One of the most important things about running any successful business is encouraging a positive working culture and that’s no different within a school. The software in place can make a big difference to your teams day-to-day, and efficient processes are often key to building a motivated and productive workforce.
Here, we discuss why finance teams should regularly review their contracts with software providers and the functionality these solutions need to be offering.
- Topic:
- Education
Your recruitment software should help you attract candidates and manage your client relationships while taking the manual labour out of your agency, automating your back office into a seamless machine.
- Topic:
- Recruitment
According to a recent study from the Parliament Street Think Tank[1], over two thirds of SMEs say they felt let down by their banks during the pandemic, citing feelings of frustration that they did not receive the right level of support and communication to help them navigate the crisis.
SMEs are the backbone of the UK economy, accounting for three fifths of employment and around half of turnover in the UK private sector. Yet, they don’t have the same resources as larger businesses. Many depend on their external partners, banks, tech providers and consultants, to help them achieve their goals.
As many as 55% of SMEs are actively considering a new banking provider - and it’s only a matter of time before they review all external partners to ensure they are getting the best support possible.
- Topic:
- Finance
How tightly does your business monitor every cost, every expenditure, every charge, every business expense? With the right tools in place, it’s easy to keep a close eye on everything and to spot problems quickly – you can also get a much clearer view on the bigger picture too. That’s the ideal – but for many businesses, it’s not so clear cut. In this article we explore the areas where money is potentially being lost.
- Topic:
- Finance
For school business managers and finance directors, the annual budget can create a huge amount of additional work. Checking, planning, negotiating and, most importantly, balancing all the numbers that underpin the smooth running of a school is certainly no easy task.
This guide breaks budgeting down into key components and details some of the processes and tips that you will need at each stage if you are to budget effectively.
- Topic:
- Education
Contract catering is a term that those working in the sector will be familiar with, but for many outside it – even those in hospitality – there is a lack of clarity about what ‘contract catering’ actually means and the kind of services it provides.
Contract catering is a multi-faceted sector, providing catering services to a whole host of organisations and businesses – from schools and hospitals to workplaces, museums and sports arenas - so the challenges it faces are varied and wide.
In order to identify its challenges, it is, therefore, helpful to the first outline precisely what contract catering is.
- Topic:
- Hospitality
Since the start of academisation around a decade ago, the topic of ‘centralisation’ has sparked a range of opinions from across the sector.
Despite the initial concern, many teaching and non-teaching staff have now become advocates of shared service teams, viewing them as an effective way of improving standards and increasing efficiencies – providing the right tech systems are in place.
- Topic:
- Education
Health & social care in Britain is a diverse industry and can encompass everything from at-home assistance to assisted living facilities. People of all ages and backgrounds are likely to need health or social care at some stage in their lives, and this means that there are millions of potential stakeholders out there. As a project planner in this industry, how can you ensure that you meet their needs in an effective way?
- Topic:
- Finance
Nicola West Jones is head of market research at The Key, a trusted provider of knowledge and know-how to education leaders. In this guest blog, she explains some of the key findings of The Key’s report in partnership with Forum Strategy looking at growing pains for trusts looking to expand.
- Topic:
- Education
The Chancellor’s 2019 Autumn budget was initially due to be delivered on 6 November; however, a delay to Brexit and a snap General Election means we’re still waiting. Nonetheless, education professionals will be keeping a close eye on any increases in spending for schools and academies.
According to research by teachers’ unions, four in five state schools in England will be financially worse off next year than they were in 2015, meaning that, now more than ever, schools must be able to maximise every penny in order to best serve their pupils and staff.
- Topic:
- Education
