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Securing the best for less: making resources go further

Subject: Managing schools
Audience: Headteachers, Middle leaders and aspiring headteachers, School business managers
Date of publication: September 2010   |   File format and size: PDF, 213 Kb

The College has been working with six case study schools to understand how they have used their resources efficiently and effectively. All the schools have developed an approach that is tailored to their context and needs, but all have been driven by clear values that are focused on wanting the very best outcomes for children.

The case studies explore and document the effective use of resources within the following categories:

  • procurement and technology
  • resource use and financial management
  • partnership and shared services

Common characteristics

A number of key themes, common to all the schools, emerged from analysis of the case studies. Each school was characterised by a set of values and processes that included :

  • financial decision-making driven by values
  • a strategic approach to decision-making about the deployment of resources
  • an entrepreneurial culture and a ‘can-do’ attitude, which brought in additional income
  • robust systems and structures, acting as a framework for financial decision-making

These and many others are discussed in detail in the report. In addition to this, the case-study schools identified strategies and tips that helped them use resources efficiently.