Primary Business Services & Support
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Contract management
Managing contracts is no easy task for many public sector organisations. It can be difficult to put the necessary thought into effective contract management. In this course, delegates will:
● Improve their understanding of the importance and benefits of effective contract management.
● Improve their understanding of how to put arrangements in place for effective contract management.
● Hints, tips and case studies.
Facilitator: Langbrook Finance
- Target audience:
- Primary
- Secondary
- Included in package:
- Primary
How do we govern financial performance and ensure money is well spent?
In a school environment, it is crucial for governing boards to effectively oversee the financial performance of the organization and ensure that money is being spent wisely. This is especially important as schools operate under different statuses such as maintained, voluntary aided, academy, and independent registered. In this session, attendees will gain insight into how governing boards fulfill their core function in managing finances, including strategic development planning and financial planning. This includes complying with financial regulations, managing risk, and ensuring that the school is operating within its means. Effective financial management and benchmarking help to identify areas where financial efficiency can be improved, reduce wasteful spending, and ultimately lead to greater financial sustainability.
This session will focus on:
- What do governing boards do to ensure that money is being well spent?
- How do effective governing boards link their strategic development plans to a 3 year financial plan and prioritise money to invest into improvements.
- How do governors ensure robust monitoring of the annual budget, undertaking of financial health checks and manage budget reductions.
- What guidance and support is available to help governing boards and school leaders make sure money is well spent to maximise the value for improving life chances of all children.
Facilitator: Sajeed Patni, Interim Head of Finance, Hackney Education.
- Target audience:
- Primary
- Secondary
- Included in package:
- Governance
- Primary
How do you strategically assess and manage risks in your schools?
The session on 7th December will be shared with the session on Understanding the distinct role of the Chair of Governors.
This session will particularly focus on:
- Why we govern schools, the public office duty of governors and why this social responsibility is curial for inclusive education of young people.
- Considering best practice in establishing and maintaining strong governance.
- Defining the distinctive responsibilities of the chair of governors.
- Highlighting the key challenges and risks associated with leading a governing boards and considering ways to avoid and/or deal with complex issues.
- While it is not directly about risk, elements of risk are interwoven throughout this session in relation to the role of the chair.
The ability to purposefully identify, evaluate and prioritise organisational risks, and ensure appropriate action is taken to mitigate against them is a key competency for governors and trustees. As such, this session will explore how school leaders and governors manage risks associated with all aspects of the schools core operations e.g. progress and achievement, quality of teaching, behaviour of pupils, safeguarding to protect all students and to protect staff, safety and security generally throughout school premises. It will further look at how schools establish adequate systems to ensure sustained service quality and development and how they might mitigate any disruption if and when significant risks occur.
This course will focus on:
- Understanding how schools / governors might identify risks, evaluate to quantify the severity and assess the level of priority of each risk.
- How to identify effective reduction, avoidance or mitigation of key risks by addressing the underlying causes of common and significant risks.
- Considering effective risk management controls that help prevent problems, detect them when they occur and ensure they are dealt with correctly.
This training is suitable for Governors, Senior Leaders, Business Managers and Clerks at all school phases.
Facilitator: Maggie Kalnins
- Target audience:
- Primary
- Secondary
- Included in package:
- Governance
- Primary
HR insights for Senior Leaders, Middle Leaders and School Business Managers
1st Session - 9th November 2023:
- Disciplinary and grievance: This session is designed to help school leaders conduct an appropriate investigation and disciplinary hearing, and understand the different sanctions that employees may be given. We will look into our policy to explore best practice and ensure procedures are fair, and consistent. You will also understand what happens when an employee raises a grievance, how to investigate and the appeals process.
2nd Session - 29th February 2024:
- Managing Organisational change and restructures: This session will give managers the tools to help lead employees through transitional periods. We will explore, through our policy, the restructuring process from beginning to end looking at effective planning, consultation, selection criteria and achieving the final outcome whilst working sensitively and within the law.
3rd Session - 6th June 2024:
- Managing Sickness Absence: This session will enable you to handle sickness absence in the most effective way. You will learn how to manage long term and short term absences and gain an understanding of our policy. Understand your role as manager and the obligations of the employee. We will also discuss effective return to work procedures and reasonable adjustments.
- Target audience:
- Primary
- Secondary
- Included in package:
- Primary
Managing Organisational Change: Understanding Governors obligations around restructure and potential redundancies
Understanding organisational change is essential as a school governor, especially during a time of falling rolls as decisions need to be considered regarding current budgets and staffing levels. The purpose of this session is to provide governors with an overview of the managing organisational change policy, to gain an understanding of the process undertaken by school leaders, and to ensure governors fully understand how their role within the governing board supports this process whilst working within the constraints of employment law.
Facilitator:
Lolita Brown, Head of HR for Hackney Education
- Included in package:
- Governance
- Primary
- Target audience:
- Primary
- Secondary
Structured Conversations: how to discuss children’s learning and needs
- Having a framework to guide conversations;
- A set of tools and techniques to use in communicating with parents and carers (including target setting and gaining parent/ carer support);
- And for senior leaders, an opportunity to develop a whole school approach in working in partnership with parents and carers.
- Target audience:
- Primary
- Secondary
- Included in package:
- Primary