Annual Salary
£25,000 to £55,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Swap to Admin, HR, legal or Sales & marketing or go back to all job sectors
School business managers oversee the efficient day-to-day running of a school and support the headteacher and leadership team.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings; attending events or appointments
There will be
4.3% more School business manager jobs in 2027.
In this job, you'll:
You could work in an office, at a school or at a college.
You can get into this job through:
You could do a foundation degree or degree, or a professional qualification, in a subject like:
You'll usually need:
You can start by doing a business administrator advanced apprenticeship or school business professional higher apprenticeship.
You can also complete a degree apprenticeship for managers and senior school leaders, depending on your experience.
You may be able to start as a school administrator or secretary. You'll usually need 5 GCSEs, including English and maths. With experience, you could apply for promotion to office manager or business manager.
If you're already working as a school administrator you could take a qualification like the:
The Institute of School Business Leadership has more details about training and qualifications.
You could apply directly to become a school business manager if you have a strong background in finance or management. An accountancy qualification may be needed for some jobs, and you'll need experience of motivating people.
Experience of working in education will be an advantage.
You'll need to:
You can find more details about professional standards and support from the Institute of School Business Leadership and GOV.UK.
You'll find advice about working as a school business manager from the Institute of School Business Leadership and Skills for Schools.
You could develop your career by moving to a larger school or college with a bigger budget. You could also move into financial or educational management with a local authority, or use your skills to work for an organisation like the NHS.
You'll need: