Welcome and Purpose of Meeting

Workforce Steering Group

PRESENT Alison Bennett, Jas Kalra, Liz Walton, Mark Nelson Chris Prowse, Monica Raphael, Therese McNulty APOLOGIES Belinda Ewart, Louise Singleton, Billie Ohene, CHAIR Therese McNulty MINUTES Therese McNulty All past copies can be found at https://www.egfl.org.uk/topics/meeting- materials/workforce-steering-group-meetings LOCATION Room 12 Ealing Education Centre DATE Wednesday 16th September 2015 TIME 11.30am – 1.00pm POINTS DISCUSSED / ACTION AGREED ITEM ACTIONS (in red) 1. Welcome and Last meeting of the workforce steering group to celebrate what has been achieved and purpose also to give everyone an opportunity to clarify and agree how any future briefings/ of meetings could/would happen. meeting Background

6th May 2015 meeting - Discussion with HT reps and TM and AB Schools Forum agreed in January 2015 to fund workforce and governance (universal for all schools) for one year 2015/16 with a mandate that they wanted a review of the service so more of a focus on governance. The team consulted Acton, GNP, Ealing and Southall quadrants, special school headteachers and chairs/clerks at briefings for a view of key priorities going forwards. Team also looked at world café feedback from HT briefing January 2015.

Following the workforce steering group meeting in April, HTs from the group met with Therese M and Alison B to consider key priorities from areas identified and what they felt were the areas they, as representative HTs, would want to focus on. This will be presented to Schools Forum to show focus and how it might be delivered.

Group agreed if more time to be spent on governance then there would have to be less emphasis on workforce support. It the notion is that a 50/50 split at the moment then moving forward would need to be more like a 80/20 or 70/30 split or no workforce support at all and this element buy back only or workforce and governance become integral part of SE under a changed name? This was not what SF asked for so the group worked on the following on the basis of an 80/20 split i.e. 20% workforce (1 day)

What could be changed?

Workforce Workforce steering group (WFSG) – although a valued group which has been a real force for change and development on key issues, group agreed in the past year it has become more of a HR briefing meeting. Group agreed that if the WFSG disbanded then they would like to see HR briefings resumed – which all HTs could attend to discuss and hear issues raised at WFSG. This could also be a slot at the HT briefings and/or meetings held on same day. The Workforce/Governance Team could be invited by HR as appropriate if areas they have expertise on or if invited to give information on a particular area. (If group is disbanded then will need to recognise the previous areas of focus and celebrate its achievements).

2. Celebration of key TM shared minutes from first meeting January 2002 when it was just a recruitment achievement steering group (for NQTs). It developed into the recruitment and induction steering s group and in Sept 2003 the workforce steering group.

Group each gave their views of key successes of the group and what they felt was key to the success of the group. Summary below and in Power Point

WFSG.ppt

The group was used successfully as a mechanism for consensus and giving receiving information to quadrants and special schools:  The group was practical and its best, produced/delivered useful information, training and development  Collaboration when big DfE changes with local NAHT  Well chaired, organised and minuted  Information shared with quadrants and special schools by HT reps – increased numbers who were able to feed views via their reps into work and on receiving key information  Primary pool – strategy of process discussed at the steering group and in collaboration with schools and LA officers process run  Information and guidance for HTs – content and format consulted on and/or developed as a collaborative group  Generic job descriptions – when the group first started these did not exist  Workforce reform conferences  Teacher appraisal conferences both 2007 and 2013  Teacher standards framework (2013) developed by HTs 3. Next steps Group felt strongly they did not want to lose the following from new consultative groups – school improvement strategy group (SISG), Ealing primary teaching school alliance (EPTSA)

 Support for schools with workforce issues – esp. recruitment and retention as concern at the moment  Communication and collaboration so all HTS felt they are being listened to and have a mechanism to feed back/hear information

Group considered a number of options and agreed that would pilot a termly Schools’ HR steering group which would meet to discuss HR matters and who would then decide if a HR briefing, slot at HT briefing, training is needed. The group would be chaired and run by Schools HR. TM suggested that the reps ask for HR to be represented on the group when recruitment issues are being discussed

Actions  HT reps to ask for one person from their quadrant to be on the HR termly steering group – first meeting 4th November at EEC 9.30 e mail [email protected] for nominations. Also for quadrants to have a reserve person in case rep cannot attend  MN to organise first meeting and contact reps  MN to liaise with special and secondary phases for reps

 HT reps to suggest to quadrants have a slot for EPTSA reps to feedback to HT colleagues as appropriate

Information HTs would like – TM to give to Julie Lewis  Will the EPTSA support schools finding teachers in the future? I.e. How many trainees places? When will they complete QTS? How can schools access them?  Will they be supported by the EPTSA to find jobs in Ealing primary schools if not recruited by training school?  Will recruitment issues be addressed by the SISG?  Request that Schools HR to be represented on the group when recruitment issues are being discussed  Request for a SENCO generic JD (SLT level) on EGfL – who now does? or approval for draft one developed

Meeting dates TM to tell EEC to put the meeting dates booked for WFSG into his name. MN to decide on which dates he would like for new Schools’ HR steering group and tell EEC. All rooms at EEC booked 9.30am - 12.00pm  Wednesday 4th November 2015  Wednesday 13th January 2016  Wednesday 24th February 2016  Wednesday 20th April 2016  Wednesday 8th June 2016 (if needed)