School Spending: What Do You Need to Prioritise for the Academic Year?

For school business managers, the start of the new academic year is an important time. Children are getting used to their new classrooms and routines and teachers are preparing their resources in order to give students the best learning experience possible. In order for this to happen, school staff need structures, procedures and equipment in place to help them achieve their goals and targets for the year ahead. One of the many roles of a school business manager is to enable staff to get on with their job by making sure they have the necessary tools and systems in place. At any one time, a school can have a variety of priorities that have a direct impact on the children in their care.

Here are five areas that business managers should be focusing on over the next academic year to help their schools run to their full potential and give students the best opportunities they can.

1. Attainment

A school and its staff are mainly judged on the attainment of their pupils and how much progress they have made. Teachers need time to analyse data and results and pinpoint where to provide intervention. There are many products that can help with this and often help to save time – something that teachers need a lot of! A good data analysis programme is easy to use, pinpoints key areas and organises data, allowing teachers to get on with the task of teaching. This does require investment; however, it is something that is used regularly and across every department. A tip would be to do your research – there are many companies in the market that offer the same product, but not all will be suitable for your setting.

2. Wellbeing

Wellbeing is an area that has increased in importance over the past few years, particularly since the pandemic. There is a big focus on teacher wellbeing and workload, as well as how children are coping with the everyday pressures of schoolwork. Reducing stress for staff could involve removing unnecessary admin by having a programme or system that does it for you, making sure all the ICT in the school is up to date and working, and having furniture in the classroom that is fixed and fit for purpose. For children, it could be having an area of the school that they can go to if they are feeling anxious or overwhelmed, such as a sensory room. Whilst the initial investment is high, the payoff is more than worth it, to create a happy workforce!

3. Attendance

Attendance is high up on the government agenda, as more and more children become absent from education. This is another area that has accelerated as a result of the pandemic and leaves schools wondering how they can make their environment as welcoming and supportive as possible for students who are reluctant to come back. For school business managers, attendance is doubly important, as it also affects funding for the school. Attendance needs to be constantly promoted and celebrated, as well as being aware of those who are not able to be in school for legitimate reasons. Investing in attendance could be through having a streamlined MIS (Management Information System) that tracks trends and gives real-time information to teachers. It could also be through enabling staff to work with children in lower ratios, for those who find a classroom heightens their anxiety.

4. Behaviour

Behaviour is often cited as one of the main reasons for teachers leaving the profession and can have a big impact on the day-to-day running of a classroom. For school business managers, it is looking at the impact of behaviour on staff retention and how to empower teachers to deal with difficult situations. Investing in CPD is a good start, finding a provider who will give practical solutions that can be applied to real life. Teachers need to feel supported with behaviour and that their concerns are being listened to; this could involve investing in a space at your school where children can go to get themselves calm and in a good place before returning to the classroom. Investing in behaviour strategies can also prevent the rise of absenteeism.

5. SEND

SEND is often an area which has a lot of resources but needs the most funding. This could range from fiddle toys for children who struggle with concentration to a 1:1 TA whose hours are funded by a child’s support plan. It is vital that SEND is funded correctly and is a yearly priority for school business managers, in order to ensure that all children are given access to education. All staff should be trained to identify and support children with learning needs, as well as adapt their lessons accordingly. It might be that a school needs a particular intervention programme to support reading, or practical resources to help with fine motor skills. Again, the investment at the beginning may be large, but the payoff is even bigger!

Contact Us

If you’d like to know more about how Paper Plus can provide your school with the supplies and stationery it requires, please get in touch. Call us on 01444 238 050 or pop us an email at sales@paperplusuk.com