Welcome to ISBA Bursarcast, the podcast designed for everyone involved in the management of independent schools. Whether you work in finance, estates, HR, transport, or any other school leadership role, this podcast brings you the latest sector news, expert insights, and practical advice to support your work.
Each Friday at 4 pm, we deliver in-depth conversations with sector professionals, industry experts, and ISBA members, keeping you informed on the issues that matter most to independent schools.
Tune in for essential updates, best practices, and strategic insights to help your school thrive. Subscribe now on your favourite podcast platform and stay ahead of the curve with ISBA Bursarcast.
The Bursarcast is produced by RAFIKI STUDIO
www.rafikistudio.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
ISBA BURSARCAST // The Long Game: Making Better Capital Decisions with Guy Collins-Down, COO Alleyn's (16th October 2026)
This week, we’re doing things a little differently. Rather than our usual weekly news updates, this special episode of Bursarcast is devoted to one of the biggest operational challenges facing schools: how to make good capital decisions when budgets are under increasing pressure.
Leo is joined by Guy Collins-Down, COO of Alleyn’s School, for a practical conversation about estates, investment and the choices schools make when there is simply more to do than there is money available.
Guy shares how Alleyn’s assesses competing capital projects, why educational impact is only part of the equation, and how a more structured approach can stop investment decisions being driven by whoever shouts the loudest.
They also explore the hidden cost of deferred maintenance; why mechanical and engineering systems can become particularly expensive when overlooked; and how better data can reveal inefficiencies that would otherwise remain invisible.
The conversation moves into the idea of the “smart school” — using information about buildings, energy use and occupancy to make better operational decisions — as well as the importance of bringing estates, IT and sustainability planning together rather than treating them as separate projects.
Guy also reflects on the value of consultation, what he has learned from more than 20 years working in educational design and capital projects, and why bursars facing a long project list and a short budget should ultimately “play the long game”.
In this episode:
Prioritising capital projects when budgets are constrained
Balancing educational impact with cost savings and income potential
The real cost of deferring maintenance
Using condition surveys and building data more effectively
Why schools can end up paying twice when IT, sustainability and estates are planned separately
Thinking strategically about energy, networks and future infrastructure
Consultation, governance and collective decision-making
When spending more upfront can save considerably more later
Advice for bursars operating without large in-house teams
Why long-term operational cost should influence today’s capital decisions
And, naturally, we finish with the important question of Guy’s favourite Lego project.
GUEST:
Guy Collins-Down, COO Alleyn's School (https://www.alleyns.org.uk/)
Member note:
This episode is designed as a short operational briefing. Fuller guidance, technical detail and member-only resources remain available through ISBA and the relevant linked materials.
Subscribe & Follow
New episodes every Friday at 4 pm on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Acast.
Email: podcast@theisba.org.uk – we’d love to hear from you.
The Bursarcast is produced by RAFIKI STUDIO
www.rafikistudio.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
9 Oct 2026
ISBA BURSARCAST // Safeguarding, Inspection Risks and Financial Deadlines (9th October 2026)
In this edition of ISBA Bursarcast, we highlight the key regulatory, financial and operational developments affecting UK independent schools, drawn from ISBA Bulletin No. 31 – 8 October 2026.
This week's briefing focuses on new safeguarding obligations, inspection expectations, employment compliance and important deadlines for bursars, heads and school leadership teams.
In this episode:
Safeguarding information sharing: A new statutory duty came into force on 30 September, with implications for school policies, procedures and data protection.
Parental complaints and ISI inspections: Updated inspection guidance brings greater attention to how schools recognise and manage data protection complaints.
Teachers' Pensions: An urgent employer portal registration deadline and a planned service interruption affecting pension administration.
Capital Goods Scheme: Why schools may want to revisit historic capital expenditure for potential VAT recovery.
Right to Work compliance: An updated Home Office code of practice and its relevance to school recruitment procedures.
Financial updates: PAYE Settlement Agreement deadlines and temporary VAT relief on qualifying electricity supplies.
Further information
This episode provides a selective overview of the issues most relevant to school operational leaders. It is not a substitute for detailed regulatory, legal or financial guidance.
For the full updates, supporting resources and practical guidance, members should consult ISBA Bulletin No. 31 (8 October 2026) and the ISBA Reference Library.
ISBA Bursarcast — concise, relevant operational intelligence for the people leading and managing independent schools.
Member note:
This episode is designed as a short operational briefing. Fuller guidance, technical detail and member-only resources remain available through ISBA and the relevant linked materials.
Subscribe & Follow
New episodes every Friday at 4 pm on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Acast.
Email: podcast@theisba.org.uk – we’d love to hear from you.
The Bursarcast is produced by RAFIKI STUDIO
www.rafikistudio.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
2 Oct 2026
ISBA BURSARCAST // When Physical Security Becomes Digital Infrastructure ft. Net-Ctrl (2nd October 2026)
Physical security is no longer simply an estates issue. For schools, it increasingly sits at the intersection of IT, safeguarding, cyber security, operational resilience and governance.
In this episode of the ISBA Bursarcast, Leo is joined again by Tom Piggott from Verkada / Net-Ctrl to explore how physical security is changing — and what that means for independent schools.
They discuss the growing “IT-ification” of physical security, as CCTV, access control, alarms and environmental monitoring become increasingly connected to a school’s wider digital infrastructure. The conversation looks at why estates and IT teams need to work more closely together, and the cyber-security questions schools should be asking as more physical systems become networked.
The episode also examines where AI is genuinely beginning to make a practical difference, from natural-language searches and automated alerts to identifying patterns within footage — while considering the equally important questions around permissions, privacy and data governance.
Beyond security itself, Tom explains how connected systems can also provide useful operational insight, including environmental monitoring, space utilisation and understanding movement around the school estate.
In this episode:
What the “IT-ification” of physical security means for schools
Why estates and IT teams increasingly need to work together
The cyber-security questions schools should ask about connected security systems
How to think about warranty, support and total cost of ownership
Where AI is already having a practical impact on physical security
The privacy and governance considerations that come with smarter systems
How security infrastructure can support wider operational decision-making
What schools should consider when reviewing ageing or fragmented systems
A practical discussion for bursars, COOs, estates teams, IT leaders and senior staff considering whether their school’s physical security infrastructure is keeping pace with the way technology — and the risks surrounding it — are changing.
GUEST:
Tom Piggott, Verkada https://www.verkada.com/uk/
Find more from Net-Ctrl here:https://www.net-ctrl.com/
Member note:
This episode is designed as a short operational briefing. Fuller guidance, technical detail and member-only resources remain available through ISBA and the relevant linked materials.
Subscribe & Follow
New episodes every Friday at 4 pm on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Acast.
Email: podcast@theisba.org.uk – we’d love to hear from you.
The Bursarcast is produced by RAFIKI STUDIO
www.rafikistudio.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Who has been a guest on ISBA BURSARCAST
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Paul Wright
Julie Robinson
Heather Styche-Patel
Sue Roxby
John Murphie
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
58
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
68
Contact ISBA BURSARCAST
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
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