HR Provision in ERW 15.3.15

HR provision in ERW 15.3.15

Purpose of update

To provide the details as to how HR services in ERW will operate and work effectively as a workstream to deliver the Business Plan priorities.

Introduction

The National Model for Regional Working proposed that each of the four consortia should establish a small HR team to support head teachers and governors to address capability issues.

This was a flawed concept and an alternative strategy was developed which took into account three key people management fundamentals:

• Firstly - the benefits of taking a holistic approach to people management in schools, including taking into account governors’ responsibilities for the staff they appoint and manage, and not simply to focus narrowly on those individuals identified as under-performing

• Secondly - the added value to be secured through building on existing relationships within each local authority - i.e. governors, Elected Members, Directors, Heads of Service, HR staff, head teachers and teaching associations - rather than to establish a small isolated HR team outside of day to day mainstream people management activities in schools

• Thirdly - the fairness and effectiveness of implementing performance management processes in a preventative rather than a reactive manner, so that those individuals who are identified as requiring additional support are informed what is expected of them at the earliest opportunity, are given accurate and ongoing feedback about their level of performance and are provided with an appropriate level of support - as soon as any under-performance is identified - rather than allowing a teacher or school leader to become involved in a capability process which could have been avoided if an early and effective intervention had been made previously

This third point is vitally important because no teacher or school leader should ever be surprised when a capability process gets underway

ERW therefore has 4 main themes to the work as we progress with the Business Plan priorities for 2015-18

1. To engage with TUs to agree on an annual basis a Pay Policy for the six ERW Local Authorities. This work will be led and delivered by the ERW HR group, which is made up of representatives of the six LAs and chaired by Ceri Davies, HR Director for Pembrokeshire County Council. Aled Evans, Director of Education for Neath Port Talbot will be the strategic lead on behalf of the six directors. This will incude meeting with TUs regularly.

2. Rewarding Excellence Programme is the vehicle through which ERW will deliver the basic entitlement of every teacher to high quality appraisal and performance management, leading to effective professional learning as part of the New Deal. This work will be led by Graham Jones, HR Director for ERW. Specifically, the work will focus on supporting schools (pilots in the first instance), providing support for schools where this is an area for improvement (brokered as part of the Ladder of Support), training governors. This work will include developing best practice guides for schools and training, common policies and forms for appraisal. This is clearly an area of variable performance across the region. The aim is to bring about improvement where necessary though use of common practices.

3. Working with TUs as a key stakeholder is key to ERW’s communication strategy. In order to enable TUs to be aware of ERW’s plans and strategies for school improvement and engage them where necessary, a separate discussion will be scheduled regularly to inform stakeholders of the details. Betsan O’Connor, Managing Director will lead this work. Specific school level issues should be dealt with at Hub level. It is envisaged that this engagement is separate to but can be added to the front or end of the TU meeting noted in point 1.

4. Work with WG to develop initiatives to strengthen the infrastructure for improvement aligned with teachers pay and conditions, HR policies and developing the new arrangements related to the New Deal. This work will be led by Aled Evans.

Recommendation: to refocus the work in line with the changes to the standards proposed as part of the New Deal and to respond to the need to build relationships with the TUs.

Annex 1

Quality of teaching is widely recognised as the single most important factor in helping learners achieve. Schools must, therefore, ensure that those who teach, support teaching or lead teaching have the necessary skills and experience to provide high-quality teaching and learning through career-long professional learning that is effective, sustainable and linked to national priorities. These include the priorities set out in Qualified for Life, the entitlement and expectation in the New Deal for teachers and the skills required for the implementation of Donaldson’s report on the new curriculum - Successful Futures.

The RSRE programme is an important part of the wider package of work which is being progressed by ERW, local authorities and schools to improve the quality of teaching, learning and leadership in all of ERW’s schools.

The RSRE programme will assist all schools to have in place a school performance management policy and process which:

(a) makes clear what skills and performance are expected of each individual teacher and school leader by the governing body

(b) provides feedback on each individual’s skills and performance

Welsh Government are now reshaping the national standards and the entitlement of teachers to professional learning. It is intended that teachers and school leaders will be invited to co-construct what “good” should look like during a teacher’s and school leader’s career.

It is important to note that the RSRE programme does not intend to impose a rigid one size fits “solution” on all schools.

ERW will work with WG as they work with schools to put in place new and/or improved mechanisms for professional development for teachers and school leaders.