The School Business Manager Pilot Project is underpinned by the need to provide expertise in non-teaching areas, reduce school leader workload, increase collaboration between schools and improve financial efficiency. Eleven Local Authorities were involved in the project where clusters of Primary Schools have recruited a School Business Manager.

The dedicated support provided to leaders and teachers by the School Business Manager allows leaders to better focus on raising standards, a key aim of the National Mission (Objective 2).  In support of national commitment “to sharing research evidence and effective practice across the system” (Objective 4), Miller Research worked at creating a best practice guide alongside the Interim Review.

To evaluate the project Miller Research carried out a desk-based review of Local Authority applications and the first progress monitoring reports were produced to indicate the structure of each School Business Manager cluster. The second stage consisted of a number of qualitative engagements in the form of case study days and telephone interviews. In each of the eleven Local Authorities the School Business manager, their lead and associated head teachers and chair of governors were interviewed and a survey used to obtain additional information from head teachers and governors who were unable to participate in the qualitative fieldwork.