Express & Star

We should all support the great work schools do

School business manager Emma Gray runs an education blog workingsbm.com and in today's column she discusses the challenges facing the education system

Published
Emma Gray

I will happily admit that it has been a good few years since I stood in the playground waiting for my children to spill out into my arms for a millisecond before they raced off to play with their friends for a few more minutes.

My playground waiting time is full of happy memories, ongoing friendships and the books, art and squiggles that they proudly presented me with every afternoon.

As they grew older their excitement at seeing me at the end of their day became more reserved and, like many mums, I went back to full-time work.

I was really fortunate to take on a role in which I could, and still do, maintain some of that playground joy. I’m a school business manager.

If you are involved in education in the UK you’ll know that the SBM, as we like to be known, is a leader of the non-teaching functions of a school.

If not, it might be a surprise that behind the welcoming headteachers, classroom teachers and teaching assistants, who are the front face of every school, there is a necessary army of administrators, technicians, cleaners, caretakers, playtime supervisors and finance staff supporting and facilitating the teaching and learning in every classroom. And there’s me.

You won’t usually see me on a parents’ evening or on open day, I’m not usually based in reception and I’ll be a blur of busy at the school fete or Christmas fair.

But you can be sure that I am there in the background, making sure everything runs smoothly, everyone has scissors and gluesticks (and that their use has been properly risk assessed).

I’ll be the one making sure all the staff get paid, that we keep to our budget and the leak in the roof is fixed before the winter.

Why am I telling you all this?

Well, I love my job and I love writing about it. I love sharing the joy of working in a school and I especially love supporting other SBMs in what is a really challenging job.

I also love offering an alternative to all the negative narrative. So when the Express and Star asked if I’d like to write an occasional column in the paper for women, I said: “Yes please. Can I write about education?”

Education is a part of all our lives. We all live near a school, we know how important it is, how central a school is to our community and how vital it is that we get it right for our young people.

Unfortunately we also know it can be a bit of a political punchbag. Schools are always in the news, usually the sensational stories of misspent funds or children who have been failed by the system.

I say, let’s work together to change that and shout about the wonderful work of our local schools.

Even if you are closely involved in a school, it can be difficult to keep up with the constant changes and new initiatives.

But as we near the end of another academic year I think there is a lot to look forward to.

All around me are young faces, eager to learn about the world, to experience it for themselves, to do it all their way and it makes me feel hopeful for our future.

Working in a school, whatever your role, is challenging as you never know what the day will bring, but it is extremely fulfilling and at the end of a busy day you can stand in the playground, watch all those happy faces and know that you are helping to make new memories for others.