Job Description
Elmgrove Primary School and Nursery
JOB DESCRIPTION
Post Details: School Business Manager
Reporting to: Headteacher and Governors
Salary Grade: GO11
Contract: Permanent, full time
Responsible for: HR and Resources Administrator, Data and Assessment Administrator, Admissions and Attendance Administrator, IT Network Manager, PA to the Headteacher and SLT, Assistant School Business Manager, Reception and Admin Assistants x 2,Welfare Assistant x 2, Site Supervisor and Caretaker, Catering Manager and 5 Catering Assistants, Leadership: Member of the Senior Leadership Team.
Conditions of Service
These are governed by the National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service, supplemented by local conditions as appropriate.
JOB PURPOSE
The School Business Manager is the school’s leading support staff professional and strategic lead as the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) member responsible for Finance, Administration, IT, HR Management, Premises and Facilities Management and Health and Safety. To ensure that all non-curriculum functions are dealt with by the appropriate staff and to support, develop and lead these staff to enable the Leadership Team and teaching staff to deliver the highest quality of education to pupils.
To be accountable to the Headteacher and Governing Body for the planning, implementation and control of Elmgrove Primary School and Nursery’s financial processes, procedures, policies and overall financial position.
As a senior post holder, to ensure the effective operational management of the school, be collectively accountable for and make a significant contribution to the development and achievement of Elmgrove Primary School and Nursery’s strategic plans and targets and specifically to lead on all financial, legal and contractual matters.
Strategic Role
- To be proactive in advising the Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team and Governing Body of the impact of change upon the financial stability and business affairs of the school. The SBM should take a lead role in helping governors to formulate the business and long term financial strategy for the school.
- Prepare a three year budget plan.
- Play a central role in the SLT to present and give advice at Governors’ Resource Committee, and attend Full Governing Body meetings.
- To line manage Finance and Personnel Administrator, Data and Assessment Administrator, Admissions and Attendance Administrator, IT Network Manager, SLT and Business Support Assistant, Reception and Admin Assistants x 2, Welfare Assistant, Caretaker and Assistant Caretaker, maintaining a culture of high expectations of staff, including performance management.
- Oversee HR, Health and Safety, Premises and Facilities Management and Admin and IT support.
- With the Headteacher, SLT and Governing Body, to provide stability and protection, as far as possible, from unforeseen adverse changes in admissions, funding and other income and manage risks posed by the economy.
- Be responsible in partnership with the Deputy Headteacher for Health and Safety, ensuring legislative compliance and audits are fulfilled.
General
- Attend full governing body meetings and committee meetings where necessary.
- Assist the Clerk to the Governors and the Chair of Governors in the efficient discharge of their duties for Governors’ meetings.
Financial
- Be responsible for the school accounting function, ensuring its efficient operation according to agreed procedures, ensuring all legal and governance requirements are satisfied.
- To ensure that the school operates as cost efficiently and effectively as possible in respect of staffing, building and other costs.
- Prepare, present and monitor the annual budget, (linked to the School Improvement Plan) and advise SLT and Governors accordingly throughout the year.
- Responsible for own sub budgets for Communications and Admin and Office totaling £20,000.
- Monitor all accounting procedures and resolve any problems. This includes:
- the ordering, processing and payment for all goods and services provided to the school- the operation of all bank accounts, ensuring that regular bank reconciliations take place- the maintenance of an inventory- the preparation of invoices and collection of fees and other dues.
- Liaise with the LA Team and auditors to provide detailed management reports for the Governors and Headteacher according to an agreed schedule, reporting immediately any exceptional problems.
- Be responsible for overseeing the school end of the payroll service for all school staff, liaising with the LA payroll department regarding the correct payment of staff salaries, including the administration of claims for travel, overtime, etc.
- Oversee all financial returns for the DfE, LA and other central and local government agencies accurately and within statutory deadlines.
- Be the point of contact with the DfE and other agencies with regard to grant applications, gifts and other donations.
- Be responsible for the procurement process for goods and supplies, ensuring that the school obtains best possible value for money from suppliers and contractors.
- Have overall responsibility for the receipt, safekeeping, banking and reconciliation of all monies received by the school.
- To lead the school’s financial relationship with contractors, negotiate, manage and monitor contracts, tenders and agreements for the provision of support services.
- Maximise income generation within the ethos of the school, in conjunction with the Headteacher and secure bid based funding from a variety of external sources.
- To ensure that SLT and their teams apply best practice in respect of financial regulations at all times.
- Model and plan for the financial impact of changes in the funding arrangements and education policies.
- To produce, implement and monitor a Business Continuity Plan and oversee risk management, ensuring the safeguarding of all school activities.
- Ensure compliance with audit requirements including the Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS).
Human Resources
- To lead and manage staff to ensure the successful HR management of the school, including the recruitment process.
- Be responsible for personnel matters relating to all staff, including clearance of new staff – medical, DBS, references and to issue offer letters and contracts of employment.
- As a member of SLT, ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of all staff
- Directly lead and manage the Finance and Personnel Administrator, Data and Assessment Administrator, Admissions and Attendance Administrator, IT Network Manager, SLT and Business Support Assistant, Reception and Admin Assistants x 2, Welfare Assistant, Caretaker and Assistant Caretaker, Catering Manager and 5x catering assistants.
- Play a central role in facilitating and directing the aforementioned team, including their performance management and implementing CPD strategy
- Give advice to the staff and governors on pay, expenses, sickness and maternity procedures, redundancy and other matters of dismissal.
- Update any relevant policies on an annual basis.
- Ensure the maintenance of confidential staff records.
- Advise the Governors on the need to comply with legislation concerning employment protection, equal pay, sex discrimination etc.
Premises, Facilities and Health and Safety
- To lead the Site Manager and Caretaker in the management of the school premises.
- Devise and implement a development plan to further improve and refurbish the school’s facilities.
- Be lead professional in planning and development of any extension or refurbishment of the school.
- Draw up initial specifications for new buildings and communicate ideas to surveyors and architects.
- Obtaining tenders and planning permission.
- Project managing and liaison with building contractors.
- Devise and implement a maintenance schedule for the Site Manager and Caretaker for premises upkeep.
- Formulate, monitor, implement and review the school’s Health and Safety Policy.
- Advise on all Health and Safety matters and design, implement and evaluate a Business Continuity Plan.
- Ensure compliance with H & S legislation and obligations.
- Oversee the efficient operation of all facilities on the property; also for the installations and plant for lighting, heating, energy conservation, ventilation etc.
- Oversee the installation and maintenance of equipment for protection against escape from fire.
- Initiate and keep records of regular fire practices and alarm tests.
- Be responsible for ensuring emergency procedures are current and timely.
- Oversee the security of the school site.
- Be responsible for the letting of the school premises to outside organisations.
- Maximise income from premises lettings and extended school services including external after school club providers.
- Produce and implement a lettings policy.
- Oversee buildings maintenance, furniture and equipment, ensuring security and repair.
- Oversee the work of the caretaking staff on health and safety matters ensuring action is implemented where appropriate.
- Play an active part in School Council and Pupil Voice meetings to ensure the children have a voice in the development of the school.
- Implementing an effective damage and loss prevention strategy to minimise overall cost to the budget.
Administration and IT
- Leading the PA to the Headteacher and SLT, Data and Assessment Administrator, Admissions and Attendance Administrator, IT Manager, Finance and Admin Assistant, Reception and Admin Assistants x 2, Welfare Assistants x 2 to ensure efficient and effective systems operate in respect of administration and curriculum support.
- Lead and manage the administrative function including school reception, demographics and records.
- Provide for the preparation and production of all school records, publications and pupil admissions.
- Monitor the maintenance of pupil records including, when appropriate, the assessment process.
- Oversee correspondence with the DfE and to have overall responsibility for any records and returns required.
- Be responsible for ensuring all necessary licenses and permissions are obtained.
- Be responsible for the systems and general management of the school’s administrative and financial network, the implementation of appropriate Management Information systems and the computerisation of the administration accounting and records systems.
- Act as Systems Manager for the administrative computer network and be responsible for the security of data and access rights to the system.
- Leadership responsibility for Arbor and Access management in the School Office.
- Identify developments for the use of IT to improve effectiveness of school administration.
- Ensure all other matters of an administrative nature are dealt with effectively.
- Lead the school on IT procurement and development, working closely with the IT Network Manager.
Marketing and Liaison
- Promoting Elmgrove Primary School and Nursery and its profile to a range of audiences.
- Acting as an ambassador to further raise the positive image of the school in the local community.
- Ensuring regular positive media coverage for the school’s activities.
- Becoming the single point of contact for other schools and external agencies.
- Establishing strong business relationships and networks.
- Liaising with external organisations to secure funding for school projects.
- Exploring innovative ways of using IT to positively impact our business.
Other Duties and Accountabilities
- To promote, support and ensure compliance and best practice with respect to the school’s Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety Policies, Data Protection and Safeguarding.
- Promoting the school’s Behaviour and Attendance policies and a commitment to providing a caring and stimulating environment for improving standards for all pupils within the school.
- Attending relevant CPD training to enhance knowledge and to place the school in a position to be up to date with current legislation and best placed to secure external funding and best value for money.
- Contribute to the overall ethos / work / aims of the school.
- To respect the confidentiality of all information relating to the school, pupils, staff and their families.
- Undertaking other such duties as reasonably correspond to the general character of the post and commensurate with being a member of SLT, including attending meetings and public events.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £46,413.00-£49,425.00 per year
Schedule:
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Harrow, HA3 8LU: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Experience:
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (preferred)
Work Location: In person
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