The regional network for School Business Leaders across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

A network of people who understand the role.

School Business Leaders are the people who keep schools running. They manage the budgets, the buildings, the staff, the compliance, and the hundred things nobody else sees. And they often do it without a ready-made community of people who understand what that involves.

ABLE is that community.

It is a non-profit organisation run by a committee of volunteers who bring extensive expertise in education and school business leadership. The network is based across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire and welcomes members from across the region and beyond. Three full-day conferences a year, all held at Eastwood Hall on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border.

Membership costs £95 a year. Three conferences are included. Where you meet people you can actually call when something comes up.

ABLE is for you if you work in one of these roles.

ABLE welcomes professionals working across the full range of school business and operational roles. Whether you are based in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, or elsewhere in the East Midlands, if you work in a school business role, the network is open to you.

Members include:

• School Business Managers and School Business Leaders
• Chief Finance Officers and Chief Operating Officers in multi-academy trusts
• Finance Managers and Finance Officers
• Bursars
• HR Managers and People Leads
• Operations Managers
• Office Managers and Senior Administrators
• Site Managers and Facilities Leads
• Health and Safety Leads

Members work in maintained schools, academies, independent schools, and multi-academy trusts. The conferences take place at Eastwood Hall on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border, accessible from across the region.

What to expect at an ABLE conference.

Each full-day conference at Eastwood Hall includes:

• A morning keynote from a relevant sector speaker
• Two rounds of breakout workshops covering operational, financial, HR, and wellbeing topics
• An exhibition of education sector suppliers who work specifically with schools and MATs
• Lunch and networking with colleagues from across the region
• Practical ideas and contacts you can take back into school straight away

The Summer Conference also includes the ABLE SBL Recognition Awards ceremony at 1:30pm, where exceptional School Business Leaders from across the region are recognised.

Next conference: Autumn 2026

Wednesday 26 November 2026  |  Eastwood Hall, Nottinghamshire

Booking opens soon. Join ABLE and your place is included in your membership.

What people across the network say.

"The most useful day I have in the school calendar. I come away with practical things I can actually use and people I can actually call."
School Business Manager, Secondary academy, Nottinghamshire

"I was new to the role and did not know anyone doing the same job locally. Joining ABLE changed that within one conference."
School Business Manager, Primary school, Derbyshire

"The workshops are always relevant. Not generic training. Actual things that affect the job I am doing right now."
Finance and Operations Manager, Multi-academy trust, Leicestershire

"I have been an ABLE member for four years. The network you build up over that time is worth ten times the membership fee."
School Business Leader, Academy, Nottinghamshire

The ABLE SBL Recognition Awards.

The ABLE SBL Recognition Awards celebrate School Business Leaders doing exceptional work across the region. Five categories. Judged on evidence and impact. Announced live at the Summer Conference.

The 2026 winners were announced today at Eastwood Hall. Find out who won and how the awards work.

Are you a supplier to schools?

ABLE conferences are attended by 80 to 100 School Business Leaders from across the East Midlands. These are the people responsible for procurement, finance, operations, HR, and facilities decisions in their schools and trusts.

Exhibiting at ABLE is not a trade show. It is a focused conversation with the right people in a setting where relationships are built over time.