WORKING IN OASIS ACADEMIES – AN NUT GUIDE

(JANUARY 2014)

This guidance document gives a brief overview of OasisTrustAcademies and working in Oasis Academies, including information about:

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

Oasis 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 OASIS

The Oasis Trust is a UK-based Christian family of charities founded in 1985 which runs housing, education, training, youth work and healthcare projects on all five continents. Its founder, Baptist minister Reverend Steve Chalke, is a prominent social and religious activist. Oasis is part of Church.co.uk, a “network of Christian communities”, and FaithWorks, an often controversial evangelical Christian grouping.

The Oasis website is

OASIS ACADEMIES

At the time of writing, Oasis had 37 open Academies and has plans to open5 more. They are:

  • Enfield
  • OasisAcademyEnfield (open Sept 2007)
  • OasisAcademy Hadley (open Sept 2009)
  • North East Lincolnshire
  • OasisAcademy Wintringham (open Sept 2007)
  • OasisAcademy Immingham (open Sept 2007)
  • OasisAcademy Nunsthorpe (open Sept 2012)
  • Bristol
  • Oasis Academy John Williams (open Sept 2008)
  • OasisAcademy Brightstowe (open Sept 2008)
  • OasisAcademyConnaught (open Sept 2012)
  • Oasis Academy Bank Leaze (open Sept 2012)
  • Oasis Academy New Oak (open Sept 2012)
  • Oasis Academy Long Cross (open Jan 2014)
  • Salford - OasisAcademy MediaCity UK (open Sept 2008)
  • Croydon
  • OasisAcademy Coulsdon (open Sept 2008)
  • Oasis Academy Shirley Park (open Sept 2009)
  • OasisAcademy Byron (open Sept 2012)
  • New Provision South Norwood Secondary (due to open Sept 2014)
  • Southampton
  • Oasis Academy Lords Hill (open Sept 2008)
  • OasisAcademy Mayfield (open Sept 2008)
  • Oldham
  • OasisAcademyOldham (open Sept 2010)
  • OasisAcademy Limeside (open Sept 2011)
  • Lambeth – OasisAcademyJohanna (open Sept 2011)
  • Birmingham
  • OasisAcademy Blakenhale Infants (open March 2013)
  • OasisBlakenhaleJuniorSchool (open Feb 2013)
  • OasisAcademyHobmoor (open Sept 2013)
  • OasisAcademy Boulton (open April 2013)
  • Oasis Academy Short Heath (open March 2013)
  • OasisAcademy Woodview (open Feb 2013)
  • Oasis Academy Foundry (open Jan 2014)
  • Manchester
  • Oasis Academy Harpur Mount (open Jan 2013)
  • AspinalPrimary School (open Sept 2013)
  • Bradford
  • OasisAcademyListerPark (open Sept 2013)
  • ListerParkSchool (due to open Sept 2013)
  • Wiltshire – OasisAcademyLongmeadow (open April 2013)
  • Sandwell – GaltonValleyPrimary School (due to open Oct 2013)
  • Kent
  • ChaucerTechnologySchool (due to open Dec 2013)
  • OasisAcademyHextable (open Sept 2013)
  • Medway – Oasis Academy Skinner Street (open Sept 2013)
  • Havering - Pinewood Primary School (open Oct 2013)
  • Sheffield
  • FirValePrimary School (due to open Sept 2014)
  • WatermeadPrimary School (due to open Sept 2014)
  • Wandsworth – NewProvisionPutneyHospital (due to open Sept 2015)
  • Worcestershire – Warndon School (open Oct 2013)
  • North Lincolnshire
  • Oasis Academy Henderson Avenue (open Dec 2012)
  • OasisAcademy Parkwood (open Dec 2012)

Oasis maintains that it will consider further expansion where this fits its ‘hub’ structure, with Academies concentrated in certain areas.

Oasis has also opened a Free School in London and has plans to open 3 more.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION AGREEMENT

A national recognition agreement in respect of Oasis Academies came into effect in May 2009. The agreement was signed by Oasis, the teacher unions - ASCL, ATL, NAHT, NASUWT, the NUT and Voice – 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 Oasis Academies. It also provides for a joint consultation and negotiation committee in each Academy as well as 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

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 schoolsreplaced 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.

Pay and Conditions in Oasis Academies

Oasis 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 Oasis teachers will be appointed on STPCD pay scales and working-time arrangements and have Burgundy Book provisions in respect of sick pay etc.

The unions have, however, had to initiate discussions with Oasis on its application of STPCD/Burgundy Book provisions to teachers on Oasis contracts on a number of different areas.

EMPLOYMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The trade unions have reached agreement with Oasis on policies in respect of grievance, whistle blowing and staff discipline andnegotiations are ongoing with Oasis in respect of a number of other employment policies.

The unions have negotiated improvements on Oasis health and safety policy, contracts, paternity and adoption leave policies. The unions have discussed but not agreed with Oasis a range of other policies including allegations against staff, harassment, admissions, redundancy, internet/email use, and equality and diversity. The unions continue to press Oasis for improvements to these documents, and to negotiate policies on other key areas.

There are a number of Oasis employment documents which were developed before the unions had a formal relationship with Oasis. The trade unions believe that such policies should not be used until they have been agreed.

Concerns continue to exist in respect of the absence of staff rooms in some Oasis Academies and excessive classroom observations.

NUT representatives should have access to these documents via the Oasis intranetor policy hub when established.

NUT SSEE Dept.

January 2014

1