Nickii Messer School Business Leadership Consultant Optimising Efficiency and Value for Money.
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Transcript of Nickii Messer School Business Leadership Consultant Optimising Efficiency and Value for Money.
Nickii Messer
School Business Leadership Consultant
www.nickiimesser.com
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. DfEwww.gov.uk
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
Review and evaluate contractsFind time for regular review and evaluation
Did/does it fulfil expectations?Check, benchmark, share the SLA/KPIsIs 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
changeDon’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 efficienciesRun 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 dealsBenchmark costs and examine trendsLook long term – greener, more efficient,
energy solutions can even make moneySwitch 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 staffingStaff 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 challengingthe 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 staffCommunicate effectivelyDemonstrate that you value themConduct skills and aspirations auditsConsult and respond to their needsExpect the best from everyoneCarry out appraisals and training for everyoneHave team SLAs and KPIsEncourage 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 affordableLink appraisal targets & training to SI/DPShop around for CPD providers who
provide what your school needsUse expertise in yours and partner
schoolsBuy in experts & share bespoke training
with other schoolsPlan your training programme ahead to
secure best dealsGet trained up to deliver training yourself
Sell (a slice of) high cost staff
School business managersFinance managers – especially qualified accountants
ICT managersExam managers
HLTAsSENCO
And back-fill with admin/technical support
Productive premises?
“Employee comfort can helpcontribute 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 decisionsWhat 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 facilitiesSuggest a joint facilities and curriculum
governors’ committeeVisit classrooms: check lighting, air flow,
orientation, storage, general ambienceVisit your school as a pupilCompare classrooms across the schoolVisit other schoolsDo 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 [email protected]