--- title: ISBL evolves into the Centre for Education Operational Excellence description: The Institute of School Business Leadership evolves into the Centre for Education Operational Excellence, enhancing support for schools and trusts to achieve operational excellence. image: https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hubfs/CEOE%2016x9.png --- [![CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_RGB_ISBL Primary-1](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_RGB_ISBL%20Primary-1.png?width=222&height=80&name=CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_RGB_ISBL%20Primary-1.png "CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_RGB_ISBL Primary-1")](https://isbl.org.uk) - [Return to Main Site](https://isbl.org.uk/) - [Events Calendar](https://isbl.org.uk/products/events/) - [Latest News](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/news) [Register](https://isbl.org.uk/my-account/#register) [Latest Articles](https://blog.isbl.org.uk) [Archive](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/archive) [Membership Support](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/membership-support) [Opinion](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/opinion) [Research](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/tag/research) # ISBL evolves into the Centre for Education Operational Excellence ![](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_CMYK_ISBL%20Icon.jpg?width=85&name=CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_CMYK_ISBL%20Icon.jpg) ISBL Team May 7, 2026 [mailto:?subject=I%20wanted%20you%20to%20see%20this%20site&body=Check%20out%20this%20site:%0D%0AISBL%20evolves%20into%20the%20Centre%20for%20Education%20Operational%20Excellence%0D%0Ahttps://blog.isbl.org.uk/centre-for-education-operational-excellence-press-release.](mailto:?subject=I%20wanted%20you%20to%20see%20this%20site&body=Check%20out%20this%20site:%0D%0AISBL%20evolves%20into%20the%20Centre%20for%20Education%20Operational%20Excellence%0D%0Ahttps://blog.isbl.org.uk/centre-for-education-operational-excellence-press-release.) ***A new phase for operational excellence in education*** The Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) has today announced that it is evolving to become the Centre for Education Operational Excellence (CEOE), marking a significant new phase in how it supports schools and trusts. Drawing on the established success of ISBL, the expanded portfolio includes three new exciting hubs under the banner of the Centre for Education Operational Excellence (CEOE), broadening work to support schools and trusts to operate more effectively, sustainably, and at scale. At a time of increasing complexity across the sector, with schools and trusts navigating financial pressures, workforce challenges and rising expectations, there is growing recognition that how organisations operate is critical to sustaining and building on educational success. At the heart of this evolution is a clear principle: operational excellence enables educational excellence. Approaches to areas such as procurement, finance, workforce deployment and data use can vary significantly, even between otherwise similar organisations, highlighting the need for a more structured and consistent approach. This bold new initiative builds on more than three decades of ISBL’s experience to bring greater coherence to what can often be a fragmented and inconsistent landscape of operational practice. CEOE will operate through an interconnected model built around four core hubs: - ISBL as our practitioner-focused Professional Excellence Hub: continuing ISBL’s commitment to high-quality professional standards and development by delivering the high-quality, cutting-edge professional development offer that members know and value. - Solutions Hub: delivering practical, high-impact support and services, including its Operational Excellence Framework and diagnostic model that helps schools and trusts identify strengths, prioritise improvement and access tailored support. This hub also brings together our network of trusted partners, ensuring access to specialist expertise where it is needed most. - Research Hub: generating robust, evidence-based insights to inform best practice, shape policy thinking and drive innovation in education operations. - International Hub: extending its reach globally, enabling knowledge exchange and collaboration to raise operational standards across education systems worldwide. These elements work together as an interconnected ecosystem, linking insight, delivery, capability and evidence to drive sustained improvement. By strengthening operational foundations and providing a structured approach to improvement across areas such as resource planning and deployment, productivity and cost control and more, CEOE aims to: **Stephen Morales, Chief Executive, said:** *“Schools and trusts are achieving a great deal in increasingly complex circumstances. What is becoming clearer than ever is that strong operational practice is critical to sustaining that success.* *“Our evolution into the Centre for Education Operational Excellence reflects the next phase of our work. It allows us to move beyond supporting individuals alone to also supporting whole organisations to operate more effectively, fully aligning operations with educational outcomes, financial sustainability and long-term success.* *“CEOE works as both a standard setter and an enabler, defining what good looks like while supporting schools and trusts to achieve it in practice.* *“This is about creating the conditions in which great teaching and leadership can thrive — because operational excellence enables educational excellence.”* To find out more about CEOE, or to explore an operational health check, please visit: [https://www.ceoe.org.uk/](https://www.ceoe.org.uk/). **ENDS** **Notes to editors:** ![ISBL Team](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hubfs/CEOE_ISBL_Logo_Set_CMYK_ISBL%20Icon.jpg) ISBL Team ISBL is uniquely dedicated to supporting every version of the school business profession operating across our school system ## Related Articles ### [Centre for Education Operational Excellence appoints Lucy Jones as Head of Growth and Engagement July 3, 2026](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/centre-for-education-operational-excellence-appoints-lucy-jones-as-head-of-growth-and-engagement) ### [Considerations for future operating models May 27, 2026](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/considerations-for-future-operating-models) ### [CEOE Launch – CEO Address at SAAS May 13, 2026](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/ceoe-launch-ceo-address-at-saas) [![isbl-logo-white](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/isbl-logo-white.png?width=105&height=50&name=isbl-logo-white.png "isbl-logo-white")](https://blog.isbl.org.uk/) - [Terms & Conditions](https://www.isbl.org.uk/terms-and-conditions) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.isbl.org.uk/privacy-policy/) - [Contact Us](https://www.isbl.org.uk/) [ISBL website](https://www.isbl.org.uk/) Company Registered Number 03425492 Institute of School Business Leadership ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "ISBL Team", "url" : "https://blog.isbl.org.uk/author/isbl-team" }, "dateModified" : "2026-05-06T23:01:00.511Z", "datePublished" : "2026-05-06T23:01:00.000Z", "headline" : "ISBL evolves into the Centre for Education Operational Excellence", "image" : [ "https://blog.isbl.org.uk/hubfs/CEOE%2016x9.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.isbl.org.uk/centre-for-education-operational-excellence-press-release", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" }, "name" : "ISBL Trading Limited" } } ```