Nickii Messer School Business Leadership Consultant Optimising Efficiency and Value for Money

Overview Schools/Academies need to make efficiencies Generally less money – but we want to do more Schools/Academies need to ensure a culture of VfM across the board We need to be smart with how we use HR Facilities are resources too

What is value for money? Economy – does the school purchase goods at the best price? Efficiency – are the school’s strategies making best use of its resources, eg staff? Effectiveness – do you get the desired results from your plans? Do you know what you expect to achieve?? Ethics/Equality – probity, tendering etc.

DfE: June 2013 “How schools spend their money has a profound impact on pupils’ achievement and future prospects All schools should be working to make savings, spending their funds prudently and looking to make the most of their money in order to invest in teaching and learning”. Review of efficiency in the schools system. DfE

Prioritising procurement In order to undertake efficient procurement it is important to have clear priorities and objectives and understand the key elements of what a successful outcome looks like for your school..... In other words: what do you want how important is it why do you want it?

The procurement cycle Define/challenge Need Develop business case Identify & prioritise options Assess: value for money, relevancy, risk Award contract with best terms Manage contract – audit trail Evaluate and Review

R eview and evaluate contracts Find time for regular review and evaluation Did/does it fulfil expectations? Check, benchmark, share the SLA/KPIs Is it still fit for purpose? How do you know: end-user response? If it’s not ok, what will you do? If you do what you’ve always done......

Challenge what you have always done. Review where the school is now – things change Don’t write off LA contracts but do evaluate effectiveness and challenge price... Bespoke contracts mean you only pay for expertise you don’t already have in-house Consider taking contracts in-house collaboratively and buy in balance of need Make sure SLAs include suitable exit terms

Work as a whole school team Get staff on board – working together to ensure efficiencies Run INSET sessions to explain whole school budget methodology and decisions to contextualise impacts Put department expenditure into whole school context and examine the options Achieving value for money should be whole school aim

Review of Efficiency in the Schools System. DfE. 2013: COLLABORATION “Make use of school clusters, sharing expertise, experience and data, as well as accessing economies of scale when making shared purchases. All the schools we visited were part of some kind of cluster arrangement, and there is clear evidence that schools can drive far-reaching efficiency savings by working together with other schools.”

Two-can do it better Increased bargaining power – securing high quality, responsive & bespoke service with economies of scale Sharing knowledge, best practice, skills and ideas to reduce the effort Set up your own contract provision using collaborative expertise, eg of SBMs/ICT managers

Energy: ways to reduce costs Bulk buy collaboratively to get best deals Benchmark costs and examine trends Look long term – greener, more efficient, energy solutions can even make money Switch off lights/heating/air-conditioning encourage pupil energy leaders "It's better to enlighten a child than to light a school room.” Thomas A Edison

Review of Efficiency in the Schools System. DfE. 2013: STAFFING “Manage down back office and running costs. There remains considerable variation in the amount that similar schools spend on running costs, such as energy or premises. The most efficient schools drive these costs down through improved procurement practices and a greater focus on value for money.”

School staffing Staff are your single most expensive and valuable resource so invest to make sure they are productive! But first Regularly review JDs & staffing structures Never appoint new staff without challenging the status quo

Review of Efficiency in the Schools System. DfE. 2013: DEPLOYMENT “Deploy the workforce effectively, with a focus on developing high quality teachers. Teacher quality is proven to be the single most important feature of successful education systems. The most efficient schools that we visited invest a great deal of effort to get the staffing structures right, recruiting the right people and ensuring that they are continually supported to improve.”

Get the best from your staff Communicate effectively Demonstrate that you value them Conduct skills and aspirations audits Consult and respond to their needs Expect the best from everyone Carry out appraisals and training for everyone Have team SLAs and KPIs Encourage staff to visit other colleagues - and schools

Process of improvement JD/Person Spec Advertise and interview Induction, review and ongoing training Review and evaluate

Ways to make CPD affordable Link appraisal targets & training to SI/DP Shop around for CPD providers who provide what your school needs Use expertise in yours and partner schools Buy in experts & share bespoke training with other schools Plan your training programme ahead to secure best deals Get trained up to deliver training yourself

Sell (a slice of) high cost staff School business managers Finance managers – especially qualified accountants ICT managers Exam managers HLTAs SENCO And back-fill with admin/technical support

Productive premises? “Employee comfort can help contribute to your bottom line.... Research shows that environmental and comfort factors in the workplace have a direct effect on worker productivity. Employees who are uncomfortable, fatigued or stressed by conditions such as poor air or lighting quality may be less productive. By enhancing light levels, controlling circulation and temperatures.....you can help boost their productivity.” Grainger.com

Facility spending decisions What proportion of your facility spending decisions are based on “increasing productivity”? Are your facilities a resource that contributes to the school’s vision for learning?

Change how you view your facilities Suggest a joint facilities and curriculum governors’ committee Visit classrooms: check lighting, air flow, orientation, storage, general ambience Visit your school as a pupil Compare classrooms across the school Visit other schools Do cleaners understand their impact on school improvement?

“I hate waking up every weekday knowing that this day, one that is so valuable to me, will be spent in a giant magnolia prison. I want colours.....I want to be filled with inspiration by a place that I can call home from home” Angela, 15 yrs old, Croydon (From The School I’d Like by Catherine Burke and Ian Grosvenor)

It’s not about spending less. It’s about spending better. What will you do to spend better in your school? Nickii Messer