The areas included in the Employee relations provision are:
- Access to named Employment Relations Advisors – We will provide you with a named employee relations advisor
- Advice/guidance - Advice and guidance on complex employee relations issues such as disciplinaries, grievances, performance management.
- Meetings - Support at investigations, formal hearings, appeals and with employment tribunals.
- Managing alleagtions against staff - Support on the HR aspects of managing allegations against staff in child protection matters working with multi-agencies.
- Staff wellbeing - Provide advice/guidance on any matter relating to the employment and wellbeing of staff in the school.
- Absence management - Provide support to the leadership team with the management of sickness and other absences, including ill health absence, return to work and reasonable adjustments and leave of absence.
- Access to Occupational Health - Provide access to the council's preferred occupational health provider [OCH charged will apply]
- Suspension from duty - provide advise on all suspensions including medical suspension.
- Headteacher's pay - Advise Governing bodies on school group sizes and the procedure for setting pay ranges for Headteacher/Principal and other leadership posts.
- Legal services - Provide access to council Legal team [fees to be agreed between school and legal team]
Reviewing HR policies, procedures and template letters - We will review HR policies to reflect changes in employment and education legislations.
Pay and Conditions
- Advise schools on the interpretation of national pay and conditions of service relating to all categories of staff
- Advise schools on pay and grading issues with due regard to equalities legislation and the local application of job evaluation.
- Probation - Advise on monitoring of probationary periods, and necessary actions that may need to be taken for staff who do not meet required standards.
- Use of agency/self-employed - Advise on the use self-employed consultants and agency workers including AWR & IR35 assessment.
Support Employer and TU consultation arrangements – This will include;
- Advice to Head teacher on day-to-day employee relations issues
- Facilitate regular Trade Union communication on behalf of schools
- Advice and support on restructures and changes to staff terms and conditions, including industrial relations issues
- Provide advice and support in the event of disputes
- Attendance at relevant Governing Body meetings
Employment Legislation - Provision of advice and guidance on the interpretation of legislation in relation to the following:
- Effects of change in legislation and the impact on the employment relationship
- Effects of the change in status of schools and the impact on the employment relationship
- Any other employment changes which may be necessary
Assist with the investigation and the preparation of management case presentations and with collating paperwork for hearings and appeals – Your Employee Relations Advisor will support investigating or grievance officers including, reviewing and providing template letters and assisting with the preparation and collating of management case presentations at different stage of the process.
Organisational change– This will include;
- Support with workforce planning
- Povide advice on staff restructure business case
- Job evaluation [support staff]
- Redeployment
- Attend consultation meetings
- Advice the Head teacher and Governing Body regarding their obligations in respect of both legal issues, and school / council policies and procedures, etc
Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment (TUPE) including conversion to Academy status. – Advise and assist the school with compiling the Due Diligence information and meeting consultation requirements under the TUPE legislation.
