Changes to School Teachers Pay and Conditions 2009: Cover Arrangements
(Part of the National Workload Agreement - Introduced from September 2004)

Further to MI 19/09 issued in the e-courier on 31 January, your attention is drawn to the recently issued national Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group (WAMG) documentation on Rarely Cover.

It is essential that you scrutinise these documents because they are statutory and involve changes to the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document from September 2009. Only the national WAMG guidance should be referred to, local social partnerships have agreed not to produce their own guidance.

Rarely cover - WAMG statement
Setting out the basis for implementation of 'rarely cover'.

Rarely cover - WAMG LA letter
WAMG have written to Local Authorities to inform them that the basis for implementation of 'rarely cover' has been agreed and have attached the summary of changes that will be made to the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) (subject to consultation) to give effect to it (see below).

Rarely cover - STPCD document
Summary of changes to be made to the STPCD and accompanying Guidance (subject to formal consultation round).

Rarely cover - implementation process guidance
The purpose of this guidance is to set out the process WAMG advise schools to follow to implement "rarely cover" from 1 September 2009. This guidance includes an Annex A: Deployment of support staff in relation to moving to 'rarely cover'.

These documents can be downloaded at www.socialpartnership.org

These changes remain subject to the normal consultation that is undertaken for the whole of the STPCD prior to its formal implementation.

If as a result of these changes to the STPCD on cover arrangements, you need further support or information on Cover supervisors or HLTAs, please contact:

For Cover supervisors: Virginia Wakely, telephone 01603 638092 or by email, or
For HLTAs: Denise Beckett, telephone 01603 222743 or by email.

If you have a query or need advice on the above, please contact Peter Simmonds on 07795 265669 or by email or your school's HR Consultant or HR Officer.

This MI has been produced in liaison with the local Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group (WAMG) representing teacher and support staff unions - signatories to the National Agreement, and also the NUT.