Category Archives: Employee relations and engagement

Pressure on the School v Pressure on the Teacher

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Editor’s Note – Further content added 08/04/2017

There is no doubt that many teachers feel under pressure due to the hours spent on planning, marking, meetings at school, assessments and reviews.  As a consequence, teachers have to carry out work tasks in their ‘leisure time’. For some that leads to long working hours and a detrimental effect on performance.

Are the Head and/or Governors the Cause of Undue Pressure?

Photo of people feeling pressure

Head Teachers are not immune from similar pressures but are some Heads the source of the pressure on their teachers?  “What!” I hear being yelled at the screen as you read that.  Stop for a moment and consider – how many new policies or ideas have you or the School Governors initiated, which were not the result of a Government policy, but perhaps the result of a visit to another school or an idea from a conference?  Continous improvement is an aim that many organisations pursue.  That is not the same as continuous organisational change which some adopt as their organisation’s mantra – such change unless overtly beneficial leads to a weary, less responsive organisation.

There are different views for the increased pressure and numbers leaving the profession.  An example of such is given in the sources section (reference 3) at the end of this article.  The alternative view given in this article, which you are readiing, is based on the author’s work with school heads and governors and his own observations of situations.  The need to deal with the issues is not going to disappear in the short term and will require different approaches and active participation by the Governing Body of a school.

The incidence of head teachers being off sick for a lengthy period or even not returning due to a mix of illness and faltering leadershp seems to be more prevalent in the last few years.  We know that individuals react differently to pressure.  Some seem to thrive on it and others wilt. The danger arises when the pressure turns to stress and the individual becomes broken in spirit and/or health.

Headless Organisation

When the head becomes ill and/or stressed, the school may have a capable Deputy and SLT to step up to leadng the school.  However, that is not always so and the Deputy acts up but leadeship decisions become questionable due to the personal pressure perceived by him/her to prove themselves.  If the Governors are not actively supportive, the Deputy will begin to pass on the pressure to the staff.  A downward spiral develops.

The Governors need to intervene in several ways:

  • Secure an ex head or existing head to coach the Deputy in leading the school and use this time to develop the SLT as well;
  • Raise the self awareness of the Deputy and SLT so that they can address pressure points amongst themselves and receive appropriate support and coaching;
  • Review key priorities with the Deputy/SLT to avoid unneccessary changes that will lead to undue pressure;
  • If the Head is still in post, help the Head to realise that change for change’s sake or just to be seen to be ‘progressive’ is not necessarily in the best interests of the organisation and may be counterproductive;
  • The Governors need to accept their duty to ensure that working hours are reasonable.and the staff remain positive.

Governors’ Duty to Minimise Unreasonable Working Hours

In many organisations, professionals and managers have to work longer hours at critical periods.  The Teachers’ Terms and Conditions set out the working hours requirements but the Governing Body should be reviewing the hours regularly and seek to ensure that instances of long hours are examined and help given by a member of the SLT or a teacher colleague to the individual(s) to change the way they work and help the individual to be effectivel.  (See this earlier article for more details) [2]

When Individual Capability is a Key Factor

Working long hour may be a symptom or the cause of declining effectiveness.  The capability process can help to win an nidividual back in some instances.  However, many Governing Bodies have approved processes that are long winded.  In practice, such procedures fail frequently to provide a core supportive and balanced approach.

Heads and Governors need to be mindlful that because capability is often a drawn out process, patience can be lost and termination becomes the objective.  In some cases, that is appropriate.  If ill-heath is a contributory factor, a balanced approach is required if an unfair dismissal is not to result. This is an aspect of which Governors need to be aware.  When health has been affected by stress or similar illnesses, the doctors and therapists may not be able to provide an assessment on when an individual should be fit to return to work until after the treatment or sessions have been completed.

Balancing Act by the Governors as Employer

Such treatment may take, say 3 months more, and the Governors should balance whether waiting a further three months would be more damaging to the school (e.g. the pupils/students, teaching colleagues, costs etc.).

The Court of Appeal [1] has stated the importance of the balancing exercise.   The school had failed to provide any persuasive evidence of the further damage that would occur if the Governors waited for another three months before deciding whether or not to dismiss.

[Author’s note – tThis case was a majority decision.  The facts of a particular case will influence the outcome.  As the Court of Appeal noted this has been a hallmark for many years in ill-health cases per the case of Spencer v Paragon Wallpapers Ltd [1977]

“Every case depends on its own circumstances. The basic question which has to be determined in every case is whether, in all the circumstances, the employer can be expected to wait any longer and, if so, how much longer? Every case will be different, depending upon the circumstances.”}

As this is a decision by the Court of Appeal, it carries weight so Governing Bodies need to ensure that their internal hearings do carry out that balancing exercise and note the harm/damage either way if a decision on dismissal is not to be deferred in an ill-health type case.

Summary

Both the Head and Governors have an obligation to keep working hours under review and the Governors need to check that practical action is being taken to address instances of excessive hours and/or illness with performance/capability issues.

Further Action

Do you believe that a school has the opportunity to reduce the pressure on its teachers?  If so please leave a comment on this article as you can then help to draw more attention to the reality of such pressure and the need for action locally by the school.  

Sources:

[1]  O’Brien v Bolton St Catherine’s Academy [2017] EWCA Civ 145
[2]  Earlier blog article – Teachers’ Working Hours – Duties of Governors and Head Teacher
[3]  Recruitment, Budgets and Accountability by Ros McMullen, published March 31, 2017 by Headteachers’ Roundtable.

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Shortage of People not just Skills Ahead

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All employers are likely to be affected by the change in the UK’s workforce profile which will lead to a large gap in the numbers of available employees because:

  • By 2022, 14.5 million more jobs will be created, but only 7 million younger workers will enter the workforce – a gap of 7.5 million.
  • By 2020, the over 50s will comprise almost one third of the working age population and almost half of the adult population.

Employers will have to adjust their attitudes and no longer maintain a bias against older workers.  More important, is how employers will nurture the advantages of a higher proportion of older individuals in their employment and use their experience and skills to the benefit of the organisation and the development of young workers.

Dispelling the Myths about the Unreliability of Older Workers

Lower sickness rates are not often associated with older individuals but that is the evidence from insurers and other sources.  Older workers also bring a maturer outlook and set of skills to the organisation.

There are also significant advantages to employing more older individuals as they are part of the corporate glue that leads to more effective engagement with employees and managers.

You can read more about the advantages and sources of help to enable employers to prepare for the changes ahead in our blog article, ‘ Older Employees – Organisational Asset or Liability?’

Would you like to discuss the above issues in the context of your organisation
on recruiting and managing older workers,if so contact, the author by writing to him or calling him on 07808 765588.

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Employment Rights – A Quick Reference Source

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The range of employment rights is wide and it is easy to lose track of the current rates/allowances such as statutory leave, minimum rates of pay.    You may only need to look those up occasionally and ideally would like to be able to go to one source to save time.

Key HR Facts

Well now you can by going to Key HR Facts.   These are a free source of reference which  you can find by using the following link – http://bit.ly/2ieG5ew.

You are also welcome to share the Key HR Facts pages with colleagues provided the copyright and source are displayed on each page or extract shared by whatever means.

Key HR Facts are produced by HR Management Dimensions Ltd.

If you feel it would be useful to include other facts in those quick reference pages, please let us know.

Understand the Facts in Context

Looking up the facts is useful but it is also important to understand them in the context in which you will use them.  For example, being able to look up the latest minimum rates of pay is helpful but what are the common pitfalls into which managers fall?  As an example read our blog article about such pitfalls.

You may find it useful to read articles on our blogs – links to which are provided at the end of this article.

We also welcome the occasional call if you would like to discuss an issue – without a charge – if it can be answered in a few minutes.   Our contact details are on this page.

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Strategic Strings to Pull for School Governors

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Can school leaders do more to raise the satisfaction of staff?  Like many organisations, schools face challenges which in their case are to:

  • Raise the learning outcomes for students;
  • Continuously improve the performance of staff;
  • Balance the budget.

An additional issue appears to be the low morale amongst teachers because of the constant changes in curriculum, the pressure of observations, pupil progress targets and the perception that teachers are not valued by parents,  the community nor the DfE at times.

Raising the Satisfaction of Teachers

Can school leaders do more to raise the satisfaction of staff? Yes, they can as there are certain levers they can use for that purpose. This is not a new problem as an insight was given in 2000 by the Head of OFSTED who, “argued that the morale of the teaching profession is affected by the quality of teaching provided within it.”  In The Guardian (4 September 2000) , he wrote, ‘The only way the morale of the profession is going to improve is when teachers teach better. Because when teachers teach better, children will learn more, and when children learn more their parents will respect teachers more. And when teachers have got the respect of parents in the community they are going to feel better about themselves.” (1)

This reciprocal reinforcement of satisfaction between ‘customers’ and staff is a well known effect in service organisations. Studies have shown that customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction are intertwined – each feed of the other and the level of staff satisfaction increases with consequent tangible improvements in staff performance and outcomes. In a service company that effect is seen in additional sales to customers and customer loyalty.  Schools are not profit organisations but the quote above is strikingly similar to the effects of the Service Profit Chain which was published in the Harvard Business Review (2). This was based on a series of premises that as an employee meets the needs of a customer, the satisfaction of the latter results in a reciprocal satisfaction for the employee. Although titled the Service Profit Chain, the premises are translatable to a teaching environment. As the learning of students improves and positive outcomes are commented upon by pupils, parents, colleagues as well as evidence from data, the professional satisfaction of a teacher increases and that reinforces the teacher’s commitment to develop students/pupils.

Strategic Mapping by Governors and Leadership Team

The term engagement is used frequently today as though it is the solution to organisational problems. It is important and requires the investment of management time and trust but engagement alone is not enough. Governors have to help the head teacher and leadership team to see the wider picture involved in raising the performance of the school and satisfying the stakeholders, staff, students and parents. A strategic map is required so that all can see what is to be achieved, when, and as important in a service organisation, how. This is even more important now that performance objectives and progression are linked to pay. Without a strategic map, the risk is that performance objectives will not be joined up so as to deliver the overall strategy.

Aids to Strategic Mapping

There are various strategic models for educational organisations but many omit key aspects of the strategic journey. One method is to adapt the balanced scorecard to the school environment. The real purpose of the balanced scorecard aid is in translating your strategy/vision for the school into clear strategic objectives that will deliver your vision and strategic goals. The name balanced scorecard is derived from looking at the way forward from four aspects. To achieve our vision:

a. How should we appear to our customers i.e. students and parents/guardians? (customer focus)
b. How will we maintain our ability to change and improve? (learning and growth)
c. How do we need to change and improve our support processes? (internal/support processes)
d. How should we appear to our stakeholders – LA or Trust, DfE and other agencies? (financial/service outcomes)

Key objectives are then set under each of those areas, as appropriate, so that the inter-dependencies can be seen.

For example under b, one objective may be to increase the understanding and use by teaching staff of pupil achievement data in order to raise learning outcomes. Governors also need to understand what the data trends are indicating and to encourage the switching of funds accordingly to improve weak areas. Focus on this area may also highlight that you need to improve your internal processes so that such data can be accessed easily and promptly. Hence, another objective under internal processes may be of that nature. In this way the cause and effect network can be seen more clearly.

Returning for a moment to the theme of teacher satisfaction and student development, objectives under b and a should also lead to increased satisfaction of teaching staff and also of pupils.

As you will gather, a strategic map still needs original thought as to what the vision should be and what are the key strategic goals based on that.  Aids such as the balanced scorecard (3) may help to ensure the success of your strategy by looking at the goals from key aspects that often underpin the service needs within a school.  However, it is better to keep the process simple to start with to serve the school’s needs.

Sources:
(1)  Quoted from HEADING TOWARDS EXCELLENCE by (Sir) John R Rowling, Trentham Books 2002.
(2) The Service Profit Chain, James L. Heskett, W. Earl Sasser, Leonard A. Schlesinger, Harvard Business Review
(3) Kaplan, Robert S.; Norton, David P. (Jan-Feb) [1992], “The Balanced Scorecard – Measures that Drive Performance”, Harvard Business Review

If you would like help in using strategic mapping to raise performance, you can contact the author via this link or by phone (see the footer for contact details).

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Upper Pay Scale for Teachers – A Two Edged Sword

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Th e Upper Pay Scale for teachers provides deserved recognition for many teachers but there is a catch.  There is no way currently for a teacher on UPS to return to the Main Scale.  As in many professions, individuals often enjoy the core of their job but do not necessarily want to continue forever with the extra responsibilities they have taken on. However, such responsibilities are a continuing requirement of the Upper Pay Scale (UPS).

The UPS dilemma for Teachers and Head Teachers

What options do you have when faced with an effective classroom teacher who no longer wishes to demonstrate that his/her “achievements and contribution are substantial and sustained” (1) over and above the role of a classroom teacher? Similarly, what can you do if you have a teacher who you believe should focus on their real strengths as a classroom teacher rather than continue not to fulfill the additional responsibilities of a UPS teacher?  Unfortunately, there is no provision in the Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document to allow a teacher to volunteer to step back to or to be transferred to the Main Scale.  Progression to the UPS is for life effectively.

This issue is accentuated as schools look for savings and may face an imbalance of the number of teachers on UPS compared to the Main Scale.  Some Heads have turned a blind eye to the actual contribution of a UPS teacher but that is less likely now as financial pressures grow.  The contribution of a UPS teacher is more likely to be questioned if the perception is that he/she is not producing value for money.  Here, I am referring to teachers who have become trapped on UPS but are still effective classroom teachers.

Voluntary Agreements to Change Grade are not Enforceable

Once a teacher has crossed the threshold and been awarded Upper Pay Scale status, that grade stays with the individual for the rest of his/her career or until he gains promotion. The Teachers’ terms are recognised by statute. So a voluntary agreement to return to the Main Pay Scale will not be enforceable if the individual changed his mind at a later date. The individual would not have to apply again to cross the threshold as he/she is already legally entitled to be paid on the Upper Pay Scale. Trade Unions are also unlikely to support such voluntary changes as that would undermine the ‘natural’ salary progression route for career teachers.

If an individual requests to be paid on the Main Pay Scale for personal reasons, the Head will need to weigh up the risk of:

  • the individual later changing his mind and requiring to be paid on UPS.
  • the School acting outside its statutory authority in agreeing such a change.
  • other interested parties seeking to challenge the school to pay the UPS salary.

The Two Edged Sword is too Sharp

If a school does not wish to take those type of risks, then the Head Teacher may have no choice but to pursue capability action to either secure the required contribution over and above the role of a classroom teacher or to reach the point at which the teacher is required to leave the school. That is neither a sensible nor responsible course of action as it fails to recognise that there are thousands of effective classroom teachers who may reach a point in their lives when they want to return to their strengths and focus on continuing as a classroom teacher.

Let us hope that the DfE addresses this issue in the 2013 Conditions Document.

An Honourable Way Forward

Providing a way for teachers to return to the Main Scale would recognise the needs of both such individuals and the school without forcing Heads to pursue capability actions or restructurings to overcome this issue.

If an individual is within 10 years of retirement, a decision to return to the Main Scale may not have a major effect on the teachers’ pension. The average of the best three years of pensionable earnings over the last 10 year period is used to determine the pensionable salary for calculating a Teacher’s Pension. An individual must check the effect on his/her pension before making such a decision as individual service history and the current pension rules may affect the amount of pension.

Maintained Schools not Alone

The above affects maintained schools and other types of school which have contracted to follow the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document. Therefore, academies may find themselves faced with the same issues – but see the next section regarding academies.

Additional Solutions for Academies

An academy could change the terms of teaching staff and adopt contractual clauses which would overcome the above issues. For example, the terms could be amended so that sections referring to Upper Pay Scale included clauses which allowed a teacher to request to be paid on the Main Scale and forgo the entitlement to be paid on the Upper Pay Scale.

In addition, clauses in disciplinary and capability policies could be amended to provide alternatives to dismissal such as a transfer to a lower grade or demotion. So when a Head Teacher believes a UPS teacher is not meeting the requirements to continue on UPS but would still be an effective classroom teacher, the Head would not be faced with losing a skilled, experienced teacher but could offer a Main Scale role as an appropriate alternative.

I emphasis that the above is not referring to instances in which individuals are not effective class room teachers or simply have lost interest in or the energy to teach effectively. The above is focused on those effective teachers who wish to scale back their responsibilities and return to being a dedicated classroom teacher.

Safeguards

Safeguards would need to be added to prevent abuse of the new options. Effective consultation with staff representatives should take place to gain understanding. The academy would also need to check its funding agreement to ensure that it was not restricted in implementing such changes.

Further Help Required?

To understand the risks or to proceed with the type of changes outlined above, you are advised to consult experienced human resource management professionals who understand both the terms of employment applying to teachers and the employment law and employee relations context.

For further ideas of how to address issues in schools see our main web site www.hr-management-dimensions.co.uk.   contact form <a href=“office@hr-management-dimensions.co.uk”> You may also contact us by using this link</a> or telephone us on the number in the footer.

References:

(1) Sections 19.6 and 19.5 of the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document 2013.

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Academies Act 2010 – TUPE Issues for the LA and Governors

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Now that the Academies Act has been passed, schools wishing to convert in the next few months will need to take action to ensure that they receive key information, indemnities and warranties.  Although the current employer is required to consult employees and provide information to the school, it is easy to overlook the various types of information you will need to avoid unwelcome surprises.

A starting point from an earlier article is expanded below.

Insist on Full Disclosure

The Governing Body should request full information on:

  • The current contractual terms of employment of each individual.
  • Any one off agreements/terms that come into affect later such as individual ‘incentive’ payments
  • Any discretionary payments or terms made to an individual – important to be sure that they are only discretionary and not binding in future
  • Any special leave granted and whether paid or unpaid in the 12 months prior to conversion. This should include parental leave and similar so that you do not duplicate leave in the future.
  • Any contractual policies applying in general or to particular groups of staff which are likely to have financial consequences e.g special leave, PPA time over the 10% national term for teachers.
  • List of staff who are suspended or absent for any reason especially long term such as ill-health, maternity leave on the date of conversion with the known or expected return or review dates.

Actual or Potential Liabilities

In addition, the Governing Body should request details of any actual or potential liabilities that will pass on transfer of the staff such as:

  • Personal injury claims by current or former staff that have not been concluded
  • Grievances or disputes regarding an individual’s terms of employment
  • Employment Tribunal claims including discrimination, bullying or harassment
  • County Court claims such as significant breach of contract claims
  • Civil claims such as harassment
  • Pending or actual police investigations or prosecutions
  • Health and safety improvement notices etc and copies of any reports in the last three years (if not in the school’s possession)

The LA may also wish to seek warranties and indemnities to ensure that any potential legal claims or financial liabilities have been declared and investigated by the school sufficiently. That will be important in the light of the surplus and deficit provisions in the Act.

Those type of information issues will form the bulk of the work to ensure that you have a clear picture of each individual’s employment terms and record going forward. However, there is a sting in the tail of the TUPE Regulations of which you need to be aware.

Detrimental changes to an individual’s contractual terms after transfer will be in breach of the regulations and potentially give rise to claims against the school. There are limited exceptions for example, economic and technical organisational reasons. Schools should not think that the transfer of staff offers a new canvas on which to paint a new scenario of terms of employment as unfortunately the schools will need to take the TUPE route of addressing transfers.

The above is a brief overview. Are you interested in being guided through the issues and process? If so, contact us via our website www.hr-management-dimensions.co.uk.   We apply the many dimensions of people management and organisational capability to help you to produce commercially and service focused solutions to human resource management issues.

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Academy Schools – Staff Transfers

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Many schools have expressed an interest in learning more about what is entailed in becoming an Academy. The Academies Bill is currently being reviewed by the House of Lords but, to date, the Bill does not contain any references to the transfer of staff. That is surprising as about 70% of a school’s budget is staffing and the staff are key players in the success of a school.

Legislation Applying to Transfers of School Staff

Other current  legislation also deals with school organisational changes and  contains clauses which state specifically that staff will be transferred on existing terms on the implementation date unless an individual’s contract was for a fixed term or temporary and due to end before the transfer date. For example, if an infants and a junior school were combined by extending the age range of one school, this would be implemented via consultation on the proposals and, if approved, by the automatic application of the transfer clause in the statutory regulations. The clauses provide for a transfer without the need to resort to the TUPE regulations which is simpler and quicker to implement and provides protection for the transfer of the staff.

So how will staff be transferred to an Academy? Currently, the DoE appears to be thinking that the TUPE regulations will apply.  Schools will need to avoid the pitfalls of the TUPE regulations.

Issues to Consider in a  Transfer of Staff

What points should Governors and Head Teachers look out for?

  • The current employer e.g. the Local Authority will be required to consult with affected staff and seek information from the new employer about the transfer including any changes to terms etc. that are proposed.
  • The consultation will need to be formal and involve the recognised trade unions and, if none, the local authority will have to arrange for the staff to elect employee representatives specifically to inform and consult about the transfer
  • The new employer will be obliged to provide specific information to the local authority for consultation purposes including any organisational changes.
  • Staff will need to be informed about who is their new legal employer and the effective date of their transfer.

Senior managers and Governors will need to think carefully about the following issues:

  • If you are not thinking of making changes to terms or organisational structures in the first few years, transfers are relatively straightforward.
  • Transfers under TUPE will usually mean that staff move across on their current terms of employment including collective agreements. Terms are protected and may only be changed in limited circumstances under the TUPE regulations. However recent case law has indicated that future changes to collective agreements will not automatically apply to transferred staff. Be wary of any contractual clauses or of giving any undertakings that apply amendments to collective agreements automatically to contracts of staff after the transfer date.
  • What liabilities will you inherit with the transfer of staff? Consider requring indemnities and/or warranties from the transferring employer so that you are aware of any outstanding claims. This will enable you to discuss suitable balancing payments to cover those liabilities. This is important as the Bill may contain amendments regarding the treatment of budget surpluses or deficits.
  • Proposed organisational changes or staffing reductions will need to be considered in the context of the TUPE regulations. There are narrow grounds for making such changes but if you step outside of those you may face unfair dismissal claims or even automatically unfair dismissal claims.

The above is a brief overview.

Are you interested in being guided through the issues and process?  If so, contact us via our website www.hr-management-dimensions.co.uk. We apply the many dimensions of people management and organisational capability to help you to produce commercially and service focused solutions to human resource management issues.

Sources
¹ The Schools Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2007 No. 1289,

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Budget Deficits and Organisational Changes in Schools

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Is there an effective approach to reducing staffing costs which also takes account of the educational needs of pupils?

Be Clear About the Skills and Flexibility Required for the Medium Term

Faced with the need to balance their budgets and the fact that staff costs amount to 70% or more of expenditure, Head Teachers and Governors are increasingly having to consider reductions of staff.  That may effect teachers, teaching assistants and other support staff.  Rather than simply trim 10% or more off certain staffing budgets, a more effective approach is to consider what flexibility is required for the school to meet the likely pupil profile and educational strategies over the next few years. With fewer staff, it becomes important to ensure that the staff to be retained are those with the required skills and flexibility..

Examining the needs of the school is the key to a successful change.  Simply making the bulk of reductions in Teaching Assistants is likely to create other issues.  For example, the lack of cover for continuing professional development sessions or 1:1 help with pupils that present particular challenges.  The lack of CPD may increase the inclination of effective members of the teaching staff to leave.  The Head Teacher and senior leadership team need to take an objective view of the school’s needs and determine what are the range of skills and flexibility required.

Retain an Appropriate Mix of Skills

Regrettably, redundancies may not be avoidable but the following points should not be overlooked in your approach to the future organisation:

  • What skills and relevant experience will be demanded by the future needs?
  • What key attitudes and flexibility will be required going forward?
  • Are those evident from tangible, objective sources that can be referred to in any selection criteria?

For example, when considering skills ask yourself whether the relevant staff have collectively or individually:

  • Sufficient skills to teach across all the required key stages
  • Ability/willingness to support extra curricular activities essential to the school’s attainments and reputation to retain and attract pupils
  • Breadth of teaching assistant skills for cover and other tasks
  • Flexibility in administrative tasks

Redundancy of Roles

If part of the solution necessitates some redundancies, it can be helpful to think about the above in terms of what and who needs to be retained to secure the future needs of the school.  Usually, that requires four key steps:

  1. General consultation with staff representatives.
  2. Seeking volunteers for redundancy and deciding whether or not an individual can be released and also if compulsory redundancies are required.
  3. The selection criteria that will be used.
  4. Consultation with the affected individuals.

The criteria should reflect the future needs of the school but you will need to think carefully whether there is objective evidence available to support assessments against the criteria. If criteria such as teaching standards are being used, it may not always be practical to find objective evidence to hand. Occasionally, you may have to rely upon the professional judgement of the Head and/or Senior Leadership Team to assess/determine whether an individual has consistently met the standards being assessed and the objective evidence for the conclusions or assessment..

By focusing on the future needs, what skills etc need to be retained and who should be retained, you will be a good way towards an effective approach to reducing staffing costs and balancing the future needs of the school.

Dealing with individuals who are being displaced requires sensitivity and time to ensure that they make informed decisions about  volunteering for redundancy, the financial implications including pension issues as well as the implications for those who will be terminated as a result of a selection exercise. At the same time or shortly afterwards, you then have to invest time in focusing and developing the remaining members of staff to focus on the challenges ahead.

Interested to learn more? Contact us via our website www.hr-management-dimensions.co.uk.   We apply the many dimensions of people management and organisational capability to help you to produce commercially and service focused solutions to human resource management issues.

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