WORKING IN HARRIS FEDERATION ACADEMIES – AN NUT GUIDE (MARCH 2013)
This guidance document gives a brief overview of employment in Harris Federation operated Academies. It sets out information about:
· The Harris Federation and its Academy programme
· The national trade union recognition agreement
· Pay and conditions of service
· Employment policies and procedures
The Harris Federation 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 http://www.teachers.org.uk/academies-pay-and-conditions
ABOUT THE HARRIS FEDERATION
The Harris Federation of South London Schools was established by Lord Harris of Peckham, chairman and Chief Executive of Carpetright plc. He was a prominent supporter of the Conservatives’ previous City Technology College programme and was made a life peer in 1995.
The Harris Federation website is http://www.harrisfederation.org.uk/.
HARRIS FEDERATION ACADEMIES
At the time of writing the Harris Federation had 18 open Academies and planned to open a further 3. They are:
· Bexley – Harris Academy Falconwood (open Sept 2008)
· Bromley
o Harris Academy Bromley (open Sept 2011)
o Harris Academy Beckenham (open Sept 2011)
o Royston Primary School (due to open Sept 2013)
· Croydon
o Harris Academy South Norwood (open Sept 2007)
o Harris City Academy Crystal Palace (open Sept 2007)
o Harris Academy Purley (open Sept 2009)
o Roke Park Primary School (due to open Sept 2013)
· Merton
o Harris Academy Merton (open Sept 2006)
o Harris Academy Morden (open March 2013)
· Newham – Harris Academy Chobham (due to open Sept 2013)
· Southwark
o Harris Academy Peckham (open Sept 2003)
o Harris Girls’ Academy East Dulwich (open Sept 2006)
o Harris Academy Bermondsey (open Sept 2006)
o Harris Boys’ Academy East Dulwich (open Sept 2009)
o Harris Primary Academy Peckham Park (open Sept 2011)
· Thurrock
o Harris Academy Chafford Hundred (open Oct 2011)
o Harris Primary Academy Chafford Hundred (open July 2012)
· Haringey
o Harris Primary Academy Coleraine Park (open Sept 2012)
o Harris Primary Academy Philip Lane (open Sept 2012)
· Greenwich – Harris Academy Greenwich Park (open Sept 2012)
Harris has also opened a Free School (in Southwark, London) and has plans to open 2 more (in Croydon and Haringey).
NATIONAL RECOGNITION AGREEMENT
A national recognition agreement in respect of Harris Federation Academies came into effect in March 2008. The agreement is between the Harris Federation, the teacher unions - ASCL, ATL, NASUWT and the NUT - and support staff unions, the GMB, Unison and Unite.
The agreement provides for national determination of arrangements for pay, conditions of service and working time across Harris Federation Academies. It also provides for time off with pay and facilities time for trade union representatives.
The recognition agreement may be found in the pay and conditions>academies section at www.teachers.org.uk.
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.
Harris Federation Academies
The Harris Federation 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 Harris Federation teachers will be appointed on STPCD pay scales and working-time arrangements and have Burgundy Book provisions in respect of sick pay etc.
In line with its agreement to apply the STPCD to its teachers, however, teachers’ pay - for those on Harris contracts and those who remain on TUPE arrangements – did not increase in September 2012 due to the Government’s two-year public sector pay freeze.
EMPLOYMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The Harris Federation JCC has met on a termly basis. Agreements have been reached with the Harris Federation on a range of employment policies and procedures including its pay policy, grievance procedure, avoiding redundancy policy, health and safety, discipline, internet and email policies, pay and sickness management.
NUT Representatives should have access to these documents via the Harris Federation intranet or policy hub when established.
NUT SSEE Dept.
March 2013
3