Contact: John Wakeling, Head of Personnel - Education, 01962 876223

1. Summary

1.1 This report updates members on a number of key issues which will impact on schools during the 2003/4 academic year. It describes the current position on teacher recruitment and retention; explains what is happening with School Workforce Remodelling; defines the potential impact of the Pay and Benefits project; and seeks confirmation of the process the LEA should follow where school reorganisation is underway particularly in relation to the recruitment of a new headteacher.

2. Teacher Recruitment and Retention

2.1 In line with many LEAs across the country, Hampshire has been experiencing significant teacher recruitment and retention problems for at least the last five years. A variety of measures have been deployed to alleviate the difficulties in the county and, alongside the substantial efforts of schools themselves, there is evidence that these activities have had an impact and that the position is easing. The figures below (extracted from the government's Form 618G survey undertaken on 16.1.03) suggest that, notwithstanding increases in the number of full-time teachers employed, vacancy levels are reducing:

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Total FTE 8978 8980 8967 9314 9400

Total Vacancies 96 149 175 80 82

This improving trend is in line with reports from headteachers themselves that the situation is not as bad as it was 18 months ago.

2.2 There are nonetheless a number of significant challenges remaining not least those caused by the geographical proximity to London in the north of the county, some relating to continuing shortage areas like Mathematics, Science and ICT and others emanating from the cost of living in Hampshire. High house prices are an ongoing concern for those seeking to move to Hampshire for the first time or to undertake their first teaching appointment in the County.

2.3 Education Personnel Services is continuing to work closely with schools and other staff in the LEA to address these issues. For the first time, a recruitment and retention strategy has been developed which defines the contribution different parts of the LEA must make to keep on top of teacher recruitment initiatives.

2.4 Recruitment of Newly Qualified Teachers remains a high priority and Hampshire, through its work with teacher training institutions across the country and in partnership with schools, is now regularly recruiting well over 500 NQTs each September. New entrants or returners to teaching are encouraged through regular Taster and Returner courses. The County's ability to add to the various sources of teacher recruitment has been enhanced by the arrangement made with the University of Reading to recruit up to 70 Graduate Teacher Placements into Hampshire schools. The Government's Starter Homes Initiative has enabled 117 teachers in Hampshire to become first-time buyers. The terms of this scheme have recently been improved although it is possible it will not be extended beyond spring next year.

2.5 It would be complacent to say that the problems have been overcome but there are grounds for growing optimism that the varied menu of support for schools which is now in place puts Hampshire in a far better position to respond to the teacher recruitment needs of its schools. This will enable more attention to be paid to retention matters and the Education Personnel Services current action plan in this area incorporates work (e.g. reviewing benefit packages, piloting a school-based well-being programme, analysing the age and gender profile of the teaching workforce) which will allow the LEA to be clearer about steps it needs to take to improve teacher retention prospects

3. School Workforce Remodelling

3.1 The national agreement on this between the government, local government employers and the teacher and support staff unions was signed on 15 January this year. The agreement is seeking, fundamentally, to improve the teacher workload situation and has three key milestones:

3.2 Throughout the summer term, consultations have been taking place with headteacher and governor representatives on the way to implement this agreement in Hampshire and work will be starting in earnest in September to support schools in this process. The DfES has given Hampshire £179K to facilitate school workforce reform. £70K of this is specifically for the LEA; the remainder is to be used to support activities of schools themselves. Proportionately, this funding does not reflect the size of Hampshire although it has enabled Education Personnel Services to strengthen its staffing. EPS has also created a local School Workforce Remodelling website to provide a source of information, guidance and support for schools.

3.3 The agreement creates the potential for schools to take a radical look at the way they do things and who should do them. The action plan being developed for the county will incorporate an opportunity for schools to engage with a national change management process to help them in their decision-making. Schools will be starting from a variety of different positions according to how they already utilise and develop staff and this activity is likely to feature significantly in their school improvement plans over the next 18 months.

3.4 Hampshire's approach towards implementing the reform agenda has, so far, concentrated on plugging into existing groups and networks and not setting up further bureaucratic structures. This has enabled school workforce change to be seen as part of the school improvement agenda rather than something peripheral to it. Both teacher and support staff trade unions are fully engaged in the process and have confirmed their support for the approach being used.

3.5 Members will be aware of the national debate about funding to underpin these changes and the Secretary of State for Education has said that he is endeavouring to improve the situation from April 2004.

4 Pay & Benefits project - impact on schools

4.1 In line with the needs of the County Council as a whole, schools have been developing role profiles for their staff throughout this year to enable their evaluation pending the development and application of the new County Council pay structure for all staff except teachers and youth workers. This process is coming to a conclusion although much work remains to be done in consulting with schools on both evaluation outcomes and application of the new pay structure. This latter aspect will be crucial since it is possible that some school posts will emerge at a different pay level than at present.

4.2 New role profiles are also being developed for the different type of support staff roles which the government expects to emerge from School Workforce Remodelling and it is the intention to include these posts in the evaluation processes. This work must be done at this time to allow any budget implications for the County Council to be assessed as part of the current budget planning processes for 2004/5.

5 School Reorganisations - Timing of appointment of new headteacher

5.1 The processes the LEA and the relevant governing body follow when schools are being reorganised are well-established and have stood the test of time. They are widely accepted by both school stakeholders and union representatives.

5.2 It has become clear, through recent experience, that the appointment of a headteacher early in the process is a key component to successful implementation of the change. Currently, it is not unusual for a headteacher to be appointed from the date of the reorganisation although some governing bodies have sought to formalise the appointment a term beforehand. Even this latter arrangement puts pressure on the various parties. In the period between the interview and taking up the appointment, arrangements are made on the basis of goodwill, but it would be better to formalise and fund the preparation period.

5.3 Following consultations with all interested parties, there is unanimous support for the idea that, as part of the delegated budget funding for reorganised schools, the budget share should allow for the appointment of a new headteacher to be effective two terms before the new school is due to open. The issue has already been identified in outline to the Schools Forum and specific proposals will be part of formula changes to be discussed at the October meeting of the Schools Forum. The budgetary consequences will need to be included within the budget discussions for 2004/05. The cost for the headteacher is likely to be in the region of £36,000 per reorganised school.

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Committee advises the Executive Member that:

1. Measures to support recruitment and retention of staff should continue to receive high priority

2. Support for schools and the approach being adopted to implement School Workforce Remodelling should be endorsed

3. The early appointment of headteachers of newly reorganised schools should be considered in the light of Schools Forum views, when budget plans are made for 2004/5.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.