An All-through Co-operative School

Matthew Lantos, Head Teacher

PRESTON MANOR SCHOOLWEMBLEY, NORTH WEST LONDON(10 minutes from Wembley Stadium)

Co-educational, 4-19 years old, ‘all-through’ school360 in primary provision (420 in 2015-16)1260 in secondary provision300 in Sixth Form

State funded Co-operative AcademyNon-selectiveEthnically diverse intake reflecting population of London Borough of Brent

Co-operative Values

SERVICE USER INVOLVEMENT

STUDENTS• Year Council• School Council• Co-operative Forum• Governors (non-voting)• Staff appointments

PARENTS

• Parents Association• Co-operative Forum• Parent Governors• Senior appointments

Limited links with social dialogue

WORKFORCE INVOLVEMENT

Educational Issues • Curriculum Development Group• Student Development Group• Steering Group

Governance• Staff Governors• Senior Appointments

Employment & Working Practices• Joint Governors and Staff Committee• Investors in People (IIP)

Significant links with social dialogue

Implications ofACADEMY CONVERSION

for employment practices?

4.1 The following matters shall be Reserved Matters:4.1.1 that the teaching staff of the Academy Trust (from time to time) including future staff, shall be employed in accordance with national terms and conditions (in force from time to time) and the provisions of the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document (in force from time to time);4.1.2 that the support staff of the Academy Trust (from time to time) including future staff, shall be employed in accordance with local terms and conditions (in force from time to time) or the terms and conditions that they held at the date of conversion to academy status;4.1.3 that the over-subscription criteria used to allocate student places at the school will prioritise, in order, any children required by Government to be accorded highest priority, and then siblings, medical, social or special educational need, and children of staff employed by the school for one year or more at the time of the application before other applications; and 4.1.4 any variation of, or termination of, this agreement.

4.2 Any resolution to make amendments to the Reserved Matters shall require the support of 80% of the Governor’s present at the meeting and entitled to vote.

ACADEMY CONVERSION, January 2013GOVERNORS’ AGREEMENT: RESERVED MATTERS

INTRODUCTION In accordance with the TUPE Regulations, trade union recognition rights for recognised trade unions are automatically transferred over when a maintained school becomes an academy. The move to academy status means that there is a need to clarify the specific working arrangements between the Unions and Preston Manor School, particularly in respect of consultation and negotiation and facility time for Union Representatives. The terms of the Agreement which follows provides that clarification.

ACADEMY CONVERSION, January 2013AGREEMENT FOR TRADE UNION RECOGNITION

JOINT GOVERNORS AND STAFF COMMITTEE 27. The School and the trade unions agree to set up a Joint Governors and Staff Committee (JGSC) consisting of representatives of both sides to undertake the following functions:

• the provision and sharing of information by the trade unions and the School; • consultation on employment procedures and working and organisational arrangements; • negotiation and agreement on these issues listed below for consideration by the JGSC.

28. Before implementing any changes in employment procedures and working and organisational arrangements, the School will undertake consultation and negotiation with trade union representatives through the JGSC.

ACADEMY CONVERSION, January 2013AGREEMENT FOR TRADE UNION RECOGNITION

Issues Discussed

• Staffing structure

• Staff Turnover – exit interviews

•Appraisal Policy

•Performance Related Pay

Limits on Social Dialogue

• Increased autonomy means increased accountability

•Adoption national terms and conditions

• Inspection ‘paranoia’

Inspection ‘Paranoia’

• Vexatious complaints

• No-notice Safeguarding Inspections

• ‘Trojan Horse’ – fundamental British values

• Governance in Leadership & Management

InspectionInspectors will meet with as many governors during an inspection as is possible. They will expect governors to be familiar with performance data, including the headline information that Ofsted’s data dashboard presents for their school, and know what the information in RAISEonline shows about the performance of the school. Inspectors will consider how well those responsible for governance use information to evaluate the performance of the school and to ask challenging questions.

Ofsted RAISEonline 2014 Summary Report, Dec 2014

The effectiveness of leadership & managementSchool leadership and school governance are distinct roles within a school. While the best schools combine excellence in both – in many cases, strong school leadership compensates for a lack of skill, experience or engagement in the governing body. In other cases, determined school governors can overstep their remit to the detriment of the school as a whole.

NAHT Briefing Notes, Nov 2014

Ofsted and the DfEA DfE document, marked "Official Sensitive", lists the state of the department's relationship with Ofsted as "amber/red" suggesting that all is not well between the two bodies. Last year was a tough one for DfE-Ofsted relations, with frequent differences of opinion between the chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, and Sanctuary Buildings. The Guardian wonders if 2015 will be any better.

The Guardian, 13 January 2015

CONCLUSION

(albeit based on own experiences)

There is an enthusiasm in UK schools for greater engagement with service users and the workforce but pressures of accountability squeeze out the opportunities in practice