Managers from outside education
After a successful career with Barclays Bank as a Corporate
Manager Debbie Brisco decided on a complete change and has successfully moved
into school business management. She joined the Diploma of School Business
Management (DSBM) pilot and became the first 'outside manager' with a
DSBM to gain a School Business Manager post — at Broughton Hall High
School. Schools may not be large corporate organisations on the scale of high
street banks but Debbie says "If anything, this job is more demanding.
We're not dealing with the same sums, but the pace of school life is much
quicker here than in banking."
As part of his Area Manager role for a high street bank, Laurence Frewin became involved with the Partners in Leadership Scheme where he engaged with headteachers in a mentoring partnership. This, together with having three young children, fired his interest in School Business Management as he feels "passionately that education is crucial to their future happiness and success and to that of society as a whole". Initially he thought that a post in a secondary school would make the best use of his talents. However, he was delighted to take the opportunity to be part of a new shared SBM project in North Bristol. This project covers eight primary schools which previously had no bursarial support, although they were all in much need to it.
After a career in accounting Angela Stansfield became
a parent governor of her children's primary school. This involved working
closely with the Headteacher and she soon realised that her skills could be
used to release the Headteacher to focus more effectively on teaching and
learning. She is now employed as School Business Manager at the school. Her
continuing professional development (CPD) at the school has included the NCSL
CSBM and DSBM courses and she is about to commence an MSc in Education
Leadership and Management at university.
Eileen Pegman has successfully transferred her existing management skills from the Police Force to Education and has continued to add to these by undertaking the 'Certificate of School Business Management' course. She has developed her role to become the school Finance and Premises Manager which is fully recognised as an important strategic position by her Headteacher and she is an active member of the school's Central Leadership Team. Ofsted have described her management and leadership of these vital areas of school work as "exemplary".
