Knowing your worth

Andrew Blench, SBL consultant at School Business Partner Limited, emphasises the reasons why SBLs need to make themselves a priority and recognise their value 

Read the full article below or on page 10 in our March magazine

‘Nowadays people know the price of everything, and the value of nothing,’ writes Oscar Wilde in The Picture of Dorian Gray.

In the course of my work as a school business management consultant and coach over the last seven years I have had the privilege of working with a variety of school business management professionals – some of them just starting out on their SBL careers and others more established. On the whole, we are a positive, glass half full bunch; the resilience and commitment of the profession in providing the systems and resources to deliver outstanding education for our young people is admirable and amazing. 

But I also get a sense that there can be a tendency to lose ourselves in all of this -because we are the kind of people who focus on making sure that everyone else in our school/trust has what they need to help them succeed our own professional needs can get pushed to the bottom of the pile if they are even considered at all.

In our personal lives many SBLs play a similar role of putting other people’s needs first, perhaps being the primary carer for children or elderly relatives. One of the key findings from the ISBL School Business Professional Workforce Survey 2020 was that 87% of the profession identify as female. Research conducted by Direct Line Life Assurance in 2018 revealed that 64% of primary care givers to children were female and research by Birmingham and Sheffield Universities showed that half of women are likely to be a carer of an elderly, sick or disabled relative by the age of 46; for men, the equivalent age would be 57.

So perhaps we are also so busy meeting the needs of colleagues at work and family at home that we are either so exhausted or stretched that we do not consider our own needs. If we add into this scenario the demands that the COVID pandemic placed upon SBLs, it’s no wonder that many are now at burnout. 

We need a school system in which the role of the SBL is valued!

In many of the schools and trusts I work with they are valued, and I often hear senior leaders express professional admiration and support for their school business leaders. Sadly, this isn’t the case in every setting and I, along with others, will continue to lobby for the profession to be given proper recognition and value.

However, if we don’t value ourselves, how can we expect others to do so also? This sounds like I am blaming the SBL, and that is not my intention, but I have heard many a SBL argue to me why the school can’t afford to send them on training, or why the school can’t justify giving the SBL some extra hours of staffing for the school office. 

Can we afford not to invest?

The real question is why do we think we can afford to not to invest in the SBL? We are the ones who keep the school and trust compliant,  out of the employment tribunal and avoiding fines from the HSE or environmental health. We enable schools to set balanced budgets which deliver outcomes for our young people and we generate additional income keep everyone safe and ensure that the school runs smoothly day-in, day-out!

So, when it comes to knowing our worth and value how can we do this as SBLs?

• Insist upon an annual performance appraisal with your line manager at which your CPD needs are discussed and prioritised.
• Change the language you use when describing spend which relates to your role or department – an investment is a cost seen through a different lens.
• Celebrate personal professional successes – that successful bid to the national lottery; the new contract you negotiated which delivers an improved service. 
• Tell people what you do! Ask for a slot on the SLT or governors meeting to discuss relevant issues. 
• Complete a 360-degree feedback questionnaire! That sounds scary, I know but, in my experience, it has unearthed the value that your colleagues see in you which you are often not aware of.
• Ask for pay parity with other colleagues in your setting working at a similar level. There is help and advice around this area from ISBL and also trades unions.
• Set boundaries – and stick to them. 

Make yourself a priority once in a while. Its not selfish. It’s necessary.