Professionalisation leading to operational

effectiveness

Stephen Morales
Chief Executive, NASBM
Emerging structures

Currently c. 27,000 schools in the UK

Approaching 6,000 Academies
What will the landscape look like by the end of
this Parliament?
Is it reasonable to suggest far fewer entities
presiding over all our schools?
How big and how many MATs will emerge over
the coming months and years?
Are you ready?
 Current education
landscape
DfE

MATs LA Academies

20,000
schools
 Traditional school
structure
Head teacher

SLT

Deputy 1 Deputy 2 SBM

Teaching and support staff

 Emerging education
landscape
DfE

RSCs

MAT MAT MAT MAT MAT MAT 5,000

1 2 3 4 5 6 MATs
LA
 Emerging school
structures
CEO

FD COO HR Director

School 1 School 2 School 3

Head of Learning
SBM
The characteristics of emerging school
leadership roles
CEO
COO
CFO
Executive Head/Principal
Head Teacher
Head of Learning
School Business Manager
 Safeguarding the school/trust, ensuring a
focus on robust governance and agreeing
the strategy.

Board Creation and monitoring of SIP/SDP. Driving

CI and innovation by holding senior
managers to account against objectives and
Executive creating a self-improving culture.
Commitment to joined-up leadership.
team
Local Local advisory function with formal

governing body responsibility for accountability functions

being discharged by the board.

SLT Owning stated targets and objectives and

driving performance and delivery across the
Middle school/trust.
Ensuring the school workforce are well
leaders supported and have access to appropriate
CPD to create a collaborative culture
Staff where best practice is shared and to have
robust monitoring systems.

Children Front-line, high-quality teaching central to

pupil attainment supported by a strong
NB All groups coincide at the bottom of the illustration admin and operations team.
 Macro issues:
Custodians of mission & values of
the school/trust
Macro to micro Appoint and performance manage
the executive team
Agree the strategy (SIP/SDP)
Board Approve schemes of delegation
setting out accountabilities for
Executive strategy & policy
Pupil progress/attainment
Local Governing Sustainability & risk management
Body Advisory functions
SLT Micro issues:
Resource allocation
Middle leaders Lesson planning
Classroom teaching & differentiation
Teachers and Administration
support staff Facilities management
 Human
Capacity audit tool Procurement Marketing Finance Infrastructure
resources
Head teacher
Deputy head
Assistant head
Finance director
SBM / bursar
Administrator
Chair of governors
Committee chair
Governor
Trustee
Teacher
Parent
Consultant

Competency key:
0 = no knowledge
1 = limited knowledge
2 = intermediate knowledge
3 = advanced knowledge
4 = expert knowledge
5 = expertise covered elsewhere
The need for Professional Standards

Shifts in education landscape

Scaling down of National College
Diminishing local authority support
Decentralisation
Increased autonomy, increased accountability
Academisation and MATs
Emerging corporate structures
The need for Professional Standards

A blueprint

Ensuring the right skills, knowledge and

experience

Recognition and professional status

Research findings

Action research-based and practitioner-led

Responds to legacy issues of recognition,
status, confidence and esteem
Promoting shared best practice nationally and
internationally
Addresses the perpetuation of misunderstood
roles
Securing leadership of the SBM profession
The approach to developing standards

Empirical evidence, education research and

mature international models
Describes core and specialist disciplines
Developed by experienced practitioners across
all phases and school types
Quality assured through stakeholder
consultation
The principles for SBM standards

Focus on core competencies, activities and

leadership/management expectations of SBM
professionals

Context-bound, flexible and descriptive

Practical and measurable

The methodology for implementation

Responsibility residing with all members of the

leadership triangle
Requires engagement by governors, principals,
SLT and SBMs
Schools/trusts should practise internalising
recommended practice
A focus on impact and effectiveness
Professional Standards
Six disciplines
Behaviours, values and ethics
A tiered approach

Tier 1 contributing to a process/project with

some direct responsibility for an area of work

Tier 2 supervision of a team/process/project

Tier 3 management of a team/process/project

with some level of direct accountability

Tier 4 strategic leadership and/or specialist

knowledge with high levels of direct
accountability
How to use the standards

Self-assessment
Recruitment
Individual performance management
Organisational development
Training and development
Change champions

Key to change and improvement is the

identification of SBM leaders
Confident practitioners driving a self-improving
learning community
Able to manage change for themselves and their
school, adaptable, capable communicators and
listeners, and able to deal with diverse values,
opinions and relationships
The need to manage expectations by
understanding:
Leadership challenges
The SLT dynamic
The school/trust context and balancing internal and
external factors
The need to set meaningful, challenging,
achievable objectives
That the culture must be open, trusting and ethical
That change management will need to
adapt to changing circumstances
Adoption

Key challenges
Head teacher and governor engagement
Government officials
Regional groups
SBM advocacy
Sharing knowledge and peer networks
Developing system leaders through
accredited SBM programmes and
professional awards
Fellows
Chartered Fellows
NLEs
SLEs
Change Champions