Helen McCall

A highly successful, transformative, collaborative and customer focused business manager and partner. Experienced across multiple sectors, with track record of delivering solutions that matter and demand high levels of proactive collaboration, innovation and adherence to financial and growth objectives. Key successes have been achieved through energetic people and business skills, plus an adherence to process, whilst maintaining personal agility to ensure rapid change, efficiency and innovative practice, resulting in continuous organisational success and future focused growth.

Planner, problem solver and passionate about and committed to delivering life-long opportunities and outcomes, aligned with organisational strategy and principles that matter. 
All round helper and can do-er.

School Business Manager

SMART Multi-Academy Trust - June 2016 to Present

Responsibilities and Successes:

Strategic Leadership & Management – On time and budget strategic planning and execution of change initiatives, in support of 32 staff and 203 pupils. Influence and engagement with strategic decision making. Execute delegate responsibilities / decisions in the absence of the Head Teacher. Senior leadership role to include Governors meetings, direct reporting to Trustees, CEO and CFO.

Finance & Budgets - Planning, setting and management of £1.4 m budget; procurement, grant and bid applications inclusive of all governance related deliverables as well as income optimisation relating to on-premises assets (for example estate leases). Leadership and management of school office, finance, administration, site staff and caretaker, teaching assistants & learning mentors, technicians, students, volunteers and catering team.

Administration ICT & Technical Support - Responsible for all related activities including planning, reviews, administrative & ICT systems, delivery of statutory returns, plus liaison with all invested stakeholder groups.

Estate Management – Responsible for all aspects of estate management including maintenance, building, PM of capital projects, letting of estate assets, liaison with stakeholder groups as well as H&S, security and first aid work streams.

Marketing & Customer Relationships Management - Responsible for all aspects of marketing and customer relations, consulting with and managing all related stakeholder relationships. Also, build and implementation of strategy inclusive of web-based and social media work streams

HR & Line Management - Advisory to senior leadership team and responsible for compliance related delivery (school representative at all performance reviews); safer recruitment, including related disclosure and barring checks (DBS Manager), on-boarding, absences, payroll, Occ Health referral processes.

Key Successes:

• Achieved partner of choice status by my line manager.
• Successful bid writer: a) 60 laptops (value £25k) donated by Virgin Media. b) £1k grant f rom Greggs and Asda for food parcels supporting disadvantaged families. c) Achieved distribution support of food aid throughout Covid f rom local community groups and national companies.
• Project management of multiple estate uplift initiatives and CIF bids: a) £600,000 school roof replacement. b) £200k heating upgrade. C) £100k window replacement.
• Invited to be member of Department of Education steering group.
• Accepted as a Member of Schools North-East Network
• Designated Safeguarding Lead
• Back fill for people - manager of peers due to senior leadership capacity limitations

BTEC National Diploma in Business Studies and Finance

Role Specific Training:

• Financial Management in Schools 1 and 2
• Safeguarding children with disabled and complex needs, Coping with trauma
• CEOP - Child exploitation and on-line protection, Training Ambassador (Qualified to train others)
• Child and Adults Safeguarding / Protection Training, Prevent Training, County Lines Training, Bullying and cyber bullying
• Children missing in education, FGM – female genital mutilation, Gangs and youth violence
• Mental and emotional health, Managing workload, Mental Health and self-harming behaviours
• Management of medicine, Drugs, alcohol and confiscation
• Sexual violence & harassment, Homelessness & safeguarding, Forced marriage and honor-based violence
• PS Financial Training, BPS Budget Software training
• DBS Manager, CPOMS Safeguarding training
• PRIMARY SITE – website application design and maintenance.
• EVOLVE – Educational visit Coordinator, Safer recruitment training
• DSL – Designated Safeguarding lead
• GDPR – In-house standards
• Management information system - Arbor, MSS and SAP
• LinkedIn Learning – Change Management, LinkedIn Learning – Project Management essentials