The successful candidates received their awards at the latest graduation ceremony at NCSL's Learning and Conference Centre in Nottingham.
The CSBM (entry-level) and DSBM (higher level) are designed to equip school business managers with the skills to help successfully meet the changes and developments taking place in 21st century schools.
The qualifications will give graduates more expertise in managing resources effectively, attracting new revenue and providing additional leadership support, so other leaders and teachers can concentrate on teaching and learning. Also, importantly, they help the school fulfil the government's Every Child
Matters agenda, securing better outcomes for all children and young people.
The Bursar Development Programme was launched in 2002 and is run by NCSL in collaboration with the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).
Trevor Summerson, senior programme manager at NCSL, said: "School Business Managers have an increasingly vital role to play in schools today. By
providing the latest in a broad range of management functions, including financial and HR management and administrative know-how, they not only ensure their schools get best value but they also reduce the management burden on heads and teachers and allow them to concentrate on their core jobs - teaching and raising school standards. These graduates should feel proud of their achievement. They are now qualified to make an invaluable contribution to the smooth running of schools across the country."
The School Business Manager role helps remove some of the management load from headteachers. They bring expertise to the forefront, on planning, identifying training and development needs of all staff and managing resources. They also have a pivotal role in meeting the challenges of educational reforms and modernising agendas.
A variety of study methods are currently used in the CSBM and DSBM courses, including online learning, private study, self-evaluation, in-school projects and a residential element. Each participant is allocated a tutor, who supports and guides them through the modules. Participants can also support each other through a special online community.
Headteachers, particularly in the primary sector, are reporting that their role has grown significantly with increasing organisational complexity and a demand for more external partnerships. At the New Heads Conference last November, NCSL announced plans to begin exploring the potential of two new roles - Advanced School Business Managers (ASBM) and School Business Directors (SBD) - through a total of 24 demonstration projects in a range of scenarios this year. The College also has plans for a new Advanced Diploma of School Business Management qualification, due to be piloted this autumn.
Building on existing successful school business management models, it is believed that ASBMs and SBDs could bring significant benefits by creating extra leadership capacity and reducing headteachers' workload so that headteachers can focus more on the key priorities - transforming teaching and learning and improving the life chances and well being of children.
Applications are now open for the DSBM training cohort due to begin in November 2008. More information can be found at: www.ncsl.org.uk/programmes/dsbm/dsbm-applying.cfm.
