Job Sharing Guidance for Members
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JOB SHARING – GUIDANCE FOR MEMBERS
This guidance for NUT members interested in job sharing tells you:
what job sharing is and where to go for advice on job sharing;
how to apply for a job share, either in your own post or in a vacant post you see advertised, and what to do if an application is turned down; and
what your position as a job sharer should be regarding pay, conditions of service and working time arrangements, and what should happen if your job share partner leaves.
If you decide to apply for a job share, you should always seek advice from your NUT division or association or from your Regional Office, or in Wales the NUT Wales Office, NUT Cymru, before agreeing arrangements.
Appendix 1 to this document contains a sample application for a job share in a primary and secondary school. You may find them helpful when putting together your own application.
WHAT IS JOB SHARING?
Many teachers need to combine their teaching career with other, equally demanding, priorities, including family and caring commitments, voluntary or other paid work and full or part-time study. Job sharing provides a means for such teachers to juggle the various facets of their life.
Job sharing is, for legal purposes, a form of part-time working. The difference is principally that it is a shared responsibility for a single full-time post involving the full range of teachers’ duties and responsibilities. Few part-time teachers occupy promoted posts but many job shares operate successfully in promoted posts.
Who might be interested in job sharing and why?
Many teachers, not just those currently working full-time, find job sharing to be an attractive alternative to an undesired career break or to possibly less secure part-time teaching posts.
The vast majority of enquiries about job sharing received by the NUT are from women teachers considering the possibility of returning to work on a part-time basis immediately after maternity leave. Job sharing often, however, also appeals to teachers in the following groups:
men and women teachers seeking part-time employment to allow them to play an active role in rearing their children, regardless of whether they have already been on maternity leave or otherwise had any break from teaching for child rearing;
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM existing part-time teachers seeking the opportunity to obtain posts of responsibility while remaining in part-time employment;
mature teachers who, after an absence of some years from the profession, would like to return to teaching preferably on a part-time basis;
teachers who would welcome a decrease in their professional responsibilities and workload because of responsibility for a dependent relative or other personal commitment;
teachers who wish to pursue courses of study;
teachers with disabilities or progressive medical conditions who may, with a lightened teaching load, be able to remain in employment longer;
teachers nearing retirement age interested in a ‘phased retirement’.
Why should employers be interested in job sharing?
Job sharing can help employers with recruitment and retention as well as demonstrating their commitment to equal opportunities. It can help ensure a wider pool of applicants for posts and reduce staff turnover. The combination of part-time work with career prospects may encourage more women teachers to remain in teaching after maternity leave or to return to teaching. Because teachers with convenient hours of work are more likely to stay in post, it can reduce turnover. Schools benefit by having more highly motivated teachers who perceive that their professional experience and expertise is well rewarded.
Local authorities and schools have widely reported educational and organisational benefits from job sharing. Pupils receive a range of teaching experiences from teachers who have two specialist areas of expertise between them and are provided with role models of co-operation. In secondary schools, job sharing can give greater flexibility in timetabling where job share partners are able to teach at the same time.
There is no evidence that splitting responsibility for classes in any way affects pupils’ education. OFSTED concluded in a 1994 research report that the quality of work of part- time teachers, including job sharers, was “significantly above the national average”. In its reports on individual schools OFSTED has commented favourably on the benefits of job share arrangements, including the quality of educational provision and the good progress made by pupils taught by job sharers. In addition, employment tribunals have rejected any assumption that job sharing has an adverse effect on education.
Job sharing may reduce teacher stress, tension and illness, enabling teachers to be fresher and more energetic. On some occasions, it may be possible for the sickness absence on the part of one job sharer to be covered by the job share partner. This minimises disruption and generates savings on the administrative costs of finding and employing supply teachers. Such cover, however, should always be at the discretion of the job sharer, should be paid and should not form part of the job share contract. There should also be no expectation that such an arrangement will be possible.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM HOW TO ARRANGE A JOB SHARE
Schools are sometimes reluctant to consider job sharing. The NUT believes that applications to job share teaching posts should be properly considered. Job share arrangements should be excluded only where it is demonstrated objectively by the employer that it is not practicable to operate such arrangements. There are examples of job shares operating successfully at all levels of teaching up to and including deputy head and head teacher posts.
Teachers with a child under the age of 17, or 18 in the case of a disabled child, also have a statutory right to request flexible working arrangements. Further information on this statutory right is contained in the NUT briefing document ‘NUT Guidance for Members on the Right to Request Flexible Working’.
If you are interested in job sharing, ask for details of the procedure to be followed for job share applications, particularly in respect of posts which have not been advertised as open to job sharing. Advice should always be sought from your NUT division or local association or from your NUT Regional Office, or in Wales the NUT Wales Office, NUT Cymru.
Job share policies
Some local authorities have written job share policies, negotiated with the NUT, which are very helpful in persuading schools in those local authorities to agree to applications for job sharing. Details can be obtained from your NUT division or local association, or your NUT Regional Office, or in Wales the NUT Wales Office, NUT Cymru.
'“Good practice” policies should permit job share arrangements unless the employer can demonstrate that in respect of a particular post or posts it is not practicable to operate such arrangements. Such policies should set out guidance on the procedures for application for job shares and the contractual conditions which should attach to job shares. Some local authorities operate job share registers of teachers who are interested in moving to a job share, which can be consulted to look for a possible job share partner.
How to apply for a job share in your own post
If you wish to convert your present post into a job share, it will be necessary to make an appropriate request to your employer. Some local authorities have job share procedures in place with standard forms drawn up specifically for the purpose. Otherwise, application will need to be made to your head teacher or governing body. It is helpful to set out your preferred arrangements and, in particular, to indicate:
the reasons why you wish to job share;
the range of hours, days or sessions that you would like to work;
if you want to suggest a job share partner, the name of any possible or proposed job sharer who you would wish to have considered; and
your willingness to meet the head to discuss the operation of a possible job share.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM Applying jointly with a job share partner may be advantageous. It is, however, not necessary to do so and job share applications without named prospective partners should always be properly considered.
Sample job share proposals for primary and secondary schools are attached to this guidance. Although not intended as NUT models, they suggest layout and content.
The response from your head teacher should indicate the outcome of your request. It is unnecessary for you to be interviewed, as you have already been appointed to the job in question - it is merely a matter of the employer agreeing to the change in working arrangements. Prospective job share partners, however, may need to be interviewed if they would be new to the school or are currently employed at the school but in very different kinds of posts.
Anticipating objections to job sharing
Some governing bodies, with no experience of job shares, may be unhappy with the concept. Apart from drawing attention to the many positive aspects of job sharing, as shown above, the NUT and some local authorities will be keen to remind schools that requests to job share should not be unreasonably refused. While in law there is no automatic right to job share, a refusal which is not clearly justified on objective grounds may be a breach of anti-discrimination legislation. The NUT has pursued successful complaints of unlawful sex discrimination at employment tribunals in respect of schools which have refused job share requests.
Some employers raise objections on the grounds that the need to pay National Insurance (NI) contributions for two teachers instead of one might increase costs. In fact, the increase in cost is fairly minimal. The same is true of the extra administrative costs of drawing up two itemised pay slips and calculating tax deductions.
What to do if a request to job share is turned down
If an initial request to job share is refused then the head teacher or governing body should be asked for full written details of the reasons. You should seek advice and assistance from your NUT division or local association, or your NUT Regional Office, or in Wales the NUT Wales Office, NUT Cymru.
Use of grievance procedures may be appropriate where applications are rejected. Members should seek NUT advice before initiating such procedures.
As noted earlier, although there is no automatic right in law to job share, it may be possible to use anti-discrimination legislation to support your case. This legislation puts strict time limits for taking matters forward so you must seek NUT advice as soon as possible and make the NUT aware of your situation at the earliest opportunity.
Applying to job share posts which you see advertised
You are not limited to applying for a job share only where the post is advertised as suitable for job share. The NUT believes that applications to job share should be properly considered. If interested in job sharing, you should request details of the procedure for job share applications, particularly where posts have not been specifically advertised as open to job sharing. Applying jointly with a job share partner may be advantageous but this should not be a requirement.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM Where an application is received for a vacant post on a job share basis, with or without a prospective job share partner, a ‘good practice’ appointments procedure for the local authority or school would take the form set out below.
The application should be accepted and considered alongside those of applicants seeking appointment on a full-time basis, even where the job share applicant is not applying jointly with a prospective job share partner.
Short listing and interviewing should be carried out for all applicants by reference to the same person specification.
Joint applicants for job share should be interviewed separately and their individual suitability for appointment considered, although their combined abilities and overall suitability with regard to the person specification should be taken into account during short listing and interview.
What happens if a job share partner cannot be found
Arranging a job share does depend on a job share partner being found. This is true whether you are seeking to job share your own post or whether your application to job share another post has been accepted.
The NUT’s advice on what should happen if a job share partner leaves is set out in the final section of this document. The same principles should apply where difficulties arise in finding a job share partner.
If you are applying to job share your own post, it is unlikely that the job share arrangement will commence until a job share partner is appointed and starts work. The option to resume your post on a full-time basis should be available where, after taking all available and reasonable steps, a job share partner cannot be found.
In order to accept an offer of job share in a post different from your own, you will need to resign from your current post. If, therefore, a job share partner is not already in place, you should protect your existing employment by seeking to defer formal acceptance of the post until a partner is found. If agreement to such a deferral is forthcoming, you should resign from your existing post only when a job share partner is found and you are certain you will be taking up the new job share post.
PAY, CONDITIONS AND WORKING TIME FOR JOB SHARERS
Operating a job share arrangement does not require the job sharers’ contracts to be fixed term or temporary rather than permanent. The NUT believes that job sharers should have security of tenure through permanent contracts of employment.
There are two exceptions to this. The first would be where the job share post is genuinely of a temporary nature e.g. covering for maternity leave, secondment or pending a permanent appointment. The second would be where a full-time teacher wishes to work on a job share in his or her own post for a certain period and then revert to working full-time in that post. If this is the case, then the right to revert to the full-time position should be clearly spelt out in the agreement with the employer. The job share partner would then need to be employed on a fixed term basis for that period.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM Advice should be sought from the NUT where there is any suggestion of a job share contract being other than permanent, particularly where teachers are moving from full- time permanent position to job shares. Job sharers who accept such arrangements may compromise their right to complain successfully if the job share contract is subsequently not renewed.
The following sections give further guidance on the contractual provisions which you should make sure are included in any job share arrangement agreed with your employer.
Particular attention should be paid to the sections of this guidance on salary levels and working time obligations. It is in these areas where most disputes subsequently arise, particularly where job sharers are asked to attend, for example, parents’ evenings, staff meetings and INSET on days when they would not normally have teaching commitments. To avoid disputes, working time arrangements should be clearly specified in job share contracts. Job sharers are covered by the statutory provisions on part-time teachers’ pay and conditions which are set out in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions (STPCD) Document. The only exception to this is that the provisions on working time do not apply to ASTs and Leadership Group teachers. NUT guidance on part-time teachers pay and working time is available from the NUT website at: http://www.teachers.org.uk/story.php? id=4461
The contract
Each partner should be issued with a contract specifying that he or she is part of a job share arrangement in a single full-time post.
Where the job share arrangement is for a fixed term or is temporary in nature, the contract should specify the period of the fixed term or the circumstances in which it may terminate, e.g., return from maternity leave
The contract should identify the rights of any job share partner to revert to full-time employment and the circumstances in which they may do so.
Pay and conditions of service
The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) makes it clear that each part-time teacher must have an agreed statement of working time obligations. The contract should set out the salary for each partner, being the proportion of the full-time salary determined by the division of the total working time between each job share partner.
Each job share partner is entitled to be paid on a pro rata basis of the pay rate they would receive if employed full-time in the same post (including basic pay and any additional payments and allowances).
The percentage of the full-time pay rate must be calculated on the basis of the “school’s timetabled teaching week” (STTW) – its total weekly teaching hours – and the proportion of those hours which each teacher is deemed to work.
The contract should specify the allocation of specific duties and responsibilities between the partners with a broadly similar level of responsibility for each partner.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM The contract should include an undertaking that where a partner is absent the other will not be expected to take on the full range of additional duties and responsibilities including those of the absent job share partner.
The contract should set out the conditions of service, such as sick pay, maternity pay, notice periods, etc., attaching to the post. These should be no less favourable than those for other part-time teachers working for the same employer.
The contract should incorporate the procedures to be applied where one partner leaves the post. These should be in line with those detailed below.
Working time arrangements
The percentage obtained in the pay calculation is also used to determine part-time and job share teachers’ directed time obligations. Each job share partner will be required to be available for work for the same percentage of 1265 hours as the percentage of full- time pay which he or she receives.
This percentage of 1265 hours of directed time will cover both the total teaching time and the non-teaching duties undertaken by each job share partner.
For example, a job share teacher who works 15 teaching hours in a STTW of 25 hours will be entitled to be paid 60 per cent of the appropriate full-time pay rate. That teacher would be expected to be available for work for a maximum of 759 hours of directed time (60 per cent of 1265 hours). Of this, there would be a maximum of 570 hours of teaching time (15 hours of 38 weeks of term time) and a maximum of 189 hours (759 hours- 570 hours) for directed time for non-teaching duties.
Any realistic working time arrangement which has the agreement of the job share partners should be acceptable to the school, whether this is a shared week, shared day or a “fit the timetable” arrangement.
The working time obligations of job share partners should not jointly exceed those required of individual full-time teachers at the school. In particular, they should not exceed 1265 hours and 195 days unless their salaries are in total greater than the full- time salary. The NUT recommends that, where necessary due to the working time arrangements agreed for the job share, provision should be made to permit the salaries of the job share partners to be in total up to 1.1 FTE (i.e. 10 per cent greater than the full- time salary).
The working time arrangements set out in the contract should, in particular, include the following provisions.
Allocation of PPA time
All teachers, including job sharers, are statutorily entitled to PPA time at a minimum level of 10 per cent of timetabled teaching time.
In some schools, teachers traditionally receive a higher percentage of non-contact time. The STPCD provides that this should not be reduced. Part-time teachers, including job sharers, in such schools should receive a similar percentage of non- contact time.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM Non-contact time for responsibilities
Where job share teachers undertake additional responsibilities for which full-time teachers would receive additional non-contact time, or leadership and management time they should also receive additional non-contact time for those responsibilities. This may again either be provided during school sessions in the form of free periods or otherwise be added to the total teaching time.
Where each job share partner carries out only part of the responsibility attaching to a TLR, they should receive an appropriate proportion of additional non-contact time. The pay provisions will provide them with an appropriate proportion of the TLR payment.
Staff/departmental meetings and parents/open evenings
Where such meetings take place on a part-time/job share teacher’s normal working days and it is agreed that the teacher should attend all such meetings, the time should form part of directed time up to the pro rata level related to the pay percentage. Beyond this, consideration should be given to the use of the provision for payment for additional working time.
Where such meetings take place on days when the teacher does not normally work, the teacher may not be required to attend. Where the teacher does agree to attend, the time should not be included in directed time and the teacher should be paid using the provision for payment for additional working time. See section on ‘Additional Working Time’.
Although the STPCD permits teachers to be directed to attend meetings at the end of a day on which they normally work but have, for example, only taught the morning session, the NUT advises that any such direction must still be “reasonable” according to the circumstances.
NUT policy on the maximum duration of meetings and the weekly limits on meeting time applies equally to part-time and job share teachers as to full-time teachers.
Additional working time
Part-time and job share teachers cannot be required to work or attend non- pupil days on days when they do not normally work. They may, however, agree to attend staff/departmental meetings, parents/open evenings and INSET days and other non-pupil days by mutual agreement with the head teacher.
Where they do agree to work on days when they do not normally work, this cannot by definition be included in directed time. The STPCD therefore includes a provision for additional payment for this working time. The formula for this payment provides, in effect, for part-time teachers to receive 1/1265 of the appropriate full-time pay rate for each hour of additional working time.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM The STPCD also provides, however, that part-time teachers may be directed to work outside school sessions on days when they do normally work, even where they only work the morning session and the meeting is at the end of the afternoon session.
Dealing with problems over working on non-teaching days
While the STPCD states that part-time and job share teachers should only work on such days by agreement, the NUT is concerned that in many cases there will be no real agreement since part-time teachers will in practice feel obliged to agree to do this in order to obtain work.
Some teachers who have agreed to work on days when they do not normally work, even in return for additional payment, may subsequently have genuine difficulties in doing so. The NUT advises that, where this is the case, head teachers should respect this position. The NUT also advises that head teachers may not, in any case, direct teachers to work in circumstances where such a direction would be unreasonable, even where the teacher has previously agreed to be available.
INSET days and other non-pupil days
For INSET days and other non-pupil days held on a part-time or job share teacher’s normal working days, the NUT takes as its starting point the pro rata principle. The teacher and head teacher should discuss and agree whether the teacher will attend all, or a proportion, of these days. This working time should form part of the teacher’s directed time for non-teaching duties up to the pro rata level related to the pay percentage. Beyond this level, use of the provision for payment for additional working time should be considered where this would avoid difficulty over maintaining the pro rata principle for directed time for non-teaching duties.
For INSET days and other non-pupil days held on days when a part-time or job share teacher does not normally work, the teacher cannot be required to attend. The teacher may agree to attend but equally has the right to refuse to agree to attend. Where the teacher does agree to attend, the time should not be included in directed time and the teacher should be paid using the provision for payment for additional working time.
In respect of INSET days for professional development purposes, the NUT advises that job share teachers should be permitted to attend all such days, including those which take place on days when they do not normally teach. Failure to allow part- time employees, including job sharers, access to the same training opportunities as full-time employees may constitute unlawful discrimination.
The NUT advises that 6.5 hours should be allocated for each INSET day in order that the total payment matches the normal daily rate of pay which would be received, for example, for one day’s supply teaching.
Using the provision for payment for additional working time
Where part-time/job share teachers agree to additional working time on days when they do not normally work, and this work is directly connected to their normal part- time posts (e.g., INSET days, staff/departmental meetings and parents/open
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM evenings), the provision for payment of additional working time should in all cases be used.
Where the work involved occupies a whole school day (e.g., an INSET day), the teacher should be paid for no less than 6.5 hours, in order to ensure that the payment is at least equal to that which they would receive if employed under the “short notice employment” provisions for supply teachers.
Where, however, part-time/job share teachers agree to additional working time which is not directly connected to their normal part-time posts (e.g., one day’s cover for an absent colleague), the NUT recommends that they are paid using the “short notice” provisions for supply teachers i.e., 1/195 of the appropriate full-time pay for each full day or a fraction thereof for each part day.
Pensions implications
Since 1 January 2007, teachers in new part-time teaching contracts have been automatically included in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme unless they choose to opt-out. A teacher who moves to a job share, therefore, can continue to be a member of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and does not need to notify Teachers’ Pensions, which administers the scheme.
Moving from full-time teaching to job sharing will affect pension entitlement in the same way as a move from full-time to part-time teaching. The pensionable service accrued will be lower because only the proportion of time worked will be counted towards the pension.
Pensionable salary is based on full time equivalent salary so if you move to a job share in a post at a lower salary grade before retirement then your salary at retirement will obviously be reduced. However, as a result of changes to the scheme, your pensionable salary can be calculated on your best three consecutive years in your last ten years of service, re-valued with RPI inflation. This provides significant protection for people who step down late in their career.
There are additional ways to boost your pension, including making Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs), and purchasing ‘Additional Pension’ from the scheme. More information can be found on the Teachers’ Pensions website at:
www.teacherspensions.co.uk
Applicants for job share posts should seek specific guidance on the pensions implications from their NUT Regional Office or, in Wales, NUT Cymru.
What happens if a job share partner leaves?
Where one job sharer leaves the post, a “good practice” appointments procedure for the local authority or school would take the form set out below:
The remaining job share partner should first be invited to fill the post on a full-time basis, or to indicate whether he or she wishes to vary the existing arrangement. It will not always be feasible, however, for every desired variation to be
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM accommodated because this could make the remaining element of the job impossible to fill.
Where the remaining job share partner does not wish to fill the post on a full-time basis, the job share should be advertised on the existing basis.
Where a job share appointment is not successfully made on first advertisement, the job share should be re-advertised on the same basis.
Where a job share appointment cannot be made on re-advertisement, consideration should be given to other means of dealing with the situation such as maintaining the post as a permanent part-time post to be filled by the remaining job share partner.
It is important to understand that where a job share appointment cannot be made, a decision might be taken to reinstate the post as full-time. The remaining job share partner would then be faced with the choice of taking up the post on a full-time basis or seeking other employment. If in these circumstances, he or she is still unable or unwilling to resume full-time teaching, the local authority should seek to nominate the teacher for any vacant similar position elsewhere in schools in the local authority or otherwise assist the teacher to secure alternative employment. There is no guarantee, however, that such alternative employment would, in all cases, be found for the teacher.
As noted earlier, a similar procedure should be used in cases where a job share applicant is appointed to a job share position and no prospective job share partner is appointed at the same time.
National Union of Teachers December 2009
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM APPENDIX 1 JOB SHARE PROPOSAL – PRIMARY SCHOOL EXAMPLE
MIDSHIRE PRIMARY SCHOOL : JOB SHARE APPLICATION – LB AND MT
We set out below our application to move to a job share arrangement. We wish to do so to enable us to spend a balance of time at work and with our young families.
Our proposal is to work as a job share from ……………. 2010, when LB returns from maternity leave.
Advantages of Job Sharing
We would like to begin by highlighting to you some advantages that we feel our job share proposal will bring to ………………….. primary school:
The school can retain skilled and experienced staff. We both have more than ten years’ teaching experience. ………………….. primary school has invested money and time in training us to meet whole school initiatives and development.
We will be working the hours that best fit in with our other commitments and therefore can be fresh, energetic and creative during the hours we are working which can lead to improved output.
This job share will enhance our professional life by assisting us to better balance work and family responsibilities.
We will bring two sets of skills, talents and experience to the job. This:
– increases the staff resource base; – supports the pooling of ideas; – offers the opportunity for us to learn from one another, maintain and develop skills; – maximises individual strengths and can minimise individual weaknesses.
Two teachers will be involved in monitoring to ensure children achieve their full potential and progress accordingly.
Children can benefit from being able to confide in a choice of two teachers.
Two teachers to lead extra-curricular activities, attend discos, etc.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM OFSTED made the following comment in relation to the issue of job sharing:
“ The results have been demonstrated by OFSTED research which found that the quality of work of part-time teachers was ‘significantly above the national average’ with benefits for the quality of educational provision and pupil progress.”
1. Working Week
We propose that we would split the working week as follows:
Monday and Tuesday – LB
Thursday and Friday – MT
Wednesdays – LB and MT to alternate
We propose this arrangement, rather than a morning/afternoon split, for the following reasons:
The morning teacher would not ever see parents and would not be able to address issues from the morning with them.
Full days are needed for school trips.
The need to liaise with colleagues on daily basis – any morning issues would have to be passed on.
The job share would not be evenly balanced since mornings are 17.5 hours and afternoons are 10 hours.
Lack of ownership of class due to morning teacher mainly teaching sets – may restrict relationships with children in own class.
Team leaders and other team members would have to relay information/messages twice each day.
Totally impractical for us to split each day due to childcare issues. Nursery will not accommodate morning/afternoon placements.
Extra travelling time would be necessary if we both worked 5 days a week.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM 2. Responsibilities for Curriculum and Assessment
We propose that we would take joint responsibility for planning the operation of the English and Mathematics National Curriculum. In relation to the foundation subjects, we would divide up responsibility for teaching those subjects according to the overall curriculum planning within the school.
We would ensure that assessment and record keeping are co-ordinated and cross-referred.
3. Planning
We would share attendance at year group planning meetings with the person attending depending on the day when the meeting is held. We would wish to aim for a 50 per cent shared attendance over the academic year.
We would draw up plans for subjects jointly or individually as specified above and discuss standards expected in behaviour and work to ensure continuity.
We would plan for the week ahead individually, with two weekly forecasts held in the class management file produced in advance.
4. Liaison
We would maintain a class liaison file detailing incidents, pastoral concerns, liaison with parents, etc., for reference during the week to provide continuity. This would include a seating plan, medical notes, links/changes and continuity together with a section identifying strengths/weaknesses of the system. This would always be available in the classroom.
We would wish to hold a weekly liaison meeting, if agreement can be reached to include this in our working time arrangements, as part of ‘overlap time’, to liaise on the following areas:
(a) Jointly planned subjects - stage reached and matters arising. (b) Other curriculum areas. (c) Class file (see above). (d) Year group meeting matters.
We would invite the classroom assistant (if allocated) to attend as an important link.
5. Staff Meetings
We propose that we would share attendance at staff meetings with the person attending depending on the day when the meeting is held. We would wish to aim for a 50 per cent shared attendance over the academic year.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM 6. Non-Pupil Days
We would both seek to attend in-service training and would request additional payment (under the part-time teachers’ additional working time provisions of the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document) for the job share partner who does not normally teach on the day of the week when the training day is held. Otherwise, we would share attendance with the person attending depending on the day when the meeting is held. We would wish to aim for a 50 per cent shared attendance over the academic year.
7. Reporting to Parents
(a) Parents’ Evenings:
We would both seek to attend parents’ evenings and would request additional payment (under the part-time teachers additional working time provisions of the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document) for the job share partner who does not normally teach on the day of the week when the parents’ evening is held. Otherwise, we would share attendance with the person attending depending on the day when the parents’ evening is held. We would wish to aim for a 50 per cent shared attendance over the academic year.
(b) Reports:
We propose to share responsibility for production of reports on pupils’ academic and pastoral progress.
8. Further Information on how we intend to work together to make the arrangement work
To ensure this is an effective job share arrangement we would:
communicate regularly with each other using a communication book and also through emails and phone calls – this will be important if issues have arisen with children or if parents have any issues. This will ensure continuity and consistency, particularly where behaviour is concerned;
plan together at the beginning of each half-term to ensure all medium- term objectives and links between subjects are addressed;
meet regularly to discuss targets and standards of children’s progress and discuss next steps;
display a target board/progress ladder showing children’s levels in maths and literacy so that we are both aware of where the children are and what they need to do to progress further. We can discuss between us when the children have achieved the targets and whether they have progressed to the next level;
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM meet to discuss displays at the end of each half-term for the next half-term and ensure they are updated regularly. We would share the responsibility of display boards. Whoever is planning literacy, would change the literacy display to coincide with the particular unit and the same with maths; and
where possible, ensure that any problems that arise are resolved by the end of the day so that the other teacher doesn’t have to deal with them on the next day.
9. Review
We would like the operation of the job share to be reviewed annually in discussion between LB, MT and the head teacher, with any proposals for amendment from either side presented sufficiently before the end of the academic year.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM JOB SHARE PROPOSAL – SECONDARY SCHOOL EXAMPLE
MAIN TOWN SECONDARY SCHOOL, ENGLISH FACULTY: JOB SHARE APPLICATION – RB AND AM
We have set out below our application to move to a job share arrangement. We wish to do this to enable us to spend a balance of time at work and on other commitments. Our proposal is to work as a job share from ………….. 2010.
Working Days
We propose the following arrangements:
RB to work Monday and Tuesday;
AM to work Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
Advantages of Job Sharing
We would like to begin by highlighting to you some advantages that we feel our job share proposal will bring to ………………….. secondary school:
The school can retain skilled and experienced staff. We both have more than ten years’ teaching experience. …………………. secondary school has invested money and time in training us to meet whole school initiatives and development.
We will be working the hours that best fit in with our other commitments and therefore can be fresh, energetic and creative during the hours we are working which can lead to improved output.
This job share enhances our professional life by assisting us to better balance work and family responsibilities.
We will bring two sets of skills, talents and experience to the job. This:
– increases the staff resource base; – supports the pooling of ideas; – offers the opportunity for us to learn from one another, maintain and develop skills; – maximises individual strengths and can minimise individual weaknesses.
Two teachers will be involved in monitoring to ensure children achieve their full potential and progress accordingly.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM Children can benefit from being able to confide in a choice of two teachers.
Two teachers to lead extra-curricular activities.
OFSTED made the following comment in relation to the issue of job sharing:
“ The results have been demonstrated by OFSTED research which found that the quality of work of part-time teachers was ‘significantly above the national average’ with benefits for the quality of educational provision and pupil progress.”
Teaching Classes
We propose that our classes should be allocated according to normal timetabling procedures and that we should then share responsibility for teaching individual classes according to the days on which we work.
We propose to take “lead responsibility” for specific classes according to timetabling requirements. We propose each to seek to teach a balance of classes both at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.
We propose that we would co-ordinate our approaches to assessment and recording and to End of Key Stage assessment at Key Stage 3. We propose that we would also co-ordinate the construction of our schemes of work including interpretation of subject specifications leading to GCSE at Key Stage 4.
We propose to produce jointly lesson plans and to keep a file in the faculty office for consultation during the week.
We propose a weekly “overlap time” meeting for necessary consultation and communication between us (see below).
Non-Teaching Work
We propose to share tutor group registration/pastoral responsibilities.
We propose to share attendance at faculty and other planning meetings according to the day of the meeting. We propose to share attendance at INSET days according to the day of the meeting but request that the person who does not normally work on that day should be offered the opportunity to attend with the appropriate extra payment as per the provisions of the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document. We propose to share attendance at parents’ consultation evenings according to the day of the meeting.
We propose to share responsibility for production of reports on pupils’ academic and pastoral progress.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM Overlap Time
We propose that our working time arrangements should include some “overlap time” each week to permit the following:
- a weekly meeting allowing us to liaise on issues involving jointly taught classes, other teaching issues, faculty issues, tutor group issues and any other necessary matters.
- a weekly meeting allowing us to liaise with the Head of Faculty on any of the above issues and any other necessary matters.
How we intend to work together to make the arrangement work
To ensure this is an effective job share arrangement we would:
communicate regularly with each other using a communication book and also through emails and phone calls – this will be important if issues have arisen with children or if parents have any issues. This will ensure continuity and consistency, particularly where behaviour is concerned;
plan together at the beginning of each half-term to ensure all medium- term objectives and links between subjects are addressed;
meet regularly to discuss targets and standards of children’s progress and discuss next steps;
where possible, ensure that any problems that arise are resolved by the end of the day so that the other teacher doesn’t have to deal with them on the next day.
Review of the Job Share Arrangement
We propose that the operation of the job share should be reviewed annually with our Head of Faculty with any proposals for change from either side presented at least two months before the end of the summer term.
NUT Guidance-Job Sharing_SL 9 January 2018 Created: 23 July 2009/CA/Revised: 23 July 2009/CA Revised: December 2009/GM