About Us
Empowering nurseries, schools, Trusts and suppliers on their sustainability journey
Buoyant Impact
At Buoyant Impact, we believe that sustainability should be at the heart of every nursery, school and Trust's operations. As a Consultant School Business Leader, Helen has more than 25 years of experience in the education sector, which she now wants to use to help more school leaders optimise their resources and develop sustainable practices that make a lasting impact in their communities.
Helen's approach is focused on empowering leaders with the tools, knowledge and confidence they need to navigate the complexities around the sustainability journey. Helen has worked in operations and strategic management within private, maintained and multi academy trusts, across all phases from 2-18 years.
Helen is a Fellow and Trustee of the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) and holds a Master's degree in Strategic Educational Leadership from Chester University. Her dissertation, titled “Achieving Operational Excellence in the Procurement of Non-Staffing Resources in a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT),” reflects her deep commitment to operational efficiency and sustainability.
She is a passionate advocate for sustainability in education and co-founded the UK Schools Sustainability Network (UKSSN) Operations Group with Paul Edmond. UKSSN Ops Group leads initiatives focused on driving impactful, long-term change across the sector. Please click here for more information as to how your school or trust can join UKSSN Ops Group.
She is also an advocate for the individual school business leader, having successfully completed a number of school business leadership qualifications, she now wants to support, mentoring and coaching others to achieve their own personal success. She does this indirectly by writing for education sector publications such as Ed Executive, The Voice and FundEd.
Helen has created Buoyant Impact in order to dedicate her time to creating positive change in organisations through comprehensive consultancy, training and coaching services. With a focus on sustainability and resource efficiency, she hopes to create an eco-conscious mindset in the education sector. Please contact her as you start, revitalise or finesse your organisation's sustainability journey.
Buoyant Impact Partnerships
Emma Gray - 1st Pillar
Emma Gray has over 22 years in School Business Leadership in maintained schools, single academy trusts and multi academy trusts, with experience across all phases from 2-18. As a DfE accredited School Resource Management Advisor (SRMA), Emma’s focus on finance has enabled her to support many schools in managing their budgets and planning deficit recovery. She secured over £6million of additional capital funding for her own trust, has recruited and developed many operations staff, and is a massive advocate for the importance of the role of the School Business Manager.
Emma has built up a wide network, through writing, blogging and supporting colleagues on social media platforms. She is a Fellow of the Institute of School Business Leaders and holds an MBA from Warwick University.
Contact Emma:
Helen and Emma work together on joint projects under the profile Buoy meets Pillar.
Rebecca Beaver -
RBMA Consultancy
Rebecca’s experience in the education sector spans over half her career and includes leadership roles across primary and secondary settings. Accredited by the Department for Education (DfE) as a School Resource Management Adviser (SRMA), Rebecca now works independently and on behalf of the DfE as an SRMA, supporting schools and academies to review their resource management. She is a Fellow of the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) and regional team lead (West Midlands) for the SRMA programme.
Rebecca is a facilitator and assessor for the Diploma in School Business Management on behalf of Best Practice Network and a member of ISBL OpEx project team. Rebecca’s work in the education sector includes leading on operational excellence. She has written the DfE funded strategic planning and operational leadership local support offer training and supports delivery of these sessions on behalf of ISBL.
Contact Rebecca:
https://rbmaconsultancy.co.uk/