How to become a school bursar
There is no single statutory qualification for the school bursar role, but three programmes are widely recognised: the Certificate of School Business Management, the Diploma of School Business Management and the ISBA Diploma in School Business Management. The right route depends on sector, school type and career stage.
The three routes
CSBM
Certificate of School Business Management. Entry route. Best Practice Network.
RouteDSBM
Diploma of School Business Management. Post-CSBM progression.
RouteISBA Diploma
Independent-sector Diploma in School Business Management. Modular.
RouteThree-way comparison
Which route is right for which school type and career stage.
RouteCareer changer
Routes for accountants, ex-military and NHS finance officers.
Are any of these mandatory?
None of the three is statutorily required. CSBM is widely treated as the entry-level expectation for the maintained sector; DSBM is increasingly the expectation for senior maintained-sector posts and academy SBM roles; the ISBA Diploma is the established qualification for the independent sector. Most career changers choose CSBM and then ISBA Diploma or DSBM in sequence.[1][2]