Permanent in-house bursar
A permanent in-house bursar carries a total cost of ownership of approximately 1.25 to 1.32 times base salary once employer National Insurance, employer pension contribution, holiday entitlement and a modest cover allowance are included. The model gives the school the maximum continuity but also the maximum sole-bursar dependency risk.
Total cost of ownership
The headline on-cost loading is principally a function of the pension scheme in use. A bursar on the LGPS carries an employer contribution typically in the high 20s percent of base salary, while a defined-contribution scheme commonly used in independent schools carries 8 to 12 percent. Employer NI adds approximately a further 13.8 percent above the secondary threshold.[1][2]
When permanent makes sense
A permanent post normally makes sense above approximately 300 pupils, or below 300 pupils where the bursar also leads a sizeable office team or carries an active capital project. Below that, the day-rate and fractional options are normally cheaper without losing scope.
Sole-bursar risk
A single permanent bursar is the most concentrated single point of failure in many smaller schools. A simple mitigation is a documented annual cover plan agreed with a named interim or fractional provider before the year starts.[3]