Bursars, sometimes called school business managers or senior administrators, play a crucial strategic role in schools, making the most of the available resources to ensure teaching and learning get the financial support they need.
Job Profile
Bursars generally bring their professional expertise and experience to bear on a wide range of financial management issues, including:
- All aspects of school finances (including securing bid-based funding and sponsorship)
- Recruitment/management of school staff and oversight of teachers' contracts/employment issues
- Site management
- School promotion within the local community.
Bursars often take over the sort of detailed administrative tasks which used to be left to head teachers, and usually work as part of the senior management team.
To find out more, you can download the DfES booklet Looking For A Bursar? from the Teachernet website by following the link on: www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/remodelling/bursars/
Job Description
Nottinghamshire has produced a generic job description for
Please note that the job description shown here is for guidance only and may not necessarily match the individual job descriptions of all schools.
Qualifications
Although there are no standard qualifications or entry requirements for bursars, most applicants will be expected to have several years work experience in a relevant work environment and possibly a professional qualification.
Some bursars may enter the profession from inside the education sector, for example they may already work in a school and be seeking to improve their position. The National Bursars Association and the National College for School Leadership provide courses which can be of help to those wishing to progress into the role of bursar.
BTEC/SQA National and Higher National level qualifications in Business and Finance or Public Administration or experience and qualifications in accountancy could all be useful when applying for a post.
CPD Opportunities
The National College of School Leadership www.ncsl.org.uk runs both the Certificate and Diploma of School Business Management to help bursars develop their role. In addition, the National Bursars Association www.nba.org.uk offers extensive training both for new or aspiring bursars and those already experienced in the role.
Where am I now?
Use the journey planner on the Training and Development Agency (TDA) website for support staff to build a personal development route for yourself.
You can register for the planner here www.skills4schools.co.uk/register.asp
