Schools HR Update

8th October 2014

HR Services for Schools

AGENDA HR update

– ACAS and Early Conciliation– School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document 2014 and Pay

Policy– Teachers Pay Progression September 2014– Non Teaching Staff Strike 14th October 2014– Employee Relations Update, Policies and Law– Twilight Training

H&S update Payroll update

– National Minimum Wage and SCP 5– Interrogates & Pension statement calculations– Teachers Pension Scheme 2015– National Fraud Initiative– Contacting Payroll

HR health check

Human Resources updates

October 2014

HR Services for Schools

ACAS Early Conciliation – a reminder Now a Legal requirement for claimant to have made a

Early Conciliation notification to ACAS before can go to ET

We can tell ACAS now who the contact person for the school is (HR can collate a list) or they will phone whoever the claimant puts as their employer – most likely to be the school!

If we don't tell them, Line Manager may be first contact Ensure those individuals understand importance of

that initial contact - take as seriously as a formal legal communication and should not attempt to resolve themselves

Alert HR Provider immediately and pass on to details of the dispute to individual who would manage any subsequent ET claim

School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document 2014 and Pay Policy

STPCD continues pay increases related to performance

STPCD does not change Safeguarding (pay and TLR protection) but no guarantee of grade if go to new school

Pay Policy sets out pay scales and applies 1% increase – mostly using DfE ‘reference points’

Issue of STPCD additional payments to HTs

School Teachers Pay Progression September 2014 - background

STPCD says no “automatic” salary progression for teachers in September 2014

This applies to all Maintained Schools (Community, Foundation and VA) and Academies who use STPCD

OFSTED may check why teachers have progressed!

School Teachers Pay Progression September 2014 - process

Performance Management Appraisals should have/be taking place

Headteacher recommends progression/not progress to Pay Committee

Decision given to teacher (Teachers Annual Pay Statement) by 31st October

Right of appeal to Pay Appeals Committee

School Teachers Pay Progression September 2014 – other issues

Notification to Payroll! Use of Capability process for those not

progressed? Support/development plans for those not

progressed New SMART targets for 2014/15 Lessons learnt? – targets, appraisers

skills/confidence, moderation/fairness, SLT & Govs skills/confidence

School Teachers Pay Progression September 2014 –

HR Support for Pay Appeals

Pay Appeal Committees should be able to call upon their HR provider to support them at pay appeals

If your school has concerns about appeals then we recommend seeking advice now

Non-teaching staff Strike Action 14th October 2014

UNISON, GMB & UNITE National dispute over Local Government pay award offer 14/15

Request for information to send to DfE on expected/actual numbers going out on strike sent out in letter from Simon Leftley

Now informed DfE do not, on this occasion, want that information!

PLEASE DON’T FILL IN THE PRO FORMAS!!!

Please do send in the Payroll pro formas by 1st NOVEMBER

Employee Relations Update, Policies and Law

Caselaw

Be careful in what you offer/contract!LGA reports that in Hershaw and others v Sheffield City Council the EAT held that a letter from an HR consultant setting out the result of a pay and grading appeal which incorrectly told the employees they would be placed on a higher grade than was actually decided was capable of having contractual effect, as the HR consultant had ostensible, if not formal, authority to communicate the result

Each case is different but it is important to check what is offered /set out in writing OR verbally as this may result in it being contractual

Employee Relations Update, Policies and Law

Policies put onto SLN

– Teachers Pay Policy 2014– Flexible Working

going onto SLN– Pensions (LGPS)– Criminal Records Checks

in consultation– Retirement

in preparation– Shared Parental Leave – Non-teaching Appraisal

Employee Relations Update, Policies and Law

Legal Timetable

From 1 Oct 2014 Prospective fathers and the partners of mothers to

be will be able to take time off to attend two ante-natal appointments

Employees dismissed for reasons connected with membership of a reserve force will not need two years’ service to claim unfair dismissal

From Late 2014 Introduction of the DWP Health and Work Service

aimed at providing all employers, employees and GPs with occupational health guidance to help employees stay in or to return to work

Twilight Training Improving the understanding and skills of

Senior Management Teams, Headteachers and Governing Bodies – HR can offer Twilight/Evening Sessions at a school or for a number of schools Investigation Training – a proper investigation for

Disciplinary, Capability or Grievance is essential. Are those staff and Governors who would conduct an investigation confident to do so?

Hearing and Appeal Training – Headteacher and Appeal Panel Governors. Apart from employee relations cases, are Governors who would conduct a Pay Appeal confident to do so?

Policy Training – for SLT/Office Managers/Bursars

HR Advisory Services

Advisory Services

– Team Manager is Liz Farrell with Nikki Anderson as Senior HR Officer

– Nikki will shortly be going on Maternity Leave so if she is your named officer ten please call Claire Sims (215509) 215509) instead whilst Nikki is off

Health and Safety update

October 2014

HR Services for Schools

HSE EDUCATION NEWS

As the new school year begins, the HSE is reminding school leaders to strike the right balance in their approach to health and safety risks

If you believe some of the stories you hear, health and safety is all about stopping any activity that might possibly lead to harm.

Whilst children need to be kept safe, they also should be able to learn through experience and play conkers without wearing goggles!

The MythPrimary school not allowed ladders due to health and safety. Therefore staff use chairs to reach up when 'working at heights'.Panel decisionThere is nothing in health and safety law that prevents primary schools from using step ladders in classrooms

‘Elf and Safety’

Examples of the cases HSE’s Mythbusters Challenge panel has ruled on:-Primary school not allowed ladders

-Hot drinks not allowed on school tripsThe MythEnquirer's daughter took a hot drink in a flask on a school trip. Following the trip the enquirer was told that the school has a no hot drink policy 'due to Health and Safety'.Panel decisionHealth and safety legislation does not prevent children from having hot food or drink in their packed lunches, for consumption in school or on school trips.

-School bans children from wearing frilly socks

The MythIt was reported that a school banned children from wearing frilly socks for health and safety reasons.Panel decisionThere is nothing in health and safety law which stipulates how long or short frills on school girls' socks should be.

Schools are free to set their own uniform policies but these decisions shouldn't hide behind spurious references to health and safety law.

School fines

-A college was ordered to pay a total of £175,000 in fines and costs after the death of a 3 year old girl in their nursery care.

-A College was fined £100,000 after an employee was exposed to high levels of silica dust as he worked to preserve the sandstone building.

Some examples of fines imposed on schools for breaching health and safety legislation-

Sensible Health and Safety management in schools

So in summary, a sensible approach to health and safety in schools means to ‘strike the right balance’ , so that the real risks are managed and learning opportunities are experienced to the full.

Sensible health and safety management should be straightforward, it's just part of good school leadership.

Asbestos was extensively used as a building material in the UK from the 1950s through to the mid-1980s.

System buildings constructed during the period 1945 -1980 were widely used for the construction of school premises.  These buildings can have structural columns fire proofed with asbestos containing materials (ACMs).

HSE has undertaken sample inspections in the education sector to assess duty holder's compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations.

Sensible controls for Asbestos in Schools

Payroll update

October 2014

HR Services for Schools

National Minimum Wage and SCP 5 From 1 October 2014 the national minimum wage

hourly rates took effect as follows: adult rate for those aged 21 or over increased from

£6.31 to £6.50

aged 18 or more but under 21 increased from £5.03 to £5.13

16 and 17 year olds, increased from £3.72 to £3.79

Apprentices, it increased from £2.68 to £2.73 IF YOU HAVE STAFF NOT ON A SCP WHO WILL OTHERWISE BE BELOW THE NMW PLEASE SUBMIT A PAY 2 TO INCREASE THEM

This means SCP 5 had to be increased to £12,540 pa we will do this automatically

Interrogates These reports are very important for schools and for

Payroll as they allow a check that what has been paid is correct and avoid ongoing under or overpayments if errors are picked up

Please therefore send back a signed copy of the report by 31st OCTOBER EVEN IF THERE ARE NO CORRECTIONS NEEDED so that only current data is being used

Any interrogates received after this date, cannot be actioned, and pay forms will be needed

We apologise having to do this, but we need to make sure that only current data is being changed and we are sure that you will understand that we need to make sure changes with peoples pay are accurate

Pension statement calculations

We have had a number of queries regarding pension statements for Local Government staff. The query is usually regarding the hours as it does not always correspond with the hours they actually work. The way pensions come to these hours are as follows:

Actual hours X actual weeks / 52.1429 = hours

Teachers Pension Scheme 2015

October 2014

HR Services for Schools

Teachers Pension Scheme 2015

The TPS will change from April 2015 to introduce a career average calculation and flexibilities

Posters have been posted on SLN for schools to display and/or distribute to teachers

All teachers should be encouraged to go to www.teacherspensions.co.uk/keepinformed

National Fraud Initiative Individual staff in schools must be given the

notification from payroll that we are complying with the National Fraud Initiative – this includes all those off sick, on maternity leave or otherwise absent

This is because their payroll information will be provided to the Audit Commission for the purposes of preventing and detecting fraud

If the notification has not been given to all employees then please ensure that it is so that we can all meet our legal obligations

Contacting Payroll Payroll Services receive a large volume of

information from schools and we are always looking at how we can best receive this to avoid risk of it being missed or changes duplicated

To help with this would schools please:

Send initial emails to schoolspayroll@southend.gov.uk

rather than individual members of the team

Avoid sending information in more than once or, if doing so, ‘cross reference’ to show that clearly

Human Resources Health check

October 2014

HR Services for Schools

HR Updates 2014/2015

Wednesday 4th February 2015, 1pm to 3.30pm, Tickfield, Darwin Room

Wednesday 13th May 2015, 1pm to 3.30pm, Tickfield, Darwin Room