really long hours across the various schools. I need to make sure that I’m able to be mobile and that I can work from home if needs be. Access Education software makes life that bit easier because it’s online so I can work from home or out and about.
Thanks for your time Hayley, and good luck with the rest of the conversions!
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