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Wotk Force Remodelling Agreement
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| Major changes | School Absence
targets
GOVERNOR'S
BRiEFING ITEMS
Autumn Term
September 2004
SCHOOL
WORKFORCE REMODELLING AGREEMENT
Governors are
reminded that, from 1 September 2004, cover supervision for absent colleagues
is limited under the terms of the National Agreement on Raising Standards
and Tackling Workload to an initial contractual limit of 38 hours for
each teacher per academic year. The National Agreement makes it clear
that the objective in the longer term is for teachers at a school to rarely
cover at all, and to achieve this objective, schools will need to find
new ways of managing cover.
This will, of course, have
effects on relevant school policies and resources. Governors should recognise
the importance of the remodelling agenda and the strong links with the
school budget and the School Improvement Plan. Guidance on issues relating
to the reform of the school workforce is available from www.remodelling.corn,
where there is also a diagnostic tool to assist in analysing a school's
cover requirements. A further training course on School Workforce Reform
is available for Thurrock governors on Monday 11 October 2004 at 4.00
p.m. (details attached).
From September 2005, all teachers
must be guaranteed a minimum 10% non-contact I professional time within
the school day for planning, preparation and assessment. "Guaranteed
PPA time" will contribute significantly to raising standards by giving
teachers time during the school day in which to engage in individual and
collaborative professional activity.
The National Remodelling Team
(NRT) has worked with members of the Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group
(WAMG) to produce a guidance pack in order to help schools implement this
important contractual change. The pack includes information on a wide
variety of approaches, so each school can choose a range of sustainable
solutions to fit its own context.
The guidance pack will be sent
out to all Head Teachers and chairs of Governing Bodies in the September
distribution from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). A third
Information Pack for Governors, produced by NRT and the National Governors'
Council (NGC), in association with the National Association of School
Governors (NASG - formerly NAGM) and National Co-ordinators of Governor
Services (NCOGS), dealing with Financial Planning and PPA arrangements,
will be available in October.
The contractual changes that
come into force in September 2004 and 2005 present some very real challenges
for schools and their governors, yet they are essential steps if there
is to be a cultural change that will raise the status and professionalism
of teachers; create new opportunities for support staff and enable schools
to focus on the individual needs of every child.
Locally a Thurrock Workforce
Agreement Monitoring Group (TWAMG) has been established to monitor, support
and challenge the development of the National Workforce Agreement and
remodelling agenda within Thurrock schools. The Group meets termly and
membership includes representatives of trades unions and professional
associations, LEA Officers, governors, and schools.
Thurrock and Southend LEAs and schools are currently working together
to produce a draft letter for parents, which schools may wish to use or
adapt as appropriate. A pamphlet on
Workforce Reform and including information relating to remodelling events
and case studies is soon to be produced and sent to schools.
A Profile for Support Staff
Training and Development Needs is currently being compiled with local
partners contributing and external providers being signposted. It will
take account of the recently published 'Careers Pathways for Support Staff
by the DfES. On completion the Profile will be sent to schools. LEA training
for Support Staff funded under Workforce Reform has already started with
a second wave starting in the autumn and subsequent terms. Further training
opportunities are currently being identified and details will be forwarded
to schools and will form part of Thurrock's Programme for Continuing Professional
Development programme.
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CHILD
PROTECTION - UPDATE AUTUMN TERM SEPTEMBER 2004
The following is an edited
version of the Summary document of "Safeguarding Children in Education"
Introduction
The guidance is about the duty
of Local Education Authorities (LEAs), schools of all kinds and Further
Education Institutions (FE) to have arrangements for carrying out their
functions with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
It replaces Circular 10/95 Protecting Children from Abuse: The role of
the Education Service.
Part I discusses the duties
of LEAs and education establishments in relation to Section 175 of the
Educa tion Act 2002, which came into force on 1 June 2004. Part 2 supplements
Working Together by setting out the relevant roles and responsibilities
and the infrastructure and arrangements that need to be in place. The
Annexes contain information about issues relevant to child protection.
A shared objective
Everyone in the education service
shares an objective to help keep children safe by:
> providing a safe environment for children and young people
to learn in education settings; and
> identifying children suffering or likely to suffer significant
harm, and take appropriate action with the aim of making sure that they
are kept safe at home and school. Achieving these aims requires systems
designed to:
> prevent unsuitable people working with children and young
people
> promote safe practice and challenge poor and unsafe practice
> identify child welfare concerns and initiate/take appropriate
action
> contribute to effective partnership working between all those
involved with providing services for children.
The guidance is for LEAs, Governing Bodies and Head teachers of maintained
schools (including aided and foundation schools) and Non-Maintained Special
Schools, Proprietors and Head teachers of Independent Schools, Corporations
and Principals of FE Institutions and staff with a lead responsibility
for safeguarding children.
> This document is
one of the pieces of guidance issued by the Secretary of State (SoS) that
LEAs, Governing bodies and proprietors must have regard to for the purpose
of s l75 and s 15 of the Education Act 2002
> Failure to have regard to the guidance, may be grounds for
action by the SoS
> Ofsted will examine the existence and effectiveness of procedures
in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
Relevant Legislation
> S175 of the Education
Act 2002 - requires LEAs and governing bodies of maintained schools and
FE institutions to:
> make arrangements to ensure that their functions are carried
out with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
and
> have regard to any guidance issued by the SoS in relation
to S175
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Part I Safeguarding and promoting welfare
Safeguarding means:
> arrangements to take all reasonable measures to ensure risks
of harm to children's welfare are minimised
> taking all appropriate actions to address concerns, working
to agreed local polices and procedures in full partnership with other
agencies
Safeguarding includes pupil
health and safety, bullying and issues such as arrangements for meeting
the medical needs of children with medical conditions, first aid, school
security and drugs covered by existing guidance in addition to the contribution
to child protection. LEAs and establishments should have in place policies
and procedures to satisfy such existing guidance. They also need to consider
whether children, including individual children, in their area / establishment
have any specific safeguarding needs in addition to those covered by guidance
and if so that they have policies and procedures in place to meet those
needs. Enforcing individuals' compliance is a matter for disciplinary
procedures
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Part
2 Framework
LEAs are responsible
at 3 levels:
Strategic: Planning, coordinating delivery of services, allocating resources
and working in partnership with other agencies and ACPCs
Support: Ensuring maintained schools are aware of their responsibilities,
monitoring their performance and compliance, training, model policies
and procedures, advice and support, facilitating links and co-operation
with other agencies
Operational: Safeguarding excluded children and those who have not got
a school place, allegations against staff, preventing unsuitable staff
working with children (Safeguarding children educated at home by parents
or employed should be dealt with in a multi agency way and addressed in
locally agreed procedures). A national network of Investigation and Referral
Support Co-ordinators provide strategic support and advice to LEAs.
Maintained Schools:
Governing bodies are accountable for ensuring policies/procedures in place
and school's compliance.
Extended Schools and
Before and After School Activities: Governing bodies control
most use of the school premises both during and outside school hours and
should seek
assurance that the body concerned has:
> appropriate safeguarding and child protection policies and
procedures, and
> there are arrangements to liaise with the school when concerns
arise
Head teachers should
ensure:
> policies and procedures are fully implemented and followed
by all staff
> the senior designated person is sufficiently resourced in
terms of time and resources
> staff and volunteers feel able to raise concerns about poor/unsafe
practice and such concerns are addressed in accordance with whistle blowing
polices.
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Annex A Protecting Children from Unsuitable People
Safe recruitment:
> verifying identity, qualifications, references and employment
history
> .checking health and physical capacity for the job
> face to face interview
> mandatory List 99 check and where appropriate, CRB
> procedures for dealing with allegations against staff
> guidance about appropriate behaviour
> reporting misconduct cases to Secretary of State
> safeguarding children in long term work placements
Pupils/Students in Work Placements
Schools organising long term placements need to ensure that polices and
procedures are in place to protect placements and young people from harm,
focusing greatest protection on settings in which children may be most
at risk. Employers and training organisations need to be made aware of
safeguarding issues and asked to cooperate. Additional safeguarding arrangements
are listed and the circumstances in which they apply.
Abuse of Trust: Inappropriate behaviour with or towards children is unacceptable;
it is an offence for a person over 18 (e.g. teacher, youth worker) to
have a sexual relationship with a child under 18 (even if consensual)
where person is in a position of trust in respect of that child.
Physical Contact with Pupils/Restraint:
Teachers and other staff in schools can use reasonable force to control
or restrain pupils in certain circs. DfES guidance on physical intervention
should be followed.
Allegations Against Staff:
LEA5 and education establishments should have procedures for dealing with
allegations against staff and volunteers that balance the need to protect
children and protect staff against false accusations
Suspension should not be an
automatic response and should take into account:
> the seriousness and plausibility of the allegation
> the risk of harm to the pupil concerned or to other pupils
> the possibilities of tampering with evidence
> the interests of the person concerned and the school
Reporting Cases to the Secretary
of State: It is essential that cases are reported to the SoS if A person
ceases work on misconduct grounds and there are grounds for believing
person unsuitable to work with children or may have committed misconduct.
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Annex
B Helping to Keep Children Safe
Child Protection Training:
> All staff working with children need basic cp training according
to role that equips them to recognise and respond to child welfare concerns
> Teachers should receive cp training in QTS course
> All staff (LEA and staff in schools) and governors should
receive training when first appointed
> All staff without designated responsibility for cp should
have refresher training every 3 years
> Staff with designated lead responsibility for cp should undertake:
> appropriate inter-agency training when first appointed
> refresher training at 2 yearly intervals
> All staff, permanent temporary and volunteer should be given
a written statement about the school's policy and procedures and name
and contact details of the designated person
Educating Children About Issues
(PSHE): Provides opportunities for children and young people to learn
about keeping safe and who to ask for help.
Listening to Children: All
establishments should assure children they are in a safe environment and
concerns will be listened to and taken seriously. Staff working with children
with special needs should be careful to ensure signs of abuse and neglect
are interpreted correctly but any suspicions should be reported in exactly
the same manner as for other children.
Reporting Concerns: If there
are concerns What To Do If You're Worried A Child Is Being Abused' sets
out what should happen next. Changes in behaviour or attendance may indicate
abuse or neglect or a hidden disability or undiagnosed medical condition.
It is important for staff to discuss concerns with the designated person
in order that the child's needs are carefully assessed and passed on as
appropriate.
Parental Involvement: In general,
professionals should:
> seek to discuss their concerns with the family, and
> consider the child's views if they are mature enough to understand
the issues
> seek agreement for referral (unless this may increase the
risk of harm)
The Designated Senior Person
for Child Protection in educational establishments need not be a teacher
but must be on the school's leadership team and have the status and authority
to commit resources to child protection matters and direct other staff.
The post is responsible for dealing with cp issues, and liaising with
other agencies where necessary. Areas of responsibility include referrals,
training and raising awareness.
"Safeguarding Children
in Education", available from the DfES Publications Centre (0845
602
22260) (DfESIOO27/2004)
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TARGET
SETTING AUTUMNTERM SEPTEMBER 2004
School
Improvement Officers (SlOs) will continue to work with Head Teachers and
their governing bodies to set annual targets five terms ahead for 11,
14 and 16 year aids. The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) expects
these targets, agreed by governors by 31 December each year and confirmed
with the Education Authority, to be realistic yet challenging. The DtES
also expects the LEA to set itself challenging targets each year as stepping
stones towards reaching, or exceeding, the DfES' national targets published
last year.
Last year primary schools were
encouraged to set their own challenging targets based on a trajectory
for further progress. The DfES expectation for primary schools is to hold
to their targets for 2005 and aim at an improvement trajectory for 2006/2007.
For the 2006 targets, this process has been extended to secondary schools
and for this year only secondary schools may revise their 2005 targets
in the light of the 2004 results.
Those schools which would have
set zero-rated targets have a statutory requirement to set measurable
targets at the relevant key stage using the P scales.
Where visits are necessary
the timing of the SlOs' visits to infant, junior and primary schools will
be earlier this year with visits completed by half term. Secondary school
visits will take place, as they do now, after half term.
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The
procedure is broadly as follows:
a. During the target setting visit which SlOs will have with schools,
SlOs will explore how each school intends to achieve realistic and challenging,
pupil-based targets over time and the strategies to be used.
b. After the discussion with the Sl0 has taken place, it will be for schools
to agree with their governors at a full meeting of the governing body
in November or earlier, the relevant targets for 2006 and to forward these
to the Education Department in early December.
> Primary and iunior
schools will agree and set their targets for level 4 and level 5 in English
and mathematics first, and the Education Department will set its targets
afterwards, derived from them. It would be useful for schools to consider
the subject Average Point Scores alongside the targets. Primary and junior
schools achieving below 65% in level 4 English and mathematics, will need
to show how they plan to reach 65% as soon as possible, or at least, make
a significant year on year increase in their pupils' rates of progress.
The statutory requirement for governors to agree targets at level 5 has
now been removed, but governors are strongly encouraged to continue to
set targets at this level.
> Secondary schools will set targets for 14 and 16 year aids
based on individual pupil data and the range of interventions the school
has in place which impact on attainment. The Authority will set EDP targets,
which are more than a simple aggregation of school targets. For 16 year
aIds there will be two statutory targets for 2006:
> 5 or more GCSEs or equivalent at grades A*~ C
o the average point score, which should be uncapped.
The statutory requirement for governors to agree targets for the percentage
of the relevant group of pupils to achieve grades A* - G in one or more
subjects in
GCSE examinations (or equivalent
vocational qualifications) has now been removed, but governors are strongly
encouraged to continue to set targets at this level. In addition, governors
are being given an opportunity to amend their 2005 5 A*'-C GCSE and average
points score targets if they wish to do so. The targets should be revised
in discussion with the LEA to ensure that it is fully supported by the
school's analysis.
In respect of Key Stage 4,
a new category of entitlement curriculum areas, which will comprise the
arts, design and technology, the humanities and modern foreign languages,
is being introduced from September 2004. This means that schools must
make these areas of the curriculum available to all students who wish
to study courses in them.
From 2004, the key stage 4
statutory requirement will be:
> a small core of compulsory subjects: English, ICT, mathematics,
science, citizenship, physical education and religious education
> compulsory areas of learning: careers education, sex education
and work-related learning
> entitlement areas: the arts, design and technology, the humanities,
and modern foreign languages.
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The
major changes will be:
> the creation of entitlement areas that schools must provide
if students wish to take courses in them
> work-related
learning as a new requirement for all
> a smaller, updated programme of study for science
> physical education with a greater focus on physical fitness,
health and well-being.
From September 2006, at Key Stage 4, a revised and updated science programme
of study will be introduced which will set out a small core relevant to
all students. This will lead into a range of science qualifications, including
a new single award GCSE.
From September 2004 the key stage 4 disapplication regulations will be
amended and it will only be possible to disapply science to allow pupils
to undertake a course of extended work-related learning. Up until this
date it had also been possible to disapply design and technology and/or
modern foreign languages for any purpose providing it educationally benefits
the pupil. However, the introduction of the entitlement areas for design
and technology and modern foreign languages means that there will no longer
be a need for the disapplication arrangements relating to these subjects.
Therefore, the parts of the disapplication regulations relating to design
and technology and modern foreign languages will cease to have effect
from September 2004.
The amended regulations will
only apply to those pupils entering key stage 4 (Year 10) in September
2004. The current regulations will continue to apply to Year 11 pupils.
These allow:
> any two of science, design and technology and/or modern foreign
languages to be disapplied for extended work-related learning;
> design and technology
and/or modern foreign languages to be disapplied for any reason that educationally
benefits the pupil;
> design and technology,
modern foreign languages and/or science programmes of study to be modified
to provide courses leading to a range of qualifications
approved under section 96 of
the Learning and Skills Act 2000.
In addition, once the new programme
of study for science is introduced in September 2006 there will no longer
be a need to retain those parts of the disapplication arrangements relating
to science and the key stage 4 disapplication regulations will be withdrawn.
Guidance and information on
the new arrangements at Key Stage 4 can be found on the Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority's (QCA) 14-19 website at www.pca.org.uk/1 4-1
9'
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School Absence targets
> A new Public Service
Agreement (PSA) target has been introduced nationally to reduce the level
of school absence in 2002/03 by 8% by 2007/08. In estimating the level
of improvement to be achieved by 2008, the DfES has grouped schools in
quintiles according to their FSM (free school meals) band in January 2003.
> Each school target will be agreed with the attached Education
Welfare Officer based on the school's context and the median for the relevant
FSM band
> The LEA target will be calculated on the individual school
targets and take into account the current initiatives dealing with attendance.
From September 2004, the DfES
proposes to collect data from each school at the end of the autumn and
spring term as well as the annual collection following the May half term.
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