This session explores the value of creating a clear blueprint before making decisions about a school MIS, communication tools or wider digital systems.  Drawing on the IDEAL framework developed by specialist education IT consultants hi-impact, the session will explore how schools and trusts can assess whether a purchase, system change or new initiative is genuinely worth investing in and aligns with DFE standards.

This session explores the gap between sending information and creating genuine engagement.  It will look at how schools and trusts can use their MIS, communication tools and wider IT systems more effectively to spot patterns, support earlier intervention and reduce unnecessary admin pressure.

For school business leaders, effective estate planning and oversight is as essential as managing finance, HR, or procurement. In this session, we’ll explore how you can raise the profile of estates within your school or trust, use the GEMS and the DfE’s Estate Management Competency Framework to build internal expertise, and make more confident decisions as an informed client. We’ll also look at how the condition and quality of your estate links directly to educational outcomes – and what excellent estates leadership looks like in practice.

When systems do not talk to each other, tasks get duplicated and planning happens in silos, it lands on school business teams first.  This 30 minute quick fix session is about practical moves you can make straight away to reduce operational drag, tighten workflows, and create space for the strategic work only you can do.  We will use Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats as a simple framework to pressure-test decisions, improve delegation, and make better use of the skills already in your team.

Black box thinking is built on a simple but powerful idea: organisations get stronger when mistakes, missteps and near misses are examined properly. In this practical session, Sam Finch explores how the principles of black box thinking can help schools and trusts move away from blame culture and towards a culture of accountability, openness and psychological safety, where mistakes are handled more constructively and used to strengthen leadership practice, team culture and organisational decision-making.

Drawing on four years of research into the mental health and wellbeing of school business leaders across England and Wales, Education Mutual brings those findings together to reveal the bigger picture.  This session explores the pressures that have remained stubbornly constant, the emerging demands reshaping the role, and what the data tells us about where signs of progress are beginning to appear, and where challenges remain unresolved.

Whether you already have a Climate Action Plan in place, or are just at the start of your journey, this session looks to support you in actively delivering your plan in a meaningful and manageable way. Grounded in real school experience, this session will help you move from ambition to action, without adding unnecessary workload or cost.

This session discusses you how to push back professionally without damaging relationships or standards.  We explore what a constructive no sounds like, how to manage expectations at every level and how to recognise when saying yes will cause more problems than it solves.  We also look at the guilt and cultural pressure that makes refusal particularly hard across school leaders and their teams. This is a session for leaders who want clearer boundaries, sharper prioritisation and a NO that lands well when it matters.

Risk stretches far beyond safeguarding and health and safety. It includes finance, estates, compliance, data, governance and reputation, and the school business leader sits at the centre of all of it.  A strong, live risk register is essential for keeping schools protected and helping SLT, governors and trustees make informed decisions.  This session gives you the confidence and tools to manage risk proactively and to embed a culture where everyone understands their role.

Led by security specialist Shane, formerly a police superintendent, this session cuts through the noise and shows you what proportionate, modern lockdown planning looks like in 2026. We cover the practical steps that help you stay compliant, calm and ready, whether you're the person writing the plan or the senior leader responsible for making sure it happens across multiple sites.

Subject access requests (SARs) can be time-consuming and complex to manage, especially alongside the many other priorities school business professionals’ juggle. In this session, Shane draws on extensive experience supporting hundreds of schools with SARs and data protection processes. He'll share insights into what's working on the ground, what's changed in recent legislation (including new ICO guidance and cooling-off periods), and how you can develop school-friendly procedures that protect your team, your pupils and your time.

ICFP is one of the most effective tools for managing rising costs and staffing pressures. With staff making up around 80 percent of school spend, even small shifts in deployment can make a significant difference. This session shows how integrated curriculum and financial planning can improve curriculum design, strengthen staffing decisions and support long term sustainability. It focuses on practical, proactive ways to use ICFP so you can deliver value for money without compromising the offer for pupils.