Whether it’s navigating budgets, building resilient operations or surviving end-of-term chaos, Clare Skinner’s advice in Education Executive has become essential reading for school business leaders
You might already know Clare Skinner for her practical and expert advice in Education Executive – and if you’re not familiar yet, don’t worry, we’ve included links to her previous articles throughout this piece! Over the years, Clare has taken us behind the scenes of school business leadership, sharing practical, honest and expert reflections on operations, finance, budgeting and much more.
We’ve loved featuring Clare’s knowledge and experience, and we’re excited to share even more in the future. But for now, we’ve pulled together a ‘best of’ collection – a round-up of some of her standout moments and advice. Each excerpt comes from a different issue, but they’re all connected by a common thread: a real passion for smart, strategic leadership and supporting schools to run even more effectively.
On Preparing For Your General Annual Grant (GAG) Statement
“Don’t go in all guns blazing. Rather than just pointing and shooting the same way you did last year, take some time to reflect; what have you learnt this year that could make your budgeting more accurate and deliver better value for your setting? What were the findings from external audit? Did you action all points from your internal audits? Have you investigated the findings from your benchmarking exercise? And, what did your School Resource Management Self-Assessment Checklist (SRMSAC) tell you? These activities are not just about meeting regulatory requirements, they can really help us to be better in our roles so be informed by them, scenario plan and/or implement the things that they have shown you, don’t ignore them. Go into this with your eyes open; the numbers on your funding statement are indeed what you will be receiving whether you like them or not, but are they the right numbers?”
On Financial Information Presentation
“When we present our financial information, we often do so to individuals who are not finance savvy and therefore, we must make the information accessible to them. The words you add as narrative are just as important, if not more so than the numbers on the report. Of course, you should celebrate the successes, but heads, governors and trustees need to understand the risks the information presents. You need to provide narrative around scenarios and “what ifs” in plain language so that they can make decisions quickly and with the best outcome. Target the information to your audience so that they understand the big picture or the finer details dependent on the role they play in your setting.”
On Preparing to Take a Well Deserved Break
“As I move towards my annual leave, I allow myself time for housekeeping and have a really good clear out in my office. I archive paper filing and set up that electronic system that I have been promising myself all year; I throw away pens that have dried up and stock up my stationery supplies and I delete unwanted/out of date/rubbish documents on my computer drive, in line with GDPR of course. I then dust, polish and vacuum my office (yes, my cleaning team could do this, but it is part of my process) and the only thing left on my desk is a list of jobs reminding me what I do for a living ready for my return.”
Eager to hear more from Clare and take your SBL toolkit to the next level? Join her at EdExec LIVE London on June 10th, where she’ll be leading a seminar, “Build a Resilient School Infrastructure.”
Don’t miss this chance to invest in yourself and your professional growth!
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