Managing the Risks That Matters Most
Build a live risk register, strengthen compliance and stay ahead of operational risk
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.
In this session we explore
• What risk looks like in today’s schools and MATs
• Setting a clear risk appetite and framework
• How to build and maintain a live risk register
• Mapping operational and strategic risks across finance, estates, data and compliance
• Turning scenarios into practical mitigation and contingency planning
• Communicating risk effectively with SLT, governors and trustees
Take home points
• A simple, usable structure for school and trust risk management
• A clearer understanding of your role as a risk guardian
• Confidence to identify, assess and escalate risks appropriately
• Tools to embed risk ownership across teams and leadership
This session is for
School business leaders, COOs, CFOs, operations leads who want practical, accessible ways to strengthen risk management and keep their school or trust protected.
Matthew Clements-Wheeler
About the speaker
Matthew Clements-Wheeler is a respected authority on the non-teaching side of running schools. For nearly 30 years he’s helped schools, trusts and charities turn chaos into strategy and panic into policy, working with leaders across the UK and internationally. A former Chair of the Institute of School Business Leadership, Matthew now spends much of his time persuading boards, governments and senior leaders to listen to the people who actually know how the place runs.