The Key Group

Our response to new research from The Key Group on the worrying lack of access to work experience: The findings provide a valuable overview of the current landscape of work experience in schools and major disparities in uptake that need immediate addressing. Substantial experience of the world of work is vital as it can genuinely level the playing field for all young people by demystifying careers and building awareness, confidence and networks. Read our full response to the report, outlining our extensive insight and evidence on this urgent but ultimately fixable issue, including our recommendations for the roll out of universal work experience 👇 #SpeakersforSchools #WorkExperience #Opportunity

The evidence we have shared today through attendance data, shows that not enough young people are getting the work experience they need. The Government's commitment to two weeks’ worth is vital in making a difference to that. Yet we know that some companies (and schools!) require more flexibility than delivering work experience in the traditional format (in blocks of a week, in year 10). The Careers & Enterprise Company's new flexible model for 2 weeks’ worth of work experience is worthy of attention - piloting in partnership with Mayoral combined authorities, it's a welcome step forward in delivering the systematic approach needed to scale experiences for all young people. Take a look at what they’re doing in Greater Manchester for some inspiration: https://lnkd.in/e72fd2zG

Today we have released important research on how many pupils are getting work experience, as measured by attendance data on Arbor. You can help us spread the word that many more employers need to step up to offer placements to pupils - please share to organisations big and small! https://lnkd.in/e8G89eD7. #workexperience #Arbor

The Key Group is delighted to announce that Amy Chalfen has been appointed as COO. Amy will be supporting the evolution of the Group, driving key initiatives that will help the business navigate the challenges of fast growth, including strong acquisitions. Amy will also work closely with the business units within the Group, as well as leading core teams including systems, legal and information security. Amy has a background in helping to scale organisations, having worked at Experian, Openreach and a number of tech start-ups. In addition to her background in technology leadership, she has also trained and worked as a lawyer. 

The Key Group was delighted to support the Institute of School Business Leadership with their excellent research into applying Operational Excellence to education systems, and the resulting framework developed for schools and trusts. Check out our blog for our thoughts on how edtech companies can support, by developing good technology and data capabilities: https://lnkd.in/evfiVU6n And go to https://lnkd.in/erqRymcv to explore the framework in depth. Stephen Morales - MA, FISBL, CertEd Chris Hallmark Paula Holbrook Rebecca Beaver, Fellow of ISBL Mark O'Brien Helen Wetherall

Schools and trusts could see significant increases in operational capacity by adopting operational excellence approaches increasingly seen in the commercial world and other parts of the public sector. That’s according to a new in-depth report commissioned by the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), supported by the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International, and sponsored by The Key Group. The research reveals that just 20% of trusts have currently adopted the ‘OpEx’ approach. This creates a “game-changing opportunity for the vast majority of trusts and the wider sector” says ISBL CEO Stephen Morales. “OpEx is the natural next step in the sector’s improvement journey,” he added. “At its basic level, OpEx is about reflecting on what we do and asking ourselves the question: are there incremental improvements that can be made? OpEx is a major opportunity to improve if schools and trusts accept that there is an improvement journey to go on,” he said. The report is published on Thursday 3 Oct. Register to receive the report at www.isbl.org.uk/opex #opexedu2024 #schoolbusinessleaders #isbl

Some interesting insights from a survey of 933 school leaders and back office staff about how they manage their HR tasks, what technology they use to help them, and how happy they are with it. 72% told us that "staff absence management" would be among the most important features if they were buying a comprehensive HR system for their school... https://lnkd.in/eszkq2NZ

New blog post on what schools across the country really think about their MIS, analysing the responses of over 1,000 users across all the main providers. We've looked at satisfaction levels, benefits, likelihood of switching and what they're looking for in a new provider. https://lnkd.in/ea6ZwBCH #MIS

On 17th July, the day before most state schools broke up for the summer, we heard from over 500 school leaders about how ready they feel for the pledges that were in the Labour manifesto... If you work in, lead, support, supply to or design policies for schools, I hope you find this insightful 👀 https://lnkd.in/gTMpzGpc #education #schoolleaders The Key Support Services Arbor Education SAMpeople TimeTabler (October Resolutions Limited) GovernorHub

Arbor, part of The Key Group, has acquired SAMpeople and Fusion HR, and we welcome Kathryn Birch and her brilliant team to the group. You can read more here: https://lnkd.in/eA6wgwp3 #thekeygroup #arbor #fusionHR #SAMpeople #MIS #HRIS #MATs