Keynote Speakers & Workshop Presenters
 | Mike Jameson Chair, Birmingham Bursars' GroupMike was Business Manager at Fairfax School for thirteen years until 2006 before becoming a Financial Consultant to a number of schools. He has always been a great supporter of the Bursar movement, being a Founder Member and Treasurer of the Midland Bursar Group from 1994 to today and a Midlands Region Council Member of the National Bursars Association from 1999 to 2006 and Vice Chair from 2002 to 2006. He was elected Chair of the Birmingham Bursars’ Group on its formation at a meeting held in November 1999 and attended by around sixty interested local Bursars. He remains Chairman of the group today and has taken immense pride in the group’s steady growth and development over the last ten years to its present size when it now has 218 active members, just over half of all Birmingham schools. |
Welcome | |
 | Councillor Les Lawrence Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families, Birmingham City CouncilCurrently: Chairman of the Local Government Association's Safer Communities Board, a member of the LGA Executive. Chairman of the LGA's Children in Trouble Project Chairman of the National Play Policy which covers England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Member of the National Family Justice Board. Member of the Home Office National Crime Reduction Board. Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families since late 06 having been Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning on Birmingham City Council having previously chaired the Education and Lifelong Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee. NB Education and Lifelong Learning were combined with Children's Social Care in 06. A Governor of the Kings Edwards Foundation in Birmingham. Chairman Turves Green Girls School and Technology College Governing Body. Still works for a living in Business and software development. Previously: Chairman for the Royal Orthopedic NHS Foundation Trust until Oct 08 having taken it into Foundation status in 06. Director of the National Youth Agency 06-09. Chairman of the Local Government Association's Children and Young People's Board. Chairman of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Youth and COmmunity Workers 05-09. |
Opening Address | |
 | George Phipson CBE General Secretary of the Foundation and Aided Schools National AssociationAfter a teaching career in the London area that included sixteen years as headteacher of a large comprehensive school, George Phipson became General Secretary of the Foundation and Aided Schools National Association (FASNA). He has been at the centre of national developments on the funding of schools for many years and currently he is on the DCSF School Funding Implementation Group whose work has included the introduction of the Dedicated Schools Grant and multi-year budgets and is now focused on the Formula Review, Early Years and 14+ funding. Prior to that he served on the DfES Education Funding Strategy Group whose report led to the new Schools Formula Spending Share methodology which has been the basis of “Spend Plus” and is currently under review. Through FASNA he is constantly pushing for greater autonomy for schools with greater direct funding and for the opportunities afforded by Foundation and Trust status that move schools in this direction. He is particularly interested in the work of Schools Forums and their influence on local funding decisions. He acts as funding consultant to the NAHT which includes a major research project providing an annual comparative analysis of LEA funding of schools. Previously he was a Board member of the Funding Agency for Schools and received the CBE for his contribution to education in this field. He and his family particularly enjoy going to the mountains to walk in summer and ski in winter. |
Workshop 4 The Grass Is Always Greener: an analysis of school budgets in Midlands schools | Back in the old days |
 | Howard Jackson Managing Director of HCSS Education LimitedHoward’s background included internal audit, commercial FD, and School Business Manager, before setting up his own education finance consultancy business in 1993. Founder and original chairman of the Northern Bursars Group and previously a Non-Executive Director of the National Bursars Association, as well as managing his own company, Howard is currently a Non-Executive Director of the Forum for Private Business, an organisation with a membership of in excess of 25,000. His experience includes training of Governors, Head teachers and Financial Administrators, on all aspects of education finance, and he lead a major training programme on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families. He has written software to enable schools to prepare longer term financial plans and is extensively involved in short, medium and longer term planning for schools. He is the author of a nationally circulated document on financial planning published by the DCSF. Howard leads from the front, and is totally dedicated to achieving high standards in all he does. He believes passionately that public and private organisations can work together in harmony for the benefit of all concerned; he enjoys the challenge of bringing his entrepreneurial spirit to the public sector and is totally |
Back in the old days | |
 | Dr John Dunford General Secretary, ASCLJohn was a member of the leadership team of three comprehensive schools in the north east of England from 1974 to 1998, including 16 years as head of Durham Johnston Comprehensive School. He has been general secretary of ASCL since 1998. He is a member of the Boards of Trustees of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, Teach First, Future Leaders and Worldwide Volunteering. He is also a governor of his local primary school in Leicestershire. July 2008 |
The evolution of school business management | |
 | Dugald Sandeman Director of the School Resources Group, DCSFDugald Sandeman is the Director of the School Resources Group at the DCSF. Dugald joined the DES in 1988 after a first career as a farmer and county councillor in Somerset. From 2000 to 2005 he was back in Somerset as the Executive Director of Somerset Learning and Skills Council and then setting up a new family business for his wife. Dugald returned to DfES in November 2005, and was appointed to his current post in August 2006. |
The likely future of school funding | |
 | Toby Salt B.Ed (Hons), M.Ed., F.R.S.A Deputy Chief Executive and Strategic Director for School Leadership Development - National College for Leadership of Schools and Children ServicesToby is the Deputy Chief Executive and Strategic Director for School Leadership Development at the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services. Toby has worked in a variety of leadership roles within social care, education and local authorities. His last job was the executive head of a federation involving three schools. Formerly he was also Director at the DfES Innovation Unit. Throughout his career Toby has pushed the traditional boundaries by encouraging innovation and creative reform. Toby has been a representative on DfES reference groups and provided special advice to ministers. He remains a governor of an F.E. college and a federation of schools. Toby also contributes to, and is on the editorial board, of a range of national and international professional journals and publications. Toby has worked across the age phases in a range of leadership and management roles but has developed a specialist interest in the more challenging and disadvantaged youngsters. He is a member of a number government groups including the Innovators Council for the Cabinet Office. |
The Future of School Business Management | |
 | Karen Hughes NASBMKaren Hughes, Director of Professional Development has worked with NASBM since April 2004 supporting professional development and managing the training offer available through the Association. She has introduced the accredited offer of qualifications including the MSc in Educational Leadership with the University of Leicester, NEBOSH National General Certificate and recently the tailored IOSH Health & Safety programme specifically for individuals working in schools. She has worked significantly with the National College producing the recently published Competency Framework and is now supporting the national college in the design and process for the School Business Director programme. She is also leading on the pathway to Royal Charter which will lead to the Chartered Institute of School Business Management. In 2009, Karen’s contribution to the profession was recognised through the Guild of Educators Award for Vocational Education 2009. |
Workshop 1 Dealing With Difficult People | |
 | Tim Priestley Audit CommissionAfter starting his career in the public sector as a technical auditor Tim spent many years in the private sector in senior finance positions and in senior management. In the mid 1990’s Tim returned to local government, holding various posts, latterly as assistant director education, with one of the new unitary authorities created in 1996. In April 2001, Tim joined the Audit Commission as an LEA inspector working in partnership with Ofsted. Tim is the Audit Commission’s national lead for children’s services finance, and has recently been appointed as the Comprehensive Area Assessment Lead for the Humber Region. |
Workshop 2 Finding Efficiency Savings In Schools | |
 | George Smith Lindsworth SchoolGEORGE SMITH is very old indeed - he celebrated his 60th birthday only yesterday. To his credit, he is with us today using neither zimmer frame nor walking stick. George reluctantly admits that he is a qualified Social Worker, as he has been working in schools for the past 25 years. Currently Head of Care at Lindsworth School, he is also the Designated Senior Person for Child Protection. Over the past few years, George has been increasingly involved in giving talks and running training courses on handling difficult situations. Glasgow born, George's sense of humour is as strong as his language - You have been warned ! |
Workshop 3 Child Protection | |