SCHOOL SUPPLIERS
The importance of choosing the right school supplier
T
he number of companies
offering services to schools can be overwhelming - what can a school do to narrow down the choice? In our feature on school suppliers this month, we speak to Patrick Hayes, Director at school suppliers’
trade body BESA, about the importance of identifying the correct supplier for your school’s needs, and making the most of the limited funds at your disposal.
We at BESA have monitored the education suppliers’ industry carefully over decades and consult closely with schools about this issue. We understand how it must feel to be bombarded with sales calls, especially with the rise of academies meaning individual schools take on more responsibility for procurement than ever before.
There are indeed thousands of companies out there, and differentiating the “wheat from the chaff” is never easy. One day a company may appear to offer an irresistible “limousine” service at low cost, and it simply may not be there the next. Or another company might get you signed up to their services with the promise of a free trial, and suddenly you find yourself locked into an expensive multi-year contract.
It’s incredibly important that you are able to
identify those companies you can be confident will continue to be long-term trusted suppliers to your school.
In your view, what constitutes a reputable supplier?
An affiliation with a reputable trade body, which has a Code of Practice that members need to sign up to. For recruitment, this could be the REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation) and for education suppliers, who provide products and services to schools – ranging from furniture to EdTech - it’s BESA. We’ve represented quality British suppliers to schools for over 80 years and represent over 80 per cent of the entire industry in terms of revenue.
BESA has developed its Code of Practice in close consultation with schools to ensure that its member companies address the requirements and concerns that schools have when making procurement decisions. It offers schools assurance about a company’s adherence to quality and standards, its integrity, transparency – as well as covering safeguarding and data-security concerns. Where you see the BESA logo with its distinctive “tick”, you know you are procuring from quality suppliers you can trust. You can see a full list of BESA-affiliated companies on our website – and you’ll often see them brandishing our logo as a mark of quality assurance.
What are the benefits of choosing the right supplier?
In terms of ensuring that the children in your school get the quality of education they deserve, choosing the right supplier is vital.
22
www.education-today.co.uk July/August 2017
Teachers are, of course, right at the heart of the UK education system, but they need support. They need access to the right training and course guides to ensure that they are well positioned to introduce students to the “best that has been thought and said” in order to give them the best possible life chances. To bring this learning to life for students, they need the right pedagogical equipment at their disposal: literature, textbooks and teaching aids.
Importantly for the 21st century classroom, it’s vital that pupils have access to the unprecedented learning opportunities that the digital world provides. It’s equally important that teachers and schools can access the rich data that is consequently generated to shine a light on a student’s performance in innovative new ways. There are suppliers that provide all of these, but if you choose the wrong ones, ultimately
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