Are you ready to take a strategic role in planning for the future sustainability of your school, academy or trust? Matthew Clements-Wheeler offers practical insights into the changing role of the SBM.

School business management professionals are evolving from being the fixers in the back office to strategic business leads, helping to ensure a secure future for their schools and organisations.

But what does this look like in practice? In the first of our new SBM training series, we explore some frameworks and tools for strategic decision-making, and consider key questions to ask when planning ahead.

Listening to this webinar and using the associated resources will enable you to:

• understand the difference between operational and strategic thinking
• approach strategic planning for key areas such as succession planning, staffing, budgeting and facilities
• get equipped with key questions and analytical tools to use in the strategic planning process
• find ways to deal with potentially conflicting priorities and lead the decision-making process.

Reading and resources

• Not SLT but BMT: the need for a business management team
• Planning strategic improvement as a MAT CEO
• SWOT Analysis: How to perform one for your organization - short video showing how to use SWOT analysis in a meaningful way, incorporating data and goals for next steps
• PEST to PESTLE - brief article explaining the development of the model and explaining the different areas of consideration
• The 5 Whys Process We Use to Understand the Root of Any Problem - blog post from social media company Buffer on how and when they use the '5 whys' process

The NASBM standards

Map your newly-acquired skills onto the NASBM professional standards and use this as clear evidence of your continued professional development.

This webinar particularly supports:

• Leading support services - strategic direction and providing leadership
• Behaviours - change catalyst and decision maker.