Questions from Headteachers
Is 'remodelling' just about implementing the National Workforce Agreement?
The National Workforce Agreement is a key part of the remodelling agenda. It will provide a driver for change and set the context for the wider agenda by placing the emphasis on teachers being free to focus their time on teaching and learning, and eradicate time-consuming activities which distract skilled professionals from this core purpose. The National Agreement is therefore a crucial starting point in an ongoing, evolving remodelling process. The LEA will be helping schools build their capacity to manage change, share decision-making and optimise use of resources, including ICT.
What are the key messages that have come out of the first year of the remodelling programme?
Probably the single most significant outcome in the Pathfinder and Early Adopter schools in England was the release of energy and enthusiasm for the remodelling agenda. All members of each school workforce were able to contribute to the decision-making process. Each school examined their own practice and devised their own solutions to the issues of teacher workload that emerged. "Out-of-the-box" thinking was encouraged, which resulted in some innovative suggestions from across the school community.
As part of our school's PPA strategy we have timetabled whole class groups which are led by support staff working to the standard of a Higher Level Teaching Assistant. If this member of support staff is absent how do we cover for his/her absence?
Essentially the absence of a member of support staff, who has been timetabled to deliver specified work to a whole class group, should be addressed in the same way as an absent teacher at the school. If a school is deploying its support staff in this way then their cover policy should anticipate an appropriate response to the absence of that member of staff. If a teacher at the school provides cover for emergency HLTA absence this would count towards the 38 hour limit for that teacher. Teachers who have timetabled PPA time must NOT be used to provide cover under these or any other circumstances.
The National Agreement and workforce remodelling envisage an enhanced role for support staff in schools. If, during an Estyn inspection, support staff are observed leading whole class groups will this have a negative impact on their report?
Estyn are increasingly aware of the remodelling agenda. When deploying support staff in roles that include the delivery of specified work headteachers will have regard to the published standards for Higher Level Teaching Assistants. The enhanced role of support staff is designed to support the work of teachers and the learning of pupils - properly trained and deployed support staff will be part of schools' drive to raise standards. In assessing the quality of teaching and learning the same criteria will be applied, whether or not the whole class group is led by a qualified teacher.
What will happen if we don't implement all the phases of contractual change contained within the National Agreement?
Schools must remember that all the phases of contractual change are statutory and must be implemented in full by the given dates. There could be serious industrial relations problems and schools could face the prospect of teachers seeking legal redress through an employment tribunal if schools fail to implement contractual changes. It is worth bearing in mind that the National Agreement was prompted by the fact that there were serious problems with teacher workload and this was having a marked effect on recruitment, retention and teacher morale. In recent years there have been fewer and fewer applicants for every teaching post and to a certain extent candidates are now interviewing the school as much as the school is interviewing them. A school which can demonstrate that they are taking addressing the issue of teacher workload through remodelling will often be a more attractive option for candidates.
Who can I talk to for help and advice?
As a headteacher you might like to contact: - your LEA Change Coordinator, The list of names & contact details can be found here; the Consortium coordinator; the Welsh Assembly Government - teacher unions/associations who are members of the Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group: ATL, NASUWT, PAT, SHA, GMB, TGWU and UNISON - other schools, locally or nationally. Useful website addresses for information are
Should support staff who work in school, but are employed centrally by the LEA, be included in the change process?
Changes to the ways in which schools work are likely to affect the whole school staff, regardless of the particular contractual arrangements by which they are employed. Valuable contributions and good ideas may come from anywhere in the school community. It is essential that the views of all members of staff are represented during the change process, so it would be appropriate to consult with contractors about how this might be achieved.
As a remodelling school do we have to set up a School Change Team?
The change process supported by the Welsh Assembly Government & the LEA has been tried and tested by those schools who have already engaged in remodelling. In these schools change teams have taken many guises, but all have been representative of the workforce. The approach is very flexible and can be adapted to meet your particular needs, for instance, by adapting and extending the work of an existing team in the school. Formation of an inclusive school change team is helpful in promoting the ownership of changes to be introduced. In addition, it is good practice for schools to undertake proper consultation with unions representing the school workforce.
We have become confused about all the different versions of the 24 Tasks. Why are they different and which one should we be using?
The list of 25 tasks in the National Agreement was subject to minor redrafting by lawyers when the detailed provisions of the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD), were being agreed. In essence, there was no significant change. However, legal text is statutory and the one you will need to focus on when implementing the National Agreement. It is important to understand that the listed tasks are only exemplars. Teachers should not be routinely required to undertake any administrative or clerical task. However, if you are interested in the understanding exactly how the National Agreement task list differs from the STPCD task list we have put the two lists side by side in a table, with an explanation. Copies of key documents related to the National Agreement can be downloaded from the remodelling documents section of the Remodelling website.
Where can I find really useful, practical guidance on the interpretation and implementation of the National Agreement?
There are a number of online sources of practical, useful advice and guidance on the implementation of the National Agreement. The most authoritative source is on the web, on TeacherNet, which you can use to download Section 4 of the 2004 School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD). This provides guidance on changes to STPCD resulting from the National Agreement. This guidance is statutory and agreed by all the signatories to the Agreement. In addition to the statutory guidance the Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group (WAMG) produces guidance notes to support implementation. These can be found in the remodelling documents section of the Remodelling website. Other useful sources of information are provided by the signatories to the Agreement on their websites, which are listed on the WAMG home page of the Remodelling website.
Can a primary school deploy a cover strategy which takes a keystage 1 class above the legal limit of 30 pupils in a class?
The legal requirements on class size govern the normal arrangements at a school. They are not intended to apply to all the time that pupils are in attendance at the school. However, a headteacher would want to consider health and safety as well as potential behavioural issues when deciding on an appropriate cover strategy - it is possible that the detail of these considerations may be different at KS1 compared with other keystages.
Our school has previously employed a floating teacher to provide much of the school's cover requirements. This teacher has had 40% of assigned teaching time set aside to provide cover for absent colleagues. Under the revised STPCD is this still an acceptable and valid strategy for providing cover?
The only exception to the 38 hour limit on cover is for teachers at a school who are "wholly or mainly" employed to provide cover. The provisions of the contractual change on cover which are contained within the National Agreement, and which apply from 1 September 2004 arise from the recognition that cover for absent colleagues does not represent a good use of teachers' time. Senior Leadership Teams will want to consider whether the employment of a floating teacher to provide cover for unplanned absence represents a good use of the staffing resources at the school's disposal. Similarly headteachers need to be mindful of their amended duty to take into account "the desirability of not using a teacher at the school [for cover] until all other reasonable means of providing cover have been exhausted." SPTCD section 4, para. 48
Can a teaching assistant, who has a job description which includes cover supervision duties, be redirected from their timetabled duties to provide cover supervision for a whole class group?
The principal purpose of amending the job descriptions of existing support staff to include the provision of cover supervision (following suitable training) is that it provides schools with an appropriate and flexible resource which can respond to unplanned teacher absence. Where there are conflicting demands on the time of a member of support staff the headteacher should decide how the deployment of that person will maximise the benefit to all pupils. However, if a support staff post is partly funded to provide support for a particular pupil they should not be redirected from such individual support duties unless this course of action is judged to provide the most benefit for that pupil.
What is protected by the no-detriment clause contained in the National Agreement with regard to the provision of PPA time?
The purpose of the no-detriment clause is to protect the conditions of teachers at a school who already receive in excess of 10 percent non-contact time which is allocated for planning, preparation and assessment activities and which is guaranteed - ie teachers can not be redirected to undertake any other duties during this time including cover for absent colleagues. The no-detriment clause does not apply to the total amount of non-contact time which teachers have previously been allocated. Implementation of the phase one contractual changes, and wider workforce remodelling, will have had a downward impact on the number and duration of teachers' non-teaching duties and may result in a reduction of the total of non-contact time. For the wording of the no-detriment clause see School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document, Section 4, paragraph 90.
If a school programmes enrichment activities to release PPA time for teachers, who can lead these activities?
Enrichment activities should maintain or enhance the delivery of the school's curriculum. All activities should be timetabled with planning for clear learning objectives and appropriate assessment. Activities may be led by qualified teachers with a suitable specialism, appropriately trained and experienced members of support staff or by external instructors or coaches under the direction of teachers. Where activities are led by someone other than a qualified teacher, the headteacher should have regard to the section 133 regulations and guidance issued under the Education Act 2002 and/or the published standards for Higher Level Teaching Assistants when considering an individual's suitability for such duties.
What examinations are included in the stipulation that teachers will not be required to invigilate from September 2005?
All external examinations (eg National Curriculum tests, GCSE and AS/A2 examinations) are included within the phase three contractual change included in the National Agreement. Mock examinations and other tests which require alterations to the normal school timetable are also included.
Can teachers be required to invigilate mock examinations?
Where a school reorganises its timetable for 'mock' examinations to replicate the public examination process then teachers should not be required to invigilate. (This is also important in modelling the invigilation arrangements for the 'true' arrangements that pupils will experience in external exams.)
Are there any exceptions to the new arrangements on exam invigilation?
Teachers may be required to conduct practical and oral examinations in their own subject area and to undertake the preparation of pupils and those aspects of assessment, recording and reporting associated with external examinations which require the professional input of a qualified teacher.
What if a pupil with special needs is sitting an examination and the nature of their need dictates that they are in room apart from the main examination hall. Who should invigilate?
In these circumstances the head of centre should reach a decision on who is the most appropriate person to invigilate, and provide other professional expertise, based on the nature of the candidates needs.
How much leadership and management time should be awarded to teachers?
The provision of leadership and management time is intended to provide members of the leadership group, and others with leadership and management roles, at a school with some time during school sessions which is dedicated to their leadership responsibilities. Section 4 of the STPCD makes it clear that this time will represent a "contribution" to the time needed for such responsibilities and that given the varying nature of leadership tasks and of schools themselves a national formula for leadership and management time would be inappropriate.
In phase three of the contractual changes included in the National Agreement there is a requirement that headteachers should be provided with dedicated headship time. What will this look like? How much time should they be given?
The contractual change on dedicated headship time is designed to provide headteachers with "time to lead their schools, not just manage them." Differences in school size, a headteachers' other duties and other resources within a school will have an impact on the amount of headship time that can be allocated. The National Agreement however dictates that all headteachers will have some dedicated headship time during the "normal school day" from September 2005.