Bradford & District | Archive | 2002 | September | 27
From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Friday 27th Sep 2002.
THE day of the school secretary could soon be over and the role filled by a business manager.
A trio of school administration staff from the Craven area are among the first in the country to gain a new qualification for school bursars and secretaries, a certificate in School Business Management.
Corinthe Newman, from Kettlewell Primary School, Lynn Knight, a financial management officer of North Yorkshire County Council, and Glenda Foster, from Netherside Hall School, Threshfield, a residential school for boys with dyslexia, will all attend a graduation ceremony on October 3 at Nottingham to mark their achievement in completing this pilot course.
The school secretary is the "glue" that holds the establishment together - they know how everything works, where everything is kept and how to solve every diverse problem involved in the running of a busy school. Yet, so often their true value goes unnoticed. They do far more than count the dinner money and type letters.
The new qualification will hopefully alter this perception.
The course is part of a series of Government initiatives aimed at freeing teaching staff, and particularly headteachers, from the office and get them back into the classroom.
But someone has to deal with the administration of the school and it is envisaged that in future that someone will be a business manager. However, training will be needed and the Bursar Development Programme has been established to offer school secretaries the training and development they need to expand their skills to benefit the school, its staff and pupils.
County Coun Shelagh Marshall said "I must offer my sincere congratulations to Corinthe, Lynn and Glenda for their achievement. It is not easy balancing home, work and study and I think we are very fortunate to have people working in our schools with this level of commitment."
As part of their course, they had to study modules dealing with finance, personnel issues, management and administration of the school and the development and use of information technology. Additionally, they had to write a 4,000-word thesis and keep a weekly journal.
All three women feel that the course has increased their effectiveness within the school.
Lynn, from Daisy Place, Sutton, who works in a variety of local schools assisting mainly with financial matters, said: "I have enjoyed the course and feel that it has given me the opportunity not just to meet people in similar positions, but also to raise the profile of the job. The school bursar is a vital cog in the education wheel and needs true recognition."
Alan Sutton, chairman of the governors at Netherside Hall School, said: "The governors are delighted that Glenda has achieved the Certificate in School Business Management as part of the pilot scheme. She and her colleagues are three of only a handful of bursars in the whole country who have achieved this level of award. Well done, we are proud of you."
Corinthe, who was encouraged to attend the course by the headteacher of Kettlewell Primary School, Roz McDonald, found that her achievement stood her in good stead when she successfully applied for the post of administration officer at Sutton-in-Craven Church of England School.
Roz said: "I am delighted for Corinthe that her hard work has resulted in such success.
"Her participation on the course had an immediate and positive effect upon the efficient administration of our school, relieving me of many of the management tasks I had previously undertaken.
"I would encourage all schools and school administrators to consider taking part in this course in the future, as the benefits are obvious to all involved."
© Newsquest Media Group 2008