WORKING IN AET ACADEMIES –

AN NUT GUIDE (OCTOBER 2013)

This guidance document gives a brief overview of the Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) and working in AET Academies, including information about:

  • The AET and its Academy programme
  • The national trade union recognition agreement
  • Pay and conditions of service
  • Employment policies and procedures

The AET operates common pay and conditions for employees and central negotiating machinery, within which the Union negotiates alongside the other recognised teaching and support staff unions. Arrangements have been established within the NUT for consultation and communication with NUT divisions, Academy representatives and members.

Detailed information about pay and conditions of service in Academies can be found in the NUT document Teachers’ Pay and Conditions in Academies: Guidance for NUT Members at

ABOUT THE ACADEMIES ENTERPRISE TRUST

The Academies Enterprise Trust was established in September 2008. Its website for its Academies is

ACADEMIES ENTERPRISE TRUST ACADEMIES

At the time of writing the AET had 74 Academies, are planning to open at least 8 more. They are:

  • Barnsley
  • Carlton Community College (due to open Jan 2013)
  • Royston Meadstead Primary School (open June 2013)
  • Shafton Advanced Learning Academy (due to open Jan 2013)
  • Shafton Primary School (open Dec 2012)
  • St. Helen’s Primary School (open Dec 2012)
  • Bradford – Feversham Primary School (open Nov 2012)
  • Bath and NE Somerset – Broadlands School (open Dec 2012)
  • Ealing – Petts Hill Primary Academy (due to open Dec 2012)
  • Enfield
  • Aylward Academy (open Sept 2010)
  • Nightingale Academy (open Sept 2010)
  • Birmingham
  • Percy Shurmer Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Greenwood Academy (open Jan 2013)
  • Colmers Farm Junior School (due to open March 2013)
  • Four Dwellings Academy (open March 2013)
  • Four Dwellings Primary Academy (open Jan 2013)
  • Montgomery Primary Academy (open Oct 2012)
  • Ridpool Primary and Nursery School (open Dec 2012)
  • Essex
  • Greensward Academy (open Sept 2008)
  • The Maltings Academy (open Sept 2008)
  • New Rickstones Academy (open Sept 2008)
  • Clacton Coastal Academy (open Sept 2009)
  • Tendring Enterprise Studio School (open Aug 2011)
  • Plumberow Primary Academy (open Sept 2011)
  • Ashingdon Primary Academy (open Sept 2011)
  • Westerings Primary Academy (open Sept 2011)
  • Hamford Primary Academy (open April 2012)
  • Columbus School and College (open May 2012)
  • The Pioneer School (open June 2012)
  • Gloucestershire
  • Millbrook Academy (open Jan 2012)
  • The Ridge Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Brockworth Primary Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Peak Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Offa’s Mead Primary Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Severn View Primary Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Green Field Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Middlesbrough
  • Unity City Academy (open Sept 2002 but became AET Academy in Jan 2012)
  • North Ormesby Primary Academy (open October 2012)
  • Richmond Upon Thames - Richmond Park Academy (open Sept 2010)
  • Kent
  • Tree Tops Academy (open April 2012)
  • Oaks Academy (open April 2012)
  • St. James the Great Academy (open April 2012)
  • Molehill Copse Primary Academy (open June 2012)
  • Kingston upon Hull
  • Hall Road Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Newington Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • The Green Way Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Kingswood College of Arts (open July 2013)
  • Lancashire – Lancaster Ridge Primary School (due to open May 2013)
  • Leeds
  • Cottingley Primary School (open Dec 2012)
  • Swallow Hill Community College (open July 2013)
  • Leicestershire – Shelthorpe Community School (open Dec 2012)
  • Lincolnshire
  • Cordeaux Academy (open Jan 2013)
  • North Thoresby Primary School (open July 2013)
  • Utterby Primary School (open July 2013)
  • Portsmouth – Prior School Specialist Sports College (due to open Sept 2013)
  • Liverpool – Childwalls School (open Sept 2012)
  • Southampton – Woodlands Academy (due to open Sept 2013)
  • Suffolk
  • Felixstowe Academy (open Sept 2011)
  • East Point Academy (open Sept 2011)
  • Langer Primary Academy (open May 2012)
  • Isle of Wight
  • Ryde Academy (open Sept 2011)
  • Sandown Bay Academy (open Sept 2011)
  • Weston Academy (open April 2012)
  • Bexley – Bexleyheath Academy (open Sept 2011)
  • Norfolk – Cliff Park High School (due to open Sept 2013)
  • Hampshire
  • Everest Community Academy (open Sept 2011)
  • The New Forest Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Winton Community Academy (open Nov 2012)
  • Haringey
  • Trinity Primary Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Noel Park Primary Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Hounslow – Kingsley Academy (open April 2013)
  • Milton Keynes
  • Sir Herbert Leon Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Charles Warren Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Northampton – The Duston School (open June 2012)
  • Staffordshire
  • Tamworth Enterprise Studio School (open Sept 2012)
  • The Rawlett School (open Sept 2012)
  • Anglesey Primary School (open Dec 2012)
  • Sheffield – Firth Park Community Arts College (open Aug 2013)
  • Swindon – Hazelwood Academy (open June 2013)
  • Surrey – Wishmore Cross Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Torbay – Barton Hill Primary Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Redcar and Cleveland
  • Gilbrook Academy (open Sept 2012)
  • Eston Park Academy (open Jan 2012)

The AET is looking to expand further and is in discussions with a large number of schools and existing academies. It believes that around 150 Academies will be part of the AET by the end of 2013.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION AGREEMENT

A national recognition agreement in respect of the AET came into effect on 6 January 2009. The agreement was signed by the Trust, the teacher unions - ASCL, ATL, NAHT, NASUWT and the NUT - and support staff unions, the GMB, Unison, Unite and Voice.

The agreement provides for national negotiations and consultations on for pay, conditions of service and working time across AET Academies. It also provides for collective consultation at individual Academy level through the establishment of Joint Consultative Committees, time off with pay and facilities time for trade union representatives and for AET Academies to participate in local facilities time arrangements.

The recognition agreement may be found on the NUT website in the pay and conditions > academies section at

PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

In General

All Academies are able to set their own pay, conditions and working time arrangements for newly appointed teachers joining the Academy. In some Academies, pay and conditions arrangements for such teachers are similar or identical to those for teachers in local authority maintained state schools. In others, teachers’ pay and conditions can be very different.

Teachers transferred from predecessor schools replaced by an Academy are covered by the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE). The TUPE regulations provide that, where an Academy replaces an existing school(s), teachers’ previous pay and conditions entitlements transfer. These include statutory provisions on pay, professional duties and working time and national and local agreements on teachers’ conditions of service, redundancy payments and recognition of the NUT as a trade union. Where the Academy is a new institution, however, all teachers are in the first category of newly appointed teacher and no teachers are protected by TUPE.

Academies Enterprise Trust Pay and Conditions

The AET has agreed with the teacher unions that it will apply STPCD and Burgundy Book arrangements for all its teachers – including newly appointed teachers - across its network of Academies. This means that AET teachers will be appointed on STPCD pay scales and working-time arrangements and have Burgundy Book provisions in respect of sick pay etc. The Trust does not intend to depart from those arrangements. The trade unions will be negotiating with the Trust on a range of successor policies.

The AET did not make any offer on pay for 2012.

EMPLOYMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

At present, there are AET employment policies on: pay policy, child protection, whistle blowing, disability, discipline, dress code, equalities, family friendly, leave of absence, recruitment, probation, redundancy and sickness. Negotiations on a range of other policies are ongoing.

The AET has also agreed that they will continue to apply predecessor LA policies where necessary.

NUT SSEE Dept.

October 2013