<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Q Consulting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Stone Owl]]></description><link>https://www.stoneowlpartners.co.uk/sop-blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:10:41 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.stoneowlpartners.co.uk/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[In-House vs Outsourced Cleaning Services in Schools: What to Consider.]]></title><description><![CDATA[As schools face challenges around managing cost, standards and as more schools start to operate from a centralised model for core functions - the question of whether to keep services like catering or cleaning in-house versus outsourcing them is a live discussion at the moment. The decision process usually starts with listing pros and cons. One column is the current in-house cleaning cost — salaries, materials, management overhead, sickness cover. The other column is a quote from an outsourced...]]></description><link>https://www.stoneowlpartners.co.uk/post/in-house-vs-outsourced-services-in-schools-what-to-consider</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2ae659948ac681a4fdd703</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 17:02:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_03d095d97e5546139fc66766f88a4cd8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stone Owl Partners</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Commercialising your Facilities - School lettings Income: Your Estate Isn't the Bottleneck. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every adviser is telling schools to commercialise their estate. The projections look compelling. What happens next is less often discussed — because the building was never the bottleneck. Commercial lettings fail not for lack of space, but for lack of operational infrastructure. The limiting factor is almost always the handoffs: who owns the booking, who's reachable at 7:45 on a Sunday morning, what happens when something goes wrong.]]></description><link>https://www.stoneowlpartners.co.uk/post/commercialising-your-facilities-school-lettings-income-operations-bottleneck</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a1afef75d8e8a2ee9c73841</guid><pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_911aab6d385843e798eafe6780b68abd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stone Owl Partners</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Governance Is Not a Substitute for Leadership  (and Your Operations Are Suffering For It)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Layered governance feels like rigour. In practice it's where decisions go to be delayed. The gap between governance and leadership is where problems live.]]></description><link>https://www.stoneowlpartners.co.uk/post/governance-is-not-a-substitute-for-leadership-and-your-operations-are-suffering-for-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0078409b0abb41c544ab14</guid><pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2026 12:32:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/887b6c085f2b4ceb92f145cfa3d91411.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stone Owl Partners</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Most Operational Reviews Tell You What You Already Know - That’s the Problem]]></title><description><![CDATA[Most operational reviews don’t fail because they’re badly done.

They fail because they tell you what you already know.

In complex environments - like Oxford colleges and heritage institutions - the real issues aren’t in the process maps.

They sit between teams. In assumptions. In things no one quite says out loud.

This is where the real value of a review should be.

We’ve written a short piece on why most consulting misses this - and how to approach it differently.]]></description><link>https://www.stoneowlpartners.co.uk/post/most-operational-reviews-tell-you-what-you-already-know-that-s-the-problem</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f7b2c65caf4ed272b84fb6</guid><pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2026 21:01:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e55b24370d50452987eb5c86568e1d3b.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stone Owl Partners</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hospitality Standards Don't Lower Academic Prestige — They Protect It]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is an unspoken assumption in many of our most prestigious institutions that commercial standards and academic identity are somehow in tension. That paying serious attention to how a guest bedroom is presented, or how long it takes to turn around a conference enquiry, is a slightly uncomfortable concession to the commercial world — tolerated because the income is useful, but not quite the done thing to make a fuss about. I've worked in and around these institutions long enough to know...]]></description><link>https://www.stoneowlpartners.co.uk/post/hospitality-standards-don-t-lower-academic-prestige-they-protect-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69efc3f5d00855f52b1edf6a</guid><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 21:07:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_cd812b60ff5d4f58a0cf7f28cb52f3c2~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stone Owl Partners</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>