October is usually the time of year when schools (in the Northern hemisphere) are beginning to settle into a routine. The days of the summer holidays are a thing of the past and now the run to the Winter break is the light at the end of the tunnel.
And yet, its about this time of year, when Heads of School start to think about the next academic year, starting 10 months in the future.
In October most International schools are already thinking about their staffing budget for the next academic year. There is a need to make sure that any retention and recruitment strategies meet the budgetary targets.
At this point a Head of School needs to look at their enrollment, the changes in their local market and any changes in the educational offering and consider the financial implications. To budget they need to plan realistic numbers and build them into all their future strategies.
In most years, while there is always a degree of guesswork, this year Heads can be forgiven for treating this process a bit like gazing into a crystal ball.
There are numerous factors that could impact the planning process, but these may not become evident until must closer to the start of the next academic year. More than ever, Heads will need to try to make realistic predictions as to what their school might look like in September 2021, while not knowing how the world will look.
So, Heads have a tough job. They need to think aspirationally, but realistically and always ask themselves what the ‘risk’ is. The crystal ball comes in handy at this point when assessing the risks. After all, no one could have predicted the impact of Covid on schools at this point last year and trying to envision what comes next will have few clear answers.
So spare a thought for Headteachers as they look into the crystal ball, trying to find the right answers to the question; What happens next?
