Unbound SBLs: sector support and striving for excellence

Host Liz Worthen gets together with school business leadership champions Helen Burge and Emma Gray to find out what they’ve been up to this term. 

Questions arising include: 

• Who’s responsible for income generation in a school setting?
• Why does integrated curriculum finance planning (ICFP) matter?
• Where can school business managers, leaders or professionals turn to for support?
• How does standing in a corridor full of teenagers help restore your vitality?
• What is operational excellence, and why do we need it? 
• Is sherry making a comeback? 
• Why young people need trusted adults in their lives. 

Both Emma Gray and Helen Burge were executive business leaders in trusts, and now support school business professionals through coaching, training and consultancy. Emma is a DfE accredited school resource management advisor, and Helen co-chairs the UK Schools Sustainability Network Operations Group. They are fans of risk management, internal scrutiny and operational excellence. 

Liz Worthen’s career in education spans teaching, training, commissioning and programme development. Creating Value in Schools is all about sustainable working: taking care of people, planet and resources to secure better outcomes for children and communities.

• More from Creating Value in Schools: createvalueschools.com 
• More from Justin Smith on income generation: createvalueschools.com/blog/optimism-and-opportunity-creating-an-income-generation-culture/
• DfE school business professionals survey: gov.uk/government/publications/survey-of-school-business-professionals-2025
• School Business Leader Support Hub: sblsupporthub.com/
• Operational Excellence in Education: isbl.org.uk/opex
• What does a school resource management adviser (SRMA) do? gov.uk/government/publications/the-school-resource-management-advisers-srma-programme
• Find out more about the SBL retreat: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sbl-retreat-2026-reflect-restore-reconnect-tickets-1812889113139
• Browse the Creating Value in Schools bookshop: bookshop.org/shop/createvalueschools
• Contact Emma Gray: 1stpillar.co.uk
• Contact Helen Burge: buoyantimpact.co.uk

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