News

The NEW School Business Leader Wellbeing Survey is now LIVE.

For half a decade, we have been listening to the SBL community across the UK, gathering valuable insights into the realities of the profession and tracking how wellbeing is influenced by the evolving demands of education. Whether you’re a School Business Manager, School Business Leader, HR or Admin staff or part of a central trust team, we’d love to hear from you.

The anonymous survey is open from Wednesday 16th September until Friday 16th October 2026. Participants have the option to enter into a prize draw to win 1 x £100 Amazon voucher for their school.

For further information, competition T’s & C’s, and to take part, please click the link here: https://online1.snapsurveys.com/EducationMutual-SBLWI-2027

Thank you for helping us build a stronger understanding of wellbeing across the profession.

As the new academic year begins, Education Mutual will once again be inviting those working within a school business leadership role across England and Wales to participate in our annual survey.

We are incredibly proud to share that Education Mutual has been named ‘Small Supplier of the Year 2026’ at the Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) Excellence Awards.

Education Mutual in partnership with Gallagher Cyber Defence Centre ensures schools can have access to cyber solutions that proactively prevent cyber-attacks to strengthen digital safety across their school communities. Available as an add‑on to an Education Mutual membership or as a standalone service for non‑members, Gallagher Cyber Defence Centre offers flexible support to suit a wide range of organisations.

This is a collection of tools and services for Education Mutual clients who want to take a proactive and continuous approach to managing their cyber risk. It includes access to cyber risk specialists and the automated security technology to help you defend your school against cyber incidents such as:

• Vulnerability scanning
• Virtual CISO
• Support with Cyber Essentials (CE) and IASME accreditations Phishing simulator
• AI supported Phishing simulations and educational portal
• Data breach scanning
• Employee training portal

In addition, this service allows you to utilise notifications through access to a newsletter and monthly discussions via community intelligence about key security concerns and awareness of live threats. Each month, a series of cybersecurity training webinars are also available with topics such as boundary control, email security and phishing, working from home, data protection.

To find out more about this service, please visit: https://www.educationmutual.co.uk/service/cyber-security/

To receive a quote, please send an email to cyber@educationmutual.co.uk

The Multi‑Academy Trust edition of Education Mutual’s School Business Leader Wellbeing Index 2026 is available to download, print and share.

Now in its second year, the MAT-specific edition builds on the 2025 report and provides a valuable comparison of how pressures and priorities within the sector have evolved over the past 12 months. This years edition also offers updated insights into the wellbeing, pressures, and everyday experiences of School Business Leaders. The findings highlight the key challenges facing the SBL community, including excessive workload, funding constraints, and increasing demands around a lack of SEND provision.

Despite these challenges, the research also reflects the resilience and commitment of the SBL community, as well as the critical role key organisations play in amplifying the SBL voice.

We encourage you to explore the new report and share it within your networks to help raise awareness and spark positive conversations about SBL wellbeing.

Read here: www.educationmutual.co.uk/school-business-leader-wellbeing-index-2026/