Matthew Lantos, Head Teacher
An All-through Co-operative School
PRESTON MANOR SCHOOL
WEMBLEY, NORTH WEST LONDON
(10 minutes from Wembley Stadium)
Co-educational, 4-19 years old, ‘all-through’ school
360 in primary provision (420 in 2015-16)
1260 in secondary provision
300 in Sixth Form
State funded Co-operative Academy
Non-selective
Ethnically 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 of
ACADEMY CONVERSION
for employment practices?
ACADEMY CONVERSION, January 2013
GOVERNORS’ AGREEMENT: RESERVED MATTERS
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 2013
AGREEMENT FOR TRADE UNION RECOGNITION
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 2013
AGREEMENT 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.
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
Inspection
Inspectors 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 & management
School 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 DfE
A 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