Jump to content

Who is the School Business Director Programme for?

The School Business Director Programme is being developed to support the professional learning of those currently working, or aspiring to work, at the highest levels of professional practice in the leadership and management of educational settings. Participants of the programme are expected to be those school business managers who work in the context of increasingly diverse and complex settings, and face new challenges in terms of their leadership and management skills.

For those fitting this description, the programme is designed to help provide direction, exercise sound judgement and manage resources efficiently in some of the most innovative and challenging settings in the English education sector.

More particularly, the programme aims to support the advanced professional learning of participants and their ability to perform the extended school business management role in the school business management competency framework (school business director level). For those meeting these criteria, the National College provides a limited number of government-funded places.

Prior experience

We recommend that all applicants should first complete the Advanced Diploma of School Business Management (ADSBM). If you are not an ADSBM graduate, you will be asked for further details regarding your professional and academic background in the form of an APEL (Accreditation of prior experience and learning).

Your APEL must be submitted as part of your application by the closing date. It is essential that when uploading your APEL that you input a description into the mandatory description field. The APEL document must be uploaded as a .doc file. It will then be assessed by a qualified facilitator prior to acceptance onto the programme.

Reasons for applying

As part of the application process, you will be required to answer two in-depth questions relating to your motivations for applying for the programme and the potential impacts to your own professional development as well as your organisational context. These questions will be part of the online application form, which will be assessed by a qualified facilitator prior to acceptance onto the programme.

Eligibility criteria

To apply for the programme, please read the statements below and ensure that they apply to you.

  • I am a member of the senior leadership team (SLT) and the skills gained from the programme will be of significant benefit to my school's effective leadership and management.
  • I am currently working as an advanced school business manager or school business director (see the School business management competency framework).
  • I have a related professional qualification(s) at NVQ level 6 which has been achieved in the last five years or I have completed ADSBM.
  • I have read and agree to the programme terms and conditions.

Applicants who are working in independent schools, further education colleges, universities or working outside of England are also able to apply. Find out more about the eligibility criteria for independent applicants.

Programme requirements

The following must also apply to you.

  • I am able to attend a minimum of seven workshop days.
  • I have an internet-enabled computer at home and/or have permission to use the internet at work for the purposes of the programme.
  • I understand that this is a challenging and intensive programme and that the minimum study time commitment involved is approximately 12 hours per week.

Co-construction

The process of co-construction is being utilised in the development of this programme as we aim to ensure that the programme is absolutely fit for its target audience by engaging our participants in its development.

This will not only support our aim of developing the highest possible quality programme, but also enable the participants to fully own their programme and help to promote and achieve personalisation. In each cohort, individuals will be therefore be 'constructing' their personalised journeys following their needs assessment, as well as constructing their personal leadership challenges.

Support from your school

It is critical that you obtain the support of the headteacher and chair of governors at the school backing your application before you apply for the programme. We view this support as crucial to your success and your application will not be viewed as complete until we receive it.

When completing your online application form, we will ask you to provide the name and email address of your headteacher and chair of governors so that we can ask them to provide an online reference to confirm that they have understood this commitment and wholly support your application.

The document below is for you to give to your headteacher and chair of governors to ensure they are fully aware of the requirements of the programme. Please ensure that they have read and fully understood the document and the commitment you are making.

Terms and conditions

Please ensure that you have read the terms and conditions. They have been created to advise you how we handle your application and data, of any requirements that we will insist upon and of any payment requirements that we may have. You may also find it beneficial to familiarise yourself with the School business management competency framework document, which can assist you in planning your future career development and identify your training needs.