Noel Neeson

Ian Allsop describes how the head and bursar at a school in Birmingham have developed their working partnership

The Blue Coat School (BCS) is an independent preparatory school in Birmingham for children aged three to 11. It is academically selective from Year 3 upwards although there’s an entry assessment at the pre-prep level. Blessed with 15 acres of gardens and playing fields, it was founded in 1722 by the Church of England, originally as a free boarding school for poor and orphaned children.

The current headmaster is Noel Neeson, who joined in September 2016. It is his third headship and he joined from St Peter’s Prep School in Lympstone, Devon. He is a member of the National College of School Leaders and an advocate of ‘learning without limits’. Since he joined, BCS has been shortlisted as the Times Prep School of the Year in three consecutive years. Neeson carefully navigated the school through the pandemic, ensuring that continued standards of excellence were maintained both online and offline. BCS remained open for up to 200 children of key workers and a bespoke online distance learning programme ensured that pupils having to remain at home were still able to access the very best teaching and learning.

High standards

Behind his desk in his office is a sign saying ‘be curious not judgemental’. When asked how he would characterise the school, Neeson responds with “oversubscribed”. He explains: “We have substantial waiting lists which is unusual outside of London these days. But we can’t get complacent. Children are at the heart of what we do. A lot of schools talk about that but don’t walk the walk. The children are paramount and we are very much focused on breaking the glass ceiling of learning. We look at individual needs and do everything with a capital letter. Pastoral has to have a capital P, alongside Academic, Sport and Music, to make sure we are all shooting in the same direction. You can spend ages building a strong reputation but that can be driven out of town very quickly.”

The school’s bursar is Gareth Morgan, who joined BCS having been the bursar at King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys following a career in the Royal Navy as a logistics officer. What does Neeson consider to be the fundamental requirements of a successful relationship between the head and bursar?

“Without wanting to steal the mantra of an esteemed previous prime minister, it is trust, trust, trust. For me, the relationship isn’t one to be taken lightly. Nine times out of ten there are big personalities involved.”

A different page

Neeson is honest enough to admit that, at first, he and Morgan didn’t always see eye to eye. “Gareth came from the state grammar school system, but over time the relationship has developed positively and we have found a good equilibrium. Yes, he reports to me, but it is about setting your stall out at the beginning to enable a build-up of trust. And ultimately the governors play a key part in the senior leadership triangle. The head/bursar relationship is made stronger if the governing body plays with a straight bat.”

So what qualities does a good bursar need? Neeson  replies: “The bursar needs to be a good listener, and distinguish between the needs of the teaching staff and their own team, which Gareth does. He attends my weekly briefings, but behind closed doors feels confident in being able to ask for things. You need trust, strong communication and the gumption to be robust in private if something isn’t happening the way you feel it should.”

He continues: “Usually the hardest decisions to make when running a school get left to the head and/or bursar. So while we try and work things out involving the whole senior management team and then governing body, it’s useful if the two of us can thrash it out first.”

He argues that all heads have to reflect on how to get the best out of the relationship. Neeson expressed that if he thinks that something is partly his idea he will fly with it as he feels he has some ownership of it.”

Neeson is quite candid about clashes in the past, which have ultimately led to a strengthening in the relationship. “We were thinking of establishing a day boarding house. I could see such a concept might work in a city, and undertook a huge project to assess the need for it. But Gareth didn’t buy into it. Therefore, the governors took the decision about whether we could fund it based on an outdated notion of the idea of boarding rather than looking at the long-term benefits.

“I was frustrated at the time but Gareth and I sat down and discussed it. And so, from that negative, we have much clearer boundaries and positives to work with. We have a much better understanding of where we are each coming from.”

Different strokes

Neeson mentions another example which he thinks illustrates that “bursars come from a different world”. The school did a transport survey to consider various issues around the school, including parking. “I looked at design, while Gareth looked at cost, so you are coming at these things from two different perspectives and while sometimes it feels like ‘never the twain shall meet’ you have to try and meet in the middle.”

However, he thinks it can be too simplistic to characterise the tension that can exist between heads and bursars as that the former has great idea, which the latter won’t always justify spending precious resources on. “I am a great believer that you only spend the money once, so I focus on what it means for the children and the impact on them. It can be hard to pull away once the governors have been shown how an idea will have a material impact on the children. But constructive challenge can lead to ideas being refined in a good way.”

He concludes by saying slow burning relationships work better than trying to please each other all of the time. “Our relationship isn’t brotherly but we can knock against each other in a constructive way. And, in the end, if you don’t listen and reflect you aren’t doing your job properly.”

Ian Allsop is freelance journalist.

Ian Allsop