Professional Standards by ISBL

The School Business Professional Standards have been developed by the sector for the sector. They are fully endorsed by representative bodies and by relevant professional bodies including the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Additionally, these standards are recognised by the Department for Education as the key reference document for evaluating professional competency.

The ISBL Professional Standards set out the skills, knowledge and behaviours required by school business leaders at every level of practice. They can be used to assess the current skills required by your organisation and in turn the role you wish to recruit to and support the development of you and your team.

Access to the professional standards can be accessed by clicking here.

Click here to access Lesley Burton's case study.

ISBL - School Business Professional Workforce Survey Report

The Institute of School Business Leadership has undertaken the most significant survey of the School Business Leadership community since this professional role began to emerge over 30 years ago.

The findings provide evidence of a professional community coming of age, but also identify areas where our education system could make improvements, particularly in terms of representation, strategic leadership integration and investment in professional development.

Key findings:

• The profession continues to be predominantly female profession at circa 87%

• 96% of the practitioners surveyed identified as white and more needs to be done to attract and develop a more diverse workforce

• The profession has an ageing workforce profile, and as a sector we must begin to think strategically about succession planning

• Involvement in CPD activity and workload are intrinsically linked - We need to find a better way to ensure that School Business Professionals are given the time and space to develop as a managers and leaders and to ensure that the demands being placed on them are reasonable, proportionate and sustainable.

For more information on the benefits of becoming an ISBL member please click here

HAYS EDUCATION SALARY & RECRUITING TRENDS GUIDE 2023 - In collaboration with ISBL

Welcome to our 2023 Hays Education Salary & Recruiting Trends guide. We’re pleased to be partnering with the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) for a second year to bring you insights into the education employment market to support your talent management strategies in the months ahead.

Working Well Report 2025

Our Hays Working Well Report is packed with insights from our research of over 3,600 professionals across the UK. It explores how wellbeing is shaping workforce attraction, engagement, retention, and performance, and outlines the key opportunities for organisations looking to improve their wellbeing initiatives.

Find out more:

There are a number of professional development opportunities available through ISBL from training opportunities in finance, marketing, estate management and HR to specialist qualifications from providers including CIPFA, CIPD and Chester University.

For further information please contact the team. Contact us