School Business Manager, Reference: 170895

Balshaw's CE High School is an outstanding Voluntary Controlled Church of England High School in Leyland. It is the school of choice for parents in the area with a very proud history stretching back over 237 years and we are typically fully subscribed with 920 students on roll. As well as outstanding outcomes in D&T and STEM subjects Balshaw’s also has pride in its sporting and arts achievements boasting a number of successful and famous alumni. The school has long standing links with the Diocese and has a strong Christian ethos. 

The finances of the school are very well-managed; careful stewardship and forward planning mean that Balshaw’s has continued to set budgets with an in-year surplus. In addition to the 920 students on role, the school has 119 staff.  The role of School Business Manager (SBM) is wide and varied. Some of the major elements are:

  School Budget Management and Financial reporting 

 Premises Management 

 Educational Visits Co-ordination 

 Health & Safety 

 Human Resources 

 Leadership, Management & Governance 

 Marketing & ICT Systems 

 GDPR Compliance 

 Statutory Compliance for Department for Education 

Strategic planning lies at the heart of the role.  Keeping the headteacher and the governing body fully appraised of the short, medium, and long term financial plans, possible issues and the potential solutions to these issues is the core function of the School Business Manager. The SBM at Balshaw’s is a fully functioning member of the Senior Leadership Team. The school manages its own payroll with the support of an external HR and Payroll provider. The SBM is supported by a HR/Finance team and has line management responsibility for the Office staff, librarian, IT & Site teams.  School has three key SLA’s :

(1) Facilities management to oversee site compliance.

 (2) External catering provider 

(3) External cleaning provider 

Managing the relationships with our SLA partners is a critical element in the smooth running of the school 

The introduction of the General Data Protection Act and the work necessary to ensure GDPR compliance is also part of the remit of the SBM and ensuring that we are fully compliant is one of the key early priorities for the new SBM to achieve. The SBM is the school’s Data Protection Officer. T As Educational Visits Co-ordinator you will get to support staff in their delivery of extra-curricular enrichment. The SBM postholders at Balshaw’s have also managed the school’s Fairtrade Award and EcoSchool status working directly with a group of students who form our Eco School group. 

This is only a snapshot of the variety and opportunity that are part of the day-to-day life of the SBM at Balshaw’s. This really is the chance for an outstanding candidate to become part of an outstanding school that is both forward thinking and proud of its traditions.

The closing date is 12 noon on Friday 6th December

Please note that the school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure.