Thought Leadership

The Business Behind the Mission 

Is a School a Business? This is a question that I have a direct interest in, given my role and some of the responsibilities that relate to that role.

When I was recruited to St James’ in 2011, I was appointed as the School Business Manager. This was my first role working in education, having previously worked in the commercial sector. At that time, the government was actively seeking to recruit people with business acumen and experience in order to work in schools. The government recognised that public finances were stretched and that schools, like other public sector institutions, had to find ways to deliver a better education with less money. I studied for a qualification in School Business Management and, as I was nearing the end of my studies, the vacancy was advertised at my local catholic secondary school and I was successful in my application to St James’ Catholic High School. 

The theory that I’d learned in my qualification was helpful but, as is often the case, there’s nothing quite like the reality. In my previous roles, I worked hard and I think I was successful. When you work for a business, there is an overriding drive to ensure that the company is successful. Everybody works together to create great products or a service that ultimately generate profit for the company’s shareholders. 

A school is rightly very different. The school does not aim for financial gain. Instead, the school must find ways to utilise limited funding to provide the very best staff, resources and facilities to serve its students. The product of St James’ is the young people that complete their education here. The shareholders are their parents and the local community we serve. 

In the case of a business, the employees often create products for clients, and profits for owners, that they will often never meet. The benefits of applying a business approach in a school are so much more rewarding personally. Everyday at St James’, I am able to see the direct impact of my work, seeing the students become the young people that the school and their families aspired for them to be. In my responsibilities, as School Business Manager, I am able to witness first hand where improvements are needed, find ways, with colleagues, to provide the resources required to make the change and then observe the impact of that change - the difference that the school makes is tangible every single day.

The responsibilities of being a School Business Manager are challenging. The majority of my time working at St James’ has been through financial austerity.. Even though that has eased in recent years, public sector finances continue to be strained. However, at St James’, we have a dedicated body of staff and governors that have a shared goal for our students to have every opportunity to live life to the full. 

Working at St James’ is undoubtedly the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. Whilst I have taken on additional responsibilities over the years, those related to my original role still sit with me. Since my first day here, I have had a quote on my office door that people walk past every day and rarely notice. It reads: “It’s easy to make a buck. It’s much tougher to make a difference”. Indeed it is tougher to make a difference, but through our work, St James’ is making a difference - for the students,their families and the wider community and the sense of satisfaction that provides makes the extra effort so worthwhile.

Mr McGovern 

School Business Manager & Deputy Headteacher