CPD & Staffing

A key responsibility for headteachers and principals in schools is to support the wellbeing of your staff team... but what about you and your own wellbeing? You don't need us to tell you that the pressures of school leadership can often feel overwhelming but our FREE Headteacher Wellbeing Audit and Action Plan is here to help. Designed with the unique challenges of headship in mind, this tool helps you take stock of what or who is currently supporting you in a professional capacity and where there could be room for development to improve your wellbeing in school. It's perfect for heads, executive heads, school principals or anyone leading a school to use as a self-reflection tool, as well as being useful for trust leaders, CEOs, governors, trustees or anyone line managing a headteacher to utilise as part of a full support package.

This budget planning checklist and calendar set is designed to help you with staying on top of managing your budget across the school year. The editable budget planning checklist has suggested tasks to attend to when planning your next budget, including for school improvement planning, curriculum budgeting and expenditure, staffing and payroll, pupil premium and SEND. There are also suggestions for when to follow up and monitor each element across the school year. The accompanying calendar provides a month-by-month overview, giving you a quick and easy breakdown of what to explore each month when it comes to monitoring your budget - you could print it out and pin it to your noticeboard as a handy reminder (plus there's a print-friendly version included too). And best of all? This pack is free!

👉Looking for more budget support? This template is also available in the full School Budget Management Pack, which can also help you to upskill yourself on financial management, identify where cost savings can be made and work with your finance governors. This pack offers you best value for money if you want to get a better grip on your budget, but each strand is also available as a separate purchase should you need to explore a single area of budget management: School Budget Planning and Cost Saving Toolkit, School Budget Management Skills Bundle and Budget Planning Questions for Governors.

Looking to recruit a new assistant or deputy headteacher? Whether you’re wondering what questions to ask at interview or what interview tasks are going to allow candidates to show you their skills and knowledge to best effect, this Assistant and Deputy Headteacher Interview Pack can support you throughout the process.

This handy 18-page editable document is designed to help school finance governors to support and challenge their setting's headteacher, principal or academy head when planning and setting the school budget. It contains reflective questions to be used in a constructive dialogue in the following areas:

• Budget planning
• Budget risk factors, contingency and compliance
• Income
• School improvement
• Contracts and benchmarking
• Staffing
• Pupil numbers and class sizes
• Pupil premium and SEND
• Deficit and recovery planning (use if applicable to your setting)
• Budget variation

For each question, there's space to note any discussion outcomes as well as the evidence you've gathered to support budget planning decisions. It can be used by both maintained schools and academies where governors or local board members support the academy's headteacher to plan the budget.

Whether you're a finance link governor, the chair of a governor finance committee or a school leader looking to support your governors, this checklist allows you to work collaboratively and ensure that governors are fulfilling one of the governing body's core functions of ensuring the sound, proper and effective use of the school’s financial resources.

👉 Looking for more budget support? This template is also available in the full School Budget Management Pack, which can also help you to plan your budget, upskill yourself on financial management and identify where cost savings can be made.

👉 For broader support for finance link governors that covers a fuller picture of the school's finances and governor skill development over time, our Finance Link Governor Support Pack may also be of interest.

Looking to plan and prepare an effective continuous professional development cycle? Whether you’re wondering how to explore the training needs of all staff within your team or want to ensure you have a combination of whole-school and individual-focused support, this CPD Planning and Preparation Pack can support you throughout the process.