How business professionals working in schools can find, join or create a network of local school business professionals.

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Find a school business professional network

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Join or create a network for school business professionals

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This guide describes how business professionals working in schools can join or create a school business professional network. Networks help professionals to connect and share information.

The school business professional networks directory includes groups that provide peer-to-peer support to help with a broad range of work-related activity, including buying for schools.

You can find potential networks by regional schools commissioner (RSC) region. Inclusion in the directory does not constitute a recommendation by the Department for Education.

All levels of staff can benefit from being part of a network. A network offers many opportunities, including:

  • sharing experience and best practice between members and the wider schools sector
  • creating an on-call community to resolve problems quickly, saving time and money
  • getting better value for money through buying together
  • sharing local benchmarking data
  • linking to wider local, regional and national networks
  • supporting innovation
  • being a communication channel between school business professionals, professional bodies and the Department for Education (DfE)
  • promoting local opportunities and providing peer support for members

Find out how a school business manager (SBM) established a peer-support network of 50 schools to share innovative strategies.

Published 22 February 2018
Last updated 29 April 2021 + show all updates

  1. Updated the Network chair details for Sutton Business Managers in the ‘Find a school business professional network’ guidance.

  2. Updated ‘Find a school business professional network’ – added ‘Leicester Secondary Education Improvement Partnership Business Managers’.

  3. Updated ‘Find a school business professional network’ – changed email address for ‘Blackpool Association of School Business Managers’, removed ‘West Sussex School Business Managers’ and added ‘West Sussex Business Managers Group’.

  4. Removed Leicester City Secondary Business Managers Network and added York Group to the East Midlands and the Humber RSC region.

  5. Updated ‘Find a school business professional network’ – added new online forum section, added 4 new networks, removed 2 networks and updated contact details for 2 networks.

  6. Updated ‘Find a school business professional network’ with changes to Humber and East Yorkshire School Business Leaders contact email. Also changed a network name to Croydon School Business Professional Network.

  7. Amended the email address for Somerset School Business Leaders and removed Cornwall Association of School Business Management from the South West RSC region in ‘Find a school business professional network’.

  8. Added Nuneaton Primary Consortium – School Business Forum to West Midlands RSC. Added National network of special schools for school business professionals to new category All regions.

  9. Added Croydon School Business Manager Network to the South East and South London RSC region in ‘Find a school business professional network’.

  10. Updated ‘Find a school business professional network’: added Lewisham School Business Managers network, updated details for Association of Business Leaders in Education (ABLE) and Coast and Moors School Business Leaders Network, and removed Midland Bursar Group.

  11. Updated the details for ‘Cumbria Association of School Business Administration & Management’ and ‘Leicester City Primary Business Managers Group’.

  12. Added a new network: Trust Business Leaders East London. Also updated contact details for existing networks.

  13. Updated ‘Join or create a network for school business professionals’ with new information about promoting your network and the DfE schools commercial team. Added Bury School Business Managers’ Alliance to directory. Changed North West Secondary Business Leaders’ Forum to Manchester and Trafford School Business Leaders Forum.

  14. Added 2 new networks – West Sussex Academy Business Managers Network and Bristol School Business Managers. Also updated names and contact details for existing networks.

  15. Added 2 new networks – West Sussex Academy Business Managers Network and Bristol School Business Managers. Also updated names and contact details for existing networks.

  16. How to add a network to the directory has changed.

  17. Added 2 new networks: Solihull Primary and Special School Bursar Group and Swale & Canterbury Finance Forum. Updated contact details for existing networks.

  18. Added new networks: Suffolk Schools Network, Financial Academy Directors (FADs), Harrow School Business Managers, Hampshire Academy Business Managers group, and East Sussex Secondary Business Managers Forum. Updated contact details for existing networks.

  19. Added 5 networks to the ‘Find a school business professional network’ document and amended one entry.

  20. In document ‘Find a school business professional network’, added Gateway Alliance School Business Manager Network (South & Central Warwickshire) and removed CHASBM (Cheshire Association of School Business Managers).

  21. Updated link to new version of school business professional (SBP) newsletter in ‘Find a school business professional network’.

  22. Updated ‘find a school business professional network’ contact details and added two new networks in West Midlands RSC and Lancashire and West Yorkshire RSC regions.

  23. Updated ‘find a school business professional network’ contact details and added a new network in West Midlands RSC region.

  24. Updated ‘Find a school business professional network’ contact details and added 3 new networks.

  25. Updated ‘Find a school business professional network’ to include newsletter sign up details and anchor links to the directory. Removed contact us and further information sections.

  26. Added CHASBM (Cheshire Association of School Business Managers), a new network in the West Midlands.

  27. Updated school business professional network directory with Stockport Association of School Business Managers, Humber & East Yorkshire School Business Leaders and Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire School Business Practitioners Network.

  28. Updated school business professional network directory.

  29. Added 2 new networks, renamed School Business Network (South West) to School Business Network (Dorset and Hampshire) and included updated contact details.

  30. Added 4 new entries, amended 1 entry and removed 1 entry from the school business professional network directory.

  31. Added new contacts in ‘Find a school business professional network’, to the following networks: Lancashire and West Yorkshire RSC, East Midlands and the Humber RSC, East of England and North East London RSC, North West London and South Central RSC and South East and South London RSC. One contact updated in West Midlands RSC.

  32. Added 5 networks. Updated email address for WASBM network.

  33. Introduction added to ‘Schools business professional networks directory’. Minor changes made to ‘Join or create a network for school business professionals’.

  34. Added a link to relevant case study ‘School business manager peer support improves financial health’. Added HTML doc ‘School business professional networks directory’. Changed summary and details to reflect that the directory is now included on this page.

  35. First published.