Managing Resources

Day 3Session 2 and 3April 21, 2010

Introductory Activity-whole class discussion

What do we understand by the term ‘resource management’?

Resource Management is: a system within which resources are transformed into educational outcomes through a number of stages:

financial resources are obtained to produce a budget; real resources are purchased from that budget. these real resources are deployed among the

activities of the school to, produce learning and other outcomes of the school.

At each point, choices or decisions have to be made.

Consider the following statement:

“In England an ‘efficient school’ is one which makes good use of all its available resources to achieve the best possible educational outcomes for all its pupils – and in doing so provides excellent value for money”(Ofsted, 1995, cited in Fidler, Russel, & Simkins, 1997, p.

164).

Does the above statement apply to your school?

Class activity

What factors do you usually consider when identifying resources for your school?

4 important concepts regarding resource management are:

Economy: the purchase of a given standard of goods or service at lowest cost

Efficiency: the achievement of given outcomes at least cost

Effectiveness: the matching of results with objectives

Equity: the fair distribution of resources among individuals and groups.

Resource management requires; the ability to think creatively and

innovatively about the ways in which resources may be deployed in pursuit of a school’s objectives

This can be facilitated by the following approaches: ‘whole-school thinking’ ‘zero-base thinking’ ‘longer-term thinking’

Whole-school thinking:

the ability to look at the overall pattern of resource deployment (use) in relation to key purposes, priorities and challenges rather than simply focusing on particular aspects of expenditure or areas of activity.

Zero-base thinking

the ability to question all aspects of current expenditure rather than simply to focus on changes at the margin. Linked to whole-school thinking this approach raises questions such as could we carry out this activity in a different way, or do we need to do it at all?

Longer term thinking

the ability to view choice not just within the constraints and pressures of the annual budgetary cycle, but in terms of a broader vision of where the school should be in 3, 5 or even 10 years’ time, despite the uncertainties that such considerations involve.

Managing Human Resources

Use of [staff] in such a way that the school leader obtains the greatest possible benefit from the staff’s abilities and the staff obtain both material and psychological rewards from their work (Graham & Bennett, 1998).

Think-Pair-Share Which human resources do you

manage as a school leader? In your pairs, discuss some of the

strategies you engage in to manage the human resources in your school.

What are some of the challenges you encounter in managing people in an institutional set up?

Group activity

What is your general approach to managing staff?

What processes do you engage in to do the following: Staff selection – group 1 Induction – group 2 Motivation – group 3 Monitoring – group 4

Managing others-Stakeholders

Teachers Learners Non teaching staff Parents BOG/SMC Other stakeholders

People management strategies Staff briefs Staff meetings Clocking in Establishing rules and regulations Communication-circulars/memos/minutes Notices Student-led meetings One-to-one meetings Retreats Open-door policy

People management skills

Communication Administrative skills-interpret and

negotiate government policy Planning and organisational skills Leadership and team building skills Self assessment skills Conflict resolution skills

Managing Physical Resources School Building

Learning Resources

Learning Environment

Important:

buildings, furniture and equipment are a highly visible aspect of the school for anyone who visits the school and it can create an immediate good or bad impression.

Group activity

Carefully read the given scenarios on

physical resources and in groups: Respond to the question asked after

each scenario Identify the aspect of physical

resource management that is brought out in each scenario