Strategic Planning
ATL Pay & Conditions Survey 2009
While a third of independent schools is finding the recession tough-going, a third is riding the storm and a third is thriving, according to an Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) survey, reports John Richardson
Thirty-one per cent of independent school teachers said pupil numbers have fallen in their school for this academic year, reports an ATL survey of 1,422 teaching staff and 148 support staff working in independent schools around the UK. However, a third said their school has more pupils and 31 per cent have the same number of pupils.
Public pressure
The Charity Commission’s first public benefit reports have received wide coverage in the press. The initial shocked reaction has subsided. But the consequences of the findings could be serious, as Sam Macdonald reports
Three charities were judged to be failing to meet the test, and these included one care home charity and two independent schools. (A fourth, another care home, was deemed not to be operating within its objects, and so failed to get out of the public benefit starting blocks.) All are fee-charging charities, and it is the impact of fee-charging on accessibility that attracted most of the commission’s attention. In this article, we shall look at the independent schools, although the same principles were applied to the care homes and will be relevant to all charities that charge “high” fees (meaning, according to the commission, fees that “many” people could not afford).
The green shoots
Independent schools in the UK can bounce back from the effects of the current recession, according to a new assessment of likely developments over the next two decades. Dick Davison reports
The Independent Sector Report 2010, the second comprehensive overview from mtmconsulting of the health of a sector now worth £7billion annually, predicts that independent schools will recover strongly from the downturn.
Alternatives to redundancy
When times are tough, sometimes redundancy is the only option available for cutting costs, reports Steve Peacock
The current economic difficulties have impacted not only the banking and business sectors, but all areas of society too, and that includes the education sector. Independent schools are neither vast commercial operations that can draw on internal resources to see them through nor are they reliant on public funding – and so have been doubly affected by the financial crisis. The most prevalent problem facing heads and the management of independent schools is that a depressed economy and the wave of redundancies that have inevitably followed have led to decreased numbers of pupils attending leading, of course, to reduced funding.
Living within your means
In the second of his series of articles on future challenges facing the independent schools sector, former HMC chairman Nigel Richardson looks at strategies of positioning and at how the sector should market itself better
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, whereas familiarity is said to breed contempt. Abroad, UK independent schools are a widespread source of admiration. Yet at home they are often under attack from people who blame them for the loss of social mobility in this country – even though opinion polls continue to show huge electoral support both for independent and for state grammar schools.
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Forward thinking
Recent headlines announcing closures of independent schools have made sobering reading. Adrian Pashley advises on a plan of action
The next few years are likely to be difficult for charitable independent schools, particularly those that are single-sex schools facing local competition from a wide selection of schools in the same catchment area and are located in glorious (if impractical) historic buildings.
Public domains
The public benefit requirements are exercising independent schools throughout the land. There is, of course, no one-size-fits-all solution. David Sewell and Sam Macdonald review the options and assess their viability
The long-awaited public benefit guidance, which had been promised for October 2007, was finally published by the Charity Commission in January 2008. This followed consultation on the draft guidance (reviewed in the October 2007 edition of this publication). The guidance links with the new rules brought in under the Charities Act 2006. These require all charities to demonstrate that their aims are for the public benefit, rather than that fact being presumed, as previously was the case for those charities advancing education, religion, or relieving poverty.
Opening the doors
The Charity Commission’s draft public benefit guidance emphasises the need for charitable schools to be imaginative in how they demonstrate it. Barney Northover suggests doing this through closer collaboration with state schools
The Charity Commission suggests a non-exhaustive list of suitable activities for public benefit and advises schools to “pick and mix” from this menu or come up with other ways of contributing to their local communities.
Facing the future?
What are the key strategic and financial issues facing independent schools over the coming years? A recent survey reveals the signposts to forthcoming trends. Dick Davison provides an overview of the key findings
Schools had just got the autumn term started when the story broke. “Private schools are warned on fees”, the headlines screamed: “Private schools must cut fees or risk going out of business”, “Middle class ‘priced out of independent schools’”.
Under the spotlight
These are challenging times for independent schools. Robert Boyd explains why an understanding of the school’s business model and how it responds to the market is crucial to strategic planning and survival
For many years, independent schools have concentrated on the school development plan, but have often overlooked the business model and strategic planning for the business.
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Taking the blows
Although the latest ISC figures show that pupil numbers at independent schools remain stable, not all parts of the sector are in rude health, write Karl Deakin and Barney Northover. But what should struggling schools do?
Whether due to the wider economic slowdown or the changing patterns of demand from discerning parents, at least some schools are experiencing a fall in pupil numbers. All schools need, of course, to balance their own increasing fuel and food costs (not to mention salary increases) with the need to keep fees affordable for parents.
Going for broke
Prevailing market conditions might offer your school the opportunity to expand its roll at the expense of a competitor. But what are the benchmarks to confirm the wisdom of this strategy? Simon Shneerson reports
For many years, one of the hallmarks of the independent education sector was that its schools had better premises, facilities and resources than the maintained sector. Last year’s ISC Census showed that in 2006 its member schools invested more than £700 million in capital expenditure, about half of which went on new buildings. Some of these buildings will have replaced older ones, but ISC also reports that £164 million was spent on improving existing buildings.
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Lesson plans
A “perfect” timetable would enable a school to run smoothly and at optimal efficiency. But how do you recognise it when you have it? Dale Bragg reports on the trials and tribulations of getting there
If your timetable appears to be running smoothly, how do you know if it is running as efficiently as possible and that you’ve captured that elusive thing: the perfect timetable?
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A marriage of minds
Changing circumstances are prompting many independent schools to consider mergers and acquisitions. Robert Boyd urges schools to review their current business model to anticipate future needs and impacts
Merger activity between independent schools has reached unprecedented levels during the last twelve months. Some of the reasons for this are highlighted in the ISC Census 2006: parental concerns about the relentless rise in fees, cost pressures from the rise in state sector salaries, the demographic downturn, stronger competition from state schools, and the extent of reliance on overseas pupils.
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Mixed feelings
Governing bodies of some single-sex schools are reviewing the possibility of switching to co-educational provision. For some, it is for financial necessity; for others, public benefit is the driving factor, writes Henrietta Newman
The process of considering when an educational charity with objects confined to benefiting one sex seeks to broaden those objects to benefit both sexes is a sensitive and potentially controversial area that requires careful thought and management.
Stronger together
Heads and bursars know that there are unavoidable pressures that will always demand that the school must tightly control its costs. Sam Macdonald, Jonathan Eley and Kit Brown report on radical strategies
In certain sub-sectors, the pressure on costs is more keenly felt than ever before. As a consequence, many schools are considering the economic advantages of a merger or other form of collaboration. Joining forces and centralising certain functions undoubtedly have their economic advantages.
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State trials
Working with state schools brings public benefit opportunities, but carries elements of financial and reputational risks for independent schools. David Sewell and Stephen Fisher analyse the implications of sponsoring academies
Academies (independently governed state-maintained schools with open entry policies) are now part of the educational landscape. At the time of writing, there are 83 in existence and schools minister, Lord Adonis, has recently stated that the Government will have “no difficulty” in going beyond 400. An academy’s sponsors supply expertise and, potentially, funding. They have a key role to play in the governance of the new schools, in setting their goals and in ensuring community involvement.
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A matter of trust
Some independent schools are considering sponsorship of academies; Charity Commission guidance on public benefit supports this. However, trust schools represent a more interesting proposition, writes Chris Billington
The first academies opened in September 2002 and there are plans for 230 academies by 2010. However, sponsors have been required to establish a £2 million endowment fund. From July this year, the funding commitment has been relaxed, although not completely removed, for those that can demonstrate a successful track record in running schools.
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Eastern promise
Haileybury has joined the ranks of British independent schools setting up a franchise school overseas. Here we profile the school’s progress towards signing the contract, plus former bursar Martin Halsall reveals his key tips
On 23 September 2007, Haileybury signed an agreement with the Kazakhstan-based international firm of developers, Capital Partners, to support a new school in Kazakhstan, to be known as Haileybury Almaty.
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Funding: small schools
A diversity of schools and more choice for parents can lead to funding tribulations… writes John Hipshon
Education should be built around values and an individual’s needs. Government will only fund schools ofa certain type – that is to say, the ones that they control.
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Off the ground
Funding for a new sports surface or facility should always be invested with care and consideration, step by step. Mike Abbott sets out the ten rules to ensure that your project comprehensively fulfils its brief
1 use appropriate professional advice
Depending on the scale of project, there is a large number of specialist advisers who should become involved in different stages of the project, from the production of feasibility studies and funding applications, through to the technical, legal and health and safety disciplines for planning, design and construction. The project team may also need to involve or consult a variety of interested people, such as end-users, club committees, sports governing bodies, local authorities etc, and so the importance of effective communication is paramount.
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The plan of action
Strategic considerations for sports builds run much wider than general practical considerations. To enable you to navigate the key issues, follow this technical guidance supplied from Sport England and the Sports and Play Construction Association
It is important to undertake an extensive strategic planning analysis to ensure that the proposed facilities meet the needs of the school and wider community, particularly with reference to public benefit considerations, income generation and marketing opportunities to prospective parents.
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Going for gold
When installing sports centres at independent schools, there are a number of critical factors that can mean the difference between success and failure. John Cadman profiles three projects that took the time to get the brief right
Tonbridge School
A new £11.2 million Centre for Sports and Media at Tonbridge School was officially opened by Olympic champion and chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee Board, Lord Coe, in June 2008. The project at this top UK independent boy’s school was funded by the school with assistance from the Tonbridge School Foundation.
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Profile of Notre Dame School
Notre Dame School, a foundation of The Company of Mary Our Lady, in Cobham, Surrey, is an independent Catholic day school for girls
In its current form, Notre Dame School has been running since 2003, but is actually part of a long line of educational establishments that were founded in the 17th century by The Company of Mary Our Lady, the oldest recognised educational order in the world. The school had been run by nuns with no governors, but was part of the order's charity.
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