Ongoing research is showing conclusive proof that that headteachers can save time and money to reinvest in children's education if they delegate responsibility for the school's administration and finance to a qualified, high-level school business manager. Following the interim findings announced by the NCSL and the University of Manchester, an additional 12 demonstration projects are being rolled out across England. A total of 180 schools with more than 51,500 pupils will benefit from the additional level of expertise provided by advanced school business managers  and school business directors.

The projects are investigating a range of issues, including how economies of scale can be achieved across clusters of schools, how a business manager can assist schools' leadership teams, and development of shared infrastructure.

Following the first wave of demonstration projects, key findings of the interim report include:

• Headteachers beginning to report reduced workload, with the higher-level SBM role having a potential to free up to 30 per cent of their time.
• Evidence that the new roles are allowing schools to release funds by maximising existing resources and engaging clusters of schools to work together strategically; savings of £30,000 have already been identified across five schools in Durham, with reinvestment being made in learning.
• SBMs are attracting new sources of funding; in West Grantham, £20,000 has been sourced to support the introduction of Montessori learning in its foundation stage.
• More effective liaison between schools, including the provision of additional support and professional development opportunities.
• Links with external agencies to support the Every Child Matters agenda.
• A broader remit for SBMs by bringing new skills to school leadership teams and managing important whole-school projects.

Toby Salt, deputy chief executive of NCSL, said:

"Although it’s still early days, these interim findings are very encouraging. They demonstrate for the first time the true potential that properly deployed school business managers can have to free up time and money for school leaders.

"All schools stand to benefit greatly from high-level school business managers. Whether emerging from special measures, operating in inner-city areas or undergoing change, the skills of an SBM will prove invaluable.

"By maximising resources and ensuring schools are effectively run, SBMs enable headteachers to bring dynamic leadership to bear on challenging situations. That can only mean one thing: better attainment and outcomes for more of our children and young people."

The latest demonstration projects are:

• Staffordshire Moorlands Collaborative of Schools, Leek, Staffordshire
• Loughborough Federation of Schools, Lambeth, London
• North Huyton Joint Catholic and Anglican Centre for Learning, Knowsley, Merseyside
• The John Cabot Learning Federation, Bristol
• Gifford Primary School, London Borough of Ealing
• The Five Schools Campus, Andover
• Wood View Learning Community, Plymouth
• East Warwickshire Primary Cluster, Rugby, Warwickshire
• North Warwickshire Primary and Infant Cluster, Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Withersea Junior School, East Riding of Yorkshire
• Ashington Learning Partnership, Ashington, Northumberland
• Lutterworth Area Schools Association (LASA), Lutterworth, Leicestershire

For more information about NCSL's School Business Management programme, visit www.ncsl.org.uk/sbm. NCSL SBM international Conference this year is 22nd/23rd June 2009. If
you are interested please follow this link.