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Guidance

Find, join or create a network for school business professionals

How business professionals working in schools can find, join or create a local network and benefit from the opportunities that networking offers.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Education
Published:
22 February 2018
Last updated:
25 September 2026
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  1. Updated 'Find a school business professional network: directory' to remove the Coast and Moors School Business Leaders Network and the London & Southeast School Business Professional Network.

  2. Updated 'Find a school business professional network'. Removed The South East SBP Network.

  3. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' to add Fareham and Gosport Network and amend details for Lancs SBM, Association of Business Leaders in Education (ABLE), Unity School Business Leader Network (USBLN) and The South East SBP Network.

  4. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' to add Sheffield SBM Network.

  5. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' with the new network chair for Lancashire Association of School Business Managers. Removed Somerset School Business Leaders and added Fareham and Gosport Network to the South West.

  6. Updated 'Find a school business professional network'. Removed Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan SBM Network, Liverpool School Business Manager Association (LSBMA) and London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

  7. Updated 'Find a school business professional network'. Removed SBL Connect, Newham School Business Managers Network, Sutton Primary School Business Professionals Group, Newcastle Alliance of School Business Leaders (NASBL), Cheshire West and Chester Association of School Business Managers (CWASBM), and Kirklees SBM Network. Updated Birmingham Association of School Business Management. Updated contact email address for the network directory.

  8. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' with new network leads for Waltham Forest School Business Managers Group and South Gloucestershire School Business Leaders’ Group and new contact details for Durham School Business Managers Group. Removed Fareham and Gosport School Business Manager and Admin Network.

  9. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' to update the details of London Borough of Tower Hamlets SBM Forum and change the network name 'Bath and Avon MAT CFO and Business Leaders Network' to 'South West CFO and Business Leaders Network'.

  10. Updated 'Find a school business professional network'. Removed Darlington SBM Forum, Leeds School Managers Forum, Leicester City Primary Business Managers Group and NAMAT – National Association of Multi-Academy Trusts. Updated Cheshire East School Business Professionals, Stockport Association of School Business Managers, Inspiring Leaders – MAT Partnership and Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire School Business Practitioners Network. Added The South East SBP Network and Hammersmith and Fulham School Business Managers Network.

  11. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' with the new network lead for Manchester and Trafford School Business Leaders Forum. Added Yorkshire and Humber CFO network. Removed Walsall School Business Leaders.

  12. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' to add London Borough of Hillingdon Schools SBM/Ps and Administrator Network.

  13. Updated 'Find a school business professional network'. Added London & Southeast School Business Professional Network (LSE-SBPN). Removed Dacorum School Business Managers Network and London Borough of Waltham Forest Network. Updated details for Abingdon SBM Partnership (formerly Abingdon Partnership School Business Managers), Wiltshire SBL Network, Gloucestershire Association of School Business Managers (GASBM), Devon Association of School Business Managers (DASBM) and SWIFT SBM Professional Community.

  14. Updated the network chair for Financial Academy Directors in 'Find a school business professional network'.

  15. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' to add Inspiring Leaders – MAT Partnership.

  16. Updated 'Find a school business professional network'. Removed Croydon School Business Professional Network, Leicestershire Academies Group, NE Derbyshire SBM, Northamptonshire School Business Management Forum, SBM (Somerset, Devon and Dorset), Swale & Canterbury Finance Forum, Trust Business Leaders East London, Warwickshire Central Area Business Managers Forum, and Wye Valley SBMs. Added Sutton Primary School Business Professionals Group. Updated the network lead for Durham School Business Managers Group and Fareham & Gosport School Business Manager & Admin Network.

  17. Updated 'Find a school business professional network'. Removed South East CFO Network. Added Dunmow and Essex School Business Professional Network, London Borough of Merton, and Southwark School Business Managers. Updated the network lead for NW24 Partnership. Added the website address of UK Schools Sustainability Network. Affinity TSA has changed its name to Inspiring Leaders - MAT Partnership.

  18. Updated 'Find a school business professional network'. Added Surrey Schools Business Professionals Network and UK Schools Sustainability Network Operations Group. Updated network leads in Cheshire East School Business Leads, Gateway Alliance School Business Manager Network (South & Central Warwickshire), Association of Business Leaders in Education (ABLE), Enfield MAT Alliance and Somerset School Business Leaders. Added new website links for Manchester and Trafford School Business Leaders Forum, Midlands FD Forum and Unity School Business Leader Network (USBLN). Added new email addresses for network leads in Shires Education Business Association, Hereford Association of School Business Managers, Suffolk School Business Leaders Network and South Gloucestershire School Business Leaders’ Group (SGSBL). Removed the networks Archdiocese of Birmingham Bursar Group and West Kent Bursars Group.

  19. Removed the 'Leicester Secondary Education Improvement Partnership Business Managers' entry from 'Find a school business professional network'.

  20. Updated ‘Find a school business professional network’. Added new network lead for Diocese of Arundel and Brighton SBM Forum, new email address for Redbridge School Business Managers, new network lead for Gloucestershire Association of School Business Managers (GASBM). Changed network name of ‘Bath Education Trust’ to ‘Bath and Avon MAT CFO and Business Leaders Network’. Two new networks added; Peterborough School Business Networking Group and Lincolnshire School Business Management Network. Three networks removed; Liverpool City Region Academies Group, Aim Alliance Schools and Harrow School Business Managers.

  21. Updated ‘Find a school business professional network’, adding new email addresses for South Yorkshire Business Leaders Group and Leeds School Managers Forum, removing the entry for Solihull Primary and Special School Bursar Group, and changing the name of East Midlands FD Forum to Midlands FD Networking Forum.

  22. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' to remove Bristol School Business Managers, and update the contact details for Bath Education Trust and Durham School Business Managers Group.

  23. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' to add Hereford Association of School Business Managers, and update the contact details for West Yorkshire Academy Business Leaders.

  24. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' to add North Warwickshire School Business Professional Network and SWIFT SBM Professional Community, and update the contact details for Cheshire Finance Network and HASBM.

  25. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' with new contact details for Lancashire Association of School Business Managers (LASBM), West Yorkshire Academy Business Leaders, and Essex Academies School Business Managers Network. Removed Nuneaton Primary Consortium - School Business Forum. Added Gateshead School Business Managers Group.

  26. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' with new contact details for Abingdon Partnership School Business Managers, Bath Education Trust, Middlesbrough School & Academies Business Managers Cluster Group, NYES School Business Manager Network, and West Sussex School Business Managers. Removed North Staffs School Business Leaders Association.

  27. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' with new contact details for Bury School Business Managers’ Alliance, Stockport Association of School Business Managers, Worcestershire Association of School Business Management (WASBM), and North West Surrey Business Managers Network. Removed Lewisham School Business Managers.

  28. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' with new contact details for South Yorkshire Business Leaders Group and Dudley Association of School Business Managers.

  29. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' with new network chair and email address details for Birmingham Association of School Business Management, HASBM (Hertfordshire Association of School Business Management) and Gloucestershire Association of School Business Managers.

  30. Updated contact details for Stockport Association of School Business Managers in 'Find a school business professional network'.

  31. Updated 'Find a school business professional network'. Removed the website for the West Yorkshire Academy Business Leaders (Yorkshire and the Humber) and updated the email address for Telford Association of School Business Managers (West Midlands).

  32. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' to include The Trust Network (all regions) and Walsall School Business Leaders (West Midlands).

  33. Updated the 'Find a school business professional network' attachment. Removed the Leicestershire School Business Professionals Network and the Peterborough and Rutland School Business Managers Group. Added the Cambridgeshire School Business Networking Group and the Wiltshire area MAT CFO network. Updated the email address for the Bath Education Trust and moved the Essex Academies School Business Managers Network to the East of England section.

  34. The names and contact details of the Durham School Business Managers Group and Lancashire Association of School Business Managers (LASBM) chairs have been updated in ‘Find a school business professional network’.

  35. Added 5 new networks to the directory, in the North East, London, the South West and the 'All regions: network' section. Amended 4 networks, in Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands and the East of England. Removed a network in the South West.

  36. The reference to 'RSC regions' has been changed to 'Regions groups'. The network directory in the 'Find a school business professional network' guidance has been updated to reflect the new regional split.

  37. In the attachment ‘Find a school business professional network’, updated contact details for NYES School Business Manager Network, West Yorkshire Academy Business Leaders and Lancashire Association of School Business Managers.

  38. Removed all details for South Leeds Bursar Network. Updated the contact details for Leicester City Primary Business Managers Group, Hillingdon Association of School Business Managers, West Sussex School Business Managers, and Fareham & Gosport School Business Manager & Admin Network. Corrected the spelling of the name 'Graeme Lloyd' in the contact details for Swale & Canterbury Finance Forum.

  39. In ‘Find a school business professional network’, South West RSC: network lead for SBM (Somerset, Devon and Dorset) changed.

  40. North RSC region: Team leader for NYES School Business Manager Network changed. East Midlands and the Humber RSC: Network leader for Leicester City Primary Business Managers Group changed. South West RSC: School Business Network (Dorset and Hampshire) removed and network leader for Bath Education Trust changed.

  41. Removed Hounslow Education Partnership Network and added Leicestershire School Business Professionals Network and Bath Education Trust to the 'Find a school business professional network' guidance.

  42. Updated chair details for Newcastle Association for School Business Leaders (NASBL) in 'Find a school business professional network'.

  43. Added FD Forum to the network directory under 'All regions - online forum'.

  44. Changed 'North East and Cumbria Directors of Finance Forum (NECDOFF)' to 'North of England Schools and Academies Forum (NESAF)'.

  45. Updated contact for South East CFO Network in the school business professional network directory.

  46. Updated school business professional network directory with changes to the chair for Darlington SBM Forum. Updated contact details for West Yorkshire Academy Business Leaders and South Leeds Bursar Network Group. Added NYES School Business Manager Network to the North RSC region. Changed the network name for 'Suffolk Schools Network' to 'Suffolk Schools Business Leaders Network Group' and ‘West Sussex Academy Business Managers Network’ to ‘South East CFO Network'.

  47. Removed Cambridgeshire SBM Network and Newcastle Alliance of School Business Leaders from the directory and updated the name of West Sussex Academy Business Managers Group to West Sussex School Business Managers.

  48. Added Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster Schools SBM Network to the North West London and South Central RSC region and updated the contact details for Birmingham Association of School Business Management and Blackpool Association of School Business Managers.

  49. Updated the network chair details for Island School Business Managers in the 'Find a school business professional network' guidance.

  50. Removed the PiL SBM Network from the East Midlands and the Humber RSC region.

  51. Updated school business professional network directory with new chairs for BASBM - Blackpool Association of School Business Managers and Tameside Association of Secondary Business Managers.

  52. Updated the Network chair details for Sutton Business Managers in the 'Find a school business professional network' guidance.

  53. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' - added 'Leicester Secondary Education Improvement Partnership Business Managers'.

  54. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' - changed email address for 'Blackpool Association of School Business Managers', removed 'West Sussex School Business Managers' and added 'West Sussex Business Managers Group'.

  55. Removed Leicester City Secondary Business Managers Network and added York Group to the East Midlands and the Humber RSC region.

  56. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' - added new online forum section, added 4 new networks, removed 2 networks and updated contact details for 2 networks.

  57. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' with changes to Humber and East Yorkshire School Business Leaders contact email. Also changed a network name to Croydon School Business Professional Network.

  58. Amended the email address for Somerset School Business Leaders and removed Cornwall Association of School Business Management from the South West RSC region in 'Find a school business professional network'.

  59. Added Nuneaton Primary Consortium - School Business Forum to West Midlands RSC. Added National network of special schools for school business professionals to new category All regions.

  60. Added Croydon School Business Manager Network to the South East and South London RSC region in 'Find a school business professional network'.

  61. Updated 'Find a school business professional network': added Lewisham School Business Managers network, updated details for Association of Business Leaders in Education (ABLE) and Coast and Moors School Business Leaders Network, and removed Midland Bursar Group.

  62. Updated the details for 'Cumbria Association of School Business Administration & Management' and 'Leicester City Primary Business Managers Group'.

  63. Added a new network: Trust Business Leaders East London. Also updated contact details for existing networks.

  64. Updated 'Join or create a network for school business professionals' with new information about promoting your network and the DfE schools commercial team. Added Bury School Business Managers' Alliance to directory. Changed North West Secondary Business Leaders' Forum to Manchester and Trafford School Business Leaders Forum.

  65. Added 2 new networks - West Sussex Academy Business Managers Network and Bristol School Business Managers. Also updated names and contact details for existing networks.

  66. Added 2 new networks - West Sussex Academy Business Managers Network and Bristol School Business Managers. Also updated names and contact details for existing networks.

  67. How to add a network to the directory has changed.

  68. Added 2 new networks: Solihull Primary and Special School Bursar Group and Swale & Canterbury Finance Forum. Updated contact details for existing networks.

  69. Added new networks: Suffolk Schools Network, Financial Academy Directors (FADs), Harrow School Business Managers, Hampshire Academy Business Managers group, and East Sussex Secondary Business Managers Forum. Updated contact details for existing networks.

  70. Added 5 networks to the 'Find a school business professional network' document and amended one entry.

  71. In document 'Find a school business professional network', added Gateway Alliance School Business Manager Network (South & Central Warwickshire) and removed CHASBM (Cheshire Association of School Business Managers).

  72. Updated link to new version of school business professional (SBP) newsletter in 'Find a school business professional network'.

  73. Updated 'find a school business professional network' contact details and added two new networks in West Midlands RSC and Lancashire and West Yorkshire RSC regions.

  74. Updated 'find a school business professional network' contact details and added a new network in West Midlands RSC region.

  75. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' contact details and added 3 new networks.

  76. Updated 'Find a school business professional network' to include newsletter sign up details and anchor links to the directory. Removed contact us and further information sections.

  77. Added CHASBM (Cheshire Association of School Business Managers), a new network in the West Midlands.

  78. Updated school business professional network directory with Stockport Association of School Business Managers, Humber & East Yorkshire School Business Leaders and Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire School Business Practitioners Network.

  79. Updated school business professional network directory.

  80. Added 2 new networks, renamed School Business Network (South West) to School Business Network (Dorset and Hampshire) and included updated contact details.

  81. Added 4 new entries, amended 1 entry and removed 1 entry from the school business professional network directory.

  82. Added new contacts in 'Find a school business professional network', to the following networks: Lancashire and West Yorkshire RSC, East Midlands and the Humber RSC, East of England and North East London RSC, North West London and South Central RSC and South East and South London RSC. One contact updated in West Midlands RSC.

  83. Added 5 networks. Updated email address for WASBM network.

  84. Introduction added to 'Schools business professional networks directory'. Minor changes made to 'Join or create a network for school business professionals'.

  85. Added a link to relevant case study 'School business manager peer support improves financial health'. Added HTML doc 'School business professional networks directory'. Changed summary and details to reflect that the directory is now included on this page.

  86. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Join or create a network for school business professionals: guide

HTML

Find a school business professional network: directory

HTML

Details

The guide describes how business professionals working in schools can join or create a local network. Networks help professionals to connect and share information.

The directory includes groups that provide peer-to-peer support to help with a broad range of work-related activity, including buying for schools.

You can find potential networks by region group. Inclusion in the directory does not constitute a recommendation by the Department for Education (DfE).

All levels of staff can benefit from being part of a network. A network offers many opportunities, including:

  • sharing experience and best practice between members and the wider schools sector
  • creating an on-call community to resolve problems quickly, saving time and money
  • getting better value for money through buying together
  • sharing local benchmarking data
  • linking to wider local, regional and national networks
  • supporting innovation
  • being a communication channel between school business professionals, professional bodies and DfE
  • promoting local opportunities and providing peer support for members

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