Workforce remodelling

Remodelling is a proven approach to managing change that encourages and enables positive and lasting change. The remodelling process involves looking collaboratively at particular issues and coming up with individual local solutions.

• ensuring schools have an adequate supply of good-quality newly qualified teachers 
• enable schools to develop the effectiveness of their support staff 
• enable schools to develop the effectiveness of their teachers and keep their knowledge and skills up to date 
• support schools to be effective in the management of training, development and remodelling of their workforce

National agreement

The national agreement on raising standards and tackling workload was signed by government, employers and school workforce unions on 15 January 2003. The agreement introduced a series of significant changes to teachers' conditions of service which was to be introduced in three annual phases from September 2003.

Sept 2003

• Routine delegation of administrative and clerical tasks
  The first phase of contractual changes arising from the agreement, guaranteed that teachers would not be routinely required to perform administrative and clerical tasks. The agreement identified activities that do not require the professional expertise of a teacher and should be delegated.
• Introduction of work/life balance clauses
  The national agreement defines work/life balance as being "about helping teachers combine work with their personal interests outside work" and cites working hours and workload as key, but not exclusive, elements of this.
• Introduction of leadership and management time for those with corresponding responsibilities
  The national agreement acknowledges that members of leadership groups and all those outside these groups with leadership and management responsibilities should have time for these activities in addition to their PPA time and with full acknowledgement of their work/life balance.

September 2004

• introduction of new limits on covering for absent colleagues (38 hours per year)
  Teachers are most effective when teaching their own subject in a timetabled lesson. Deploying teachers in the most effective way is fundamental to achieving higher standards in schools and schools that have low or no teacher cover report happier staff, teaching better lessons.

September 2005

• Introduction of guaranteed professional time for planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) 
  All teachers should now receive 10 per cent of their timetabled teaching time for PPA activities.
• Introduction of dedicated headship time
  Headteachers need to be able to focus on strategic leadership and management. Phase three of the national agreement secures you dedicated time to lead the drive for school improvement.
• Introduction of new invigilation arrangements
  Teachers are no longer required to invigilate exams or national curriculum tests.

The wider school workforce

Developing the school workforce is a process affecting not only teachers but also the wider school workforce. Everyone who works in a school has a part to play in raising standards and giving children a better start in life.

Lambeth has a range of training and development opportunities for the wider school workforce, including introductory training for support staff, induction programmes for teaching assistants, SWiS (Support Work in Schools) qualifications the CSBM (Certificate of School Business Managers) for School administrators (or Bursars) and NVQs.

Lambeth recognises the value of performance management and promotes and supports its Appraisal Scheme for School Support staff.

The Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group (WAMG) is a unique social partnership of 11 organisations representing employers, the government and school workforce unions that first came together as signatories of the national agreement on 15 January 2003. It played a critical role in ensuring implementation of the national agreement and continues to work collaboratively on the wider workforce reform agenda for schools.

The WAMG model is mirrored in the many local social partnerships at local authority level. Lambeth, like many local authorities has a local WAMG, which continues to monitor the school workforce reforms and agendas. The group meets termly.

Who to contact

for fuirther information contact Dorothy Horsford, (Workforce Development and Strategy Manager (Teaching and Learning) dhorsford@lambeth.gov.uk,  020 7926 9899