So what can be done about this issue? In a few years the role will be accepted in the way the Assistant Headteacher role has been. But for those of us in post now and those who are looking at the SBM role as a career route in the near future we can’t wait!

I have spoken to SBM colleagues who say that part of the problem arose from the way the role was introduced to other school staff, without any clear explanation of the benefits, both financial and administrative. My own headteacher, Paul Mathews, admits that in hindsight he should have been much more explicit to staff about the role. “I knew the role would have a huge impact on our school’s situation but didn’t anticipate that others would not see that. Then when vital and necessary changes started to be made by Jo there were definitely rumblings. Although some people will always find change threatening I could have avoided the personalisation of that by preparing staff in a better way.”

So, on an individual school basis, preparatory work surrounding the role needs to be carried out by Leadership. However, there can also be a wider approach and this is where the NCSL comes in, particularly with its introduction of the SBM advocate role.

I have recently been appointed by the NCSL as the London Region SBM Advocate, alongside my own SBM post, joining other colleagues around the country appointed to each of the nine government regions. Sounds great, but what does this role entail and how can you get involved?

Our remit is to raise awareness of the profession, promote the increasing avenues for career progression and to demonstrate to stakeholders how the SBM role can improve school effectiveness. This is being done in a variety of ways including:-

• Opening up channels of communication between SBMs across each area by, for example, seeking an SBM in each LA to link with the regional advocate
• Supporting SBM groups that have already been set up, including groups studying for the CSBM, DSBM or ADSBM.
• Publicising the benefits of the role to LAs, Governors, Headteachers, HR providers etc. 
• Attending meetings/networking events/conferences where the SBM role can be promoted. Together with my Headteacher, I recently sat on a panel speaking to sixty aspiring headteachers who had gained their NPQH qualification. Under the conference title of ‘Winning Teams’ we promoted the SBM role and the importance of treating it as a Senior Management position and demonstrated the impact that the post can have on school improvement.
• Collaborating with colleagues online at www.ncsl.org.uk/sbm. This includes the SBM arena, a hotbed of SBM related discussion! Here you can also ‘meet’ your region’s SBM Advocate.
• Encouraging SBMs to join the NCSL Leadership network to take advantage of the regional events and the online Leadership and Management learning resources.
• Highlighting other opportunities open to SBMs. I will be visiting Michigan, USA, in March as part of the NCSL International Leadership Learning Programme to study how school administration is approached in a different country and to see what lessons we can learn from each other. I hope to be sharing this experience in one of the SBM International Conference workshops in June this year. Further information on this conference can be found at http://www.ncsl.org.uk/sbmconference-index

With an advocate now in place in all the regions and our profiles rising, together with SBMs we will be able to break down many of the barriers still remaining in order for the aim to be reached that every school will have employed or have access to a School Business Manager.

If you would like to be involved, want to share experiences or have any ideas to help please do not hesitate to contact your advocate:

Region	SBM advocate(s)	Email address
North East	Sarah Monk	sarah.monk@ncsl.org.uk
North West	Dawn Boyes and Michael Unsworth	dawn.boyes@ncsl.org.uk michael.unsworth@ncsl.org.uk
Yorkshire and the Humber	Morag Somerville	morag.somerville@ncsl.org.uk
Eastern	Nickii Messer	nickii.messer@ncsl.org.uk
East Midlands	Dawn Fenton	dawn.fenton@ncsl.org.uk
West Midlands	Bev Duffy	bev.duffy@ncsl.org.uk
South West	Kerry Brimfield	kerry.brimfield@ncsl.org.uk
South East	Anne Angell	anne.angell@ncsl.org.uk
London	Jo Watts	jo.watts@ncsl.org.uk

We hope to hear from you!!

Jo Watts

NCSL SBM Advocate (London Region)