School Re-organisation – Vacancy Ring-Fencing

As you may be aware, a large number of schools within Norfolk will be re-organising in September 2007, with a further 40 schools re-organising in September 2008. The main driver behind the re-organisation is to align the age of transfer to key stages.

Although re-organisation will not have an effect on overall pupil numbers in Norfolk, it will mean that more pupils will transfer to High School in September 2007 and 2008 leading to reduced staffing levels in Primary Sector schools.

The Local Authority is committed to avoiding compulsory redundancies wherever possible and has introduced mechanisms to reduce the likelihood of compulsory redundancies such as encouraging the use of fixed term contracts to cover vacancies.

The approach to the staffing implications of Local Authority led reorganisation is set out in the Code of Practice. My strong request is for your Governing Body to adopt this as their policy thus maximising a whole Local Authority joined up commitment to the principles and practice that it contains. I am writing separately to your Chair of Governors so that a check can be made against previous minutes, or if the Code of Practice has yet to be adopted, requesting that it becomes an early agenda item. In either case, the Code of Practice to which you have access is the latest version.

As the date of re-organisation draws closer, we aim to reduce the likelihood of the need for compulsory redundancies by ring-fencing vacancies that arise within schools, and Children’s Services itself, giving priority in the first instance to schools that are affected by re-organisation.

The proposal for this is to introduce ring-fencing as follows:-

1) Vacancies that arise from now on would be advertised within the schools affected by re-organisation initially. Schools would then follow their normal recruitment process.

2) If it is not possible to fill the vacancy, it will be released for general advertisement within Norfolk initially.

We are aware that many High Schools in the Central Area are likely to need to recruit extra staff in order to cover the extra pupils they will be receiving. Some staff currently employed within Primary Schools may be interested in working in a High School, but it is unlikely that High Schools will be able to recruit sufficient staff in this way and therefore it is intended that vacancies for Secondary Teaching staff will be excluded from the ring-fencing and will be released for full advertisement from the outset.

Other posts excluded from the ring fencing will include short-term posts such as maternity and sickness cover and Headteacher/Deputy Headteacher posts which should normally be advertised nationally to satisfy legal requirements.

We feel that advertising vacancies across all the schools involved in re-organisation (over 100 schools) would mean that schools should still receive a strong field of applicants for their vacancies. In addition it will hopefully reduce the need for redeployment once staffing decisions have been made in schools that need to reduce staff.

We do understand that the responsibility for recruitment decisions lies with Governors and therefore participating in the ring fencing is voluntary. The Local Authority does have a commitment to retaining skilled staff and avoiding compulsory redundancy and we would seek your support in participating in the ring-fencing which does not remove your right to have the vacancy advertised more fully if you are unable to find a suitable applicant through the ring-fencing process. If however you feel that you do not wish to participate in the ring fencing, please advise Teresa Baker (HR Consultant (Projects) via e-mail. If you have any queries regarding this MI Sheet please contact either Teresa or myself.