Leading Staff and Parents through Change

A presentation given to Headteachers at the Independent Schools Association Annual Conference in Eastbourne on Friday 17th May 2013.

 

Strength in Numbers?

The mTm VWV Practical Strategies Conference (18/09/12) explored various ways in which schools collaborate to form School Groups.
I was asked to speak about the Berkhamsted Schools Group and the mergers with Heatherton and Haresfoot.

• Click here for the report of the Main Session:  Strength in Numbers?
• Click here for the PPT slides of the Main Session: Strength in Numbers?
• Click here for the report of the Breakout Session: The Tale of Two Mergers
• Click here for the PPT slides of the Breakout Session: The Tale of Two Mergers

The Benefits of Mergers

I have recently written (jointly with Peter Rushforth) an article on 'The Benefits of Mergers', which has been published in the IAPS magazine, Attain, Autumn 2012, Issue 19, Volume 7 pp.40-41

"It is easy to see the advantages of collaboration and merger simply in business terms – sometimes they are an important life-line - but there is so much more to be gained for all concerned. Collaboration and merger give real scope to raise the bar, to give greater support to teachers and to improve the range of educational opportunities available for pupils."

Co-author: Peter Rushforth, Headmaster of Heatherton School, Chesham Bois; part of the Berkhamsted Schools Group.

Independent School Mergers: Winning Hearts and Minds

When a small, free-standing prep school merges with a much larger school or Group, the greatest challenge is winning over the “hearts and minds” of the key interest groups:

Governors.

The Governors of a small, free-standing prep school (or indeed the owners in the case of a proprietorial school) are in all likelihood all too aware of their predicament. Governors often feel the weight of history. They are bound by the tradition that they received, and have a duty, within what is possible, to ensure that the school is passed on to their successors in good shape. Inevitably some will see merger as a failure on their part; others will take the pragmatic view that it is the only way to see the school move forward. The danger here is that all too often they can hesitate and not seize the moment before them.

The Governors of the Group or larger school have a different agenda. They will need to be satisfied that the expansion of the Group will not impact on the “core” operation. Their concerns are likely to be in terms of whether or not the “satellite school” will be a short or long-term financial burden, and if it is going to prove too much of a distraction for key members of the senior management and support teams. However, the most fundamental question of the Governors of the larger school is, “Do the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term effort?”

Staff.

Because a merger is only a change in Governance, outwardly it impacts most on those whose roles bring them closest to Governors. The Headteacher, the Bursar and the senior team will be most affected by the changes and potentially the most anxious. That said all staff will be anxious about their jobs and career development and all will need reassurance.

Parents.

Parents view schools through the filter of their child. A parent’s first reaction to the news of a merger is to ask, “How is this going to affect my child?” and then, “How is it going to affect me?” Parents want incredibly detailed information, “Will the school uniform or sports kit change?” “Will the fees go up?” “Will drop-off times and location change?” “Will my child’s teacher change?” “Will the Headteacher change?” and so on. It is vital that the schools know and communicate the answers to all of these questions at the earliest possible stage. The most problematic mergers are ones that involve restructure, for this means change. Even, when there is no change, getting parents on board is incredibly time-consuming, but it is vital.

The key to winning the hearts and minds of key groups is developing trust and good communication. The role of the Headteacher of the prep school is fundamental here. The Headteacher is the person who was entrusted to run the school by the Governors, he is the leader of the staff and the face of the school who is trusted by parents and staff alike.

Small Independent Schools - How to escape from being between a rock and a hard place?

Parents love small schools. Parents sending their child to an independent school for the first time want their child’s school to be a “home-from-home”. They want the school to be local so they are not spending hours each day on the school run, and where the school provides a focus for wider community activities and life. They don’t want their son or daughter to be lost in a large school, instead they often choose a school where they know that their child is valued and known to all the staff. These are some of the reasons why small schools continue to compete successfully against larger ones, which perhaps have superior facilities.


However, times are tough for the small free-standing school. The challenges are well known:

1. Compliance and Regulation. The regulatory burden on the Independent Sector means that it is increasingly difficult for the senior management team of a small school to ensure that their school is fully compliant. ISI require ever more policies, procedures and checks to be in place; and the nature of compliance and health and safety matters means that schools increasingly need specialists in this area. Changes in employment, disability and equality legislation have placed additional burdens on senior managers to keep up to date.
2. The Micawber Principle. It is often the case with small schools that the surplus is represented by a relatively small number of pupils. A small swing of as few as five to ten pupils could wipe out the whole surplus and put a school into a deficit situation.
3. Lack of Economies of Scale. Small schools do not have the purchasing power to enjoy the benefits of economies of scale.
4. “Poverty Trap”. It is unlikely that a small school that is generating a surplus of, say, £100k-£150k p.a. is ever going to manage to complete a significant capital project. Banks are reticent to lend significant sums of money to small schools because the gearing required would be too great. Small schools are therefore caught in a “poverty trap” from which they cannot escape. They cannot invest in the significant capital spend that will enable them to increase the numbers to move to the next level and to service the loans. Inevitably, therefore, they fall further and further behind their rivals, until they eventually become uncompetitive and fail.

It is very important that small schools survive as they give parents choice. Parental choice is one of the key drivers for ever higher standards in our sector. One of the reasons that Independent Schools are amongst the best in the world because they operate in a competitive environment – there are no Government bail outs or subsidies for us – we either provide what parents want, or we go to the wall.

Small schools need to find strength in numbers, either by working together to share costs and to achieve economies of scale; or by merging or by becoming part of a wider group of schools. At present most of the groups of schools are in the "For-Profit" sector, but I am sure that we are going to see a rise in the number of Charity/ "Not-for-Profit" groups.