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Time management tips for school management
The school bell is a constant reminder that another chunk of time has passed, and there are fewer hours left in the day to complete the tasks required.
Our recent MAT leaders Survey reinforced this, with time being cited as one of the top three areas affecting our respondents’ ability to remain compliant with education legislation, regulations and requirements.
So, how to fight a finite resource like time? Adding additional headcount is unlikely with budget constraints, so the alternative is to work smarter. Read on, to see our top time busters, a combination of time management tips and systems for schools that genuinely help to free up more time in the day.
1. Review your time
Track your time to really see where it’s going. This can be done with pen and paper, or one of the many free time trackers such as toggle which records your time with the click of a button. Taking a step back and reviewing the data will help you determine, where you time is being spent, where it is productive and where it is not. Is your time being spent in line with your priorities or personal objectives, are particular tasks inefficient? Understanding time inefficiencies will help you identify systems and processes that could make a meaningful difference.
2. Automate
Are there tasks that could be automated as opposed to being labour intensive? We know from working closely with schools and MATs that many tasks can be onerous. For example, much of the onboarding process of new starters can be time consuming. Software such as EduPeople, can dramatically reduce the administrative burden by generating contracts and allowing candidates to accept offers electronically.
3. Maximise efficiency
Many schools rely on multiple systems, however newer platforms are available that support more than one business function e.g. one platform can combine HR and payroll. EduPeople for example, is one system that meets both HR and payroll needs, with a single data entry point it reduces data entry by 50%. Better still it is based on open APIs so can talk to other business systems such as MIS, and budgeting software to deliver even more efficiencies and saving even more time.
4. Virtually delegate
Some administrative tasks can be delegated, for example if a member of staff gets married, moves house or switches banks, why should they not be able to update their records with a change of name, address or bank details. Staff can be empowered to take accountability of their own details, thereby freeing up time of central administrative staff. In a large MAT or school, with hundreds, if not thousands of staff, this can save considerable time. Many of our clients are already benefiting from the employee self-service functionality available with EduPeople.
5. Prioritise!
A useful way of prioritising can be to plot tasks against two axis (important – not important / urgent – non urgent.) The quadrants can then each be taken in turn, starting with the important /urgent quadrant. A paper system such as this is all well and good, but more useful is a system that does some of the prioritising and reminding for you. EduPepole, has a customisable dashboard that shows key tasks and deadlines, e.g. how many DBS checks are about to expire.
We know that time is a real problem for schools. 87% of respondents to our MAT Leaders’ Survey told us that their administrative burden had increased over the last 12 months, with HR, financial planning and reporting the three areas most likely to take up most of their time.
Book a discovery call to see how we can help you streamline, automate and simplify your HR and payroll to give you more hours in the day.
EduPeople
EduPeople is an HR, payroll and pensions system and service designed specifically for the education sector. Viewing your people data is easy - with EduPeople you have a clear and accurate picture of your workforce from a MAT-wide view all the way through to a single establishment. Not only this, EduPeople is modular and can scale and grow as your trust does. EduPeople empowers your staff by reducing administration ultimately giving them more time and capacity to focus on the things that matter most.
Find out more
Get in touch to find out more on 0330 123 2549 or at edupeople@strictlyeducation.co.uk we are happy to answer your questions. Alternatively book a discovery call to discuss your challenges and organise a tailored demonstration to show how EduPeople can help address them. You can also find out more in our EduPeople brochure and video on EduPeople here.
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