A school business manager (SBM), sometimes known as a school business leader (SBL) or bursar, is a senior member of non-teaching staff responsible for managing non-teaching activity in a school. This position exists in schools in the United Kingdom, but not in most public schools in the United States. They oversee the business management of schools – all the administrative and logistical aspects of running a school so that these are done in the most effective and efficient way possible. Through this, they free up the school's headteacher to focus on leading teaching and learning.
Although generally not in possession of Qualified Teacher Status, SBMs with appropriate training and experience are increasingly serving on the school's leadership team, bringing additional leadership skills and a commercial outlook to the school's strategic decision making. Almost all secondary schools and about a third of primary schools have school business managers serving on their leadership team.
