Teacher and support staff pay and conditions: We welcome the constructive engagement we have had with Government on this measure in the Bill and the Government’s subsequent amendment to the bill. There is more work to do in relation to the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) which is proposed in the Employment Rights Bill. We need to ensure that the establishment of this body offers similar provisions for a floor not a ceiling on pay, and flexibility with regard to conditions.
National Curriculum: We welcome the Secretary of State’s clarification in her evidence to the Education Select Committee that she intends the new national curriculum framework will provide a “minimum floor to ensure consistency.” We must ensure that a high-level national framework protects the ability of schools and trusts to deliver the ‘enacted’ curriculum in a flexible and responsive way, and would not necessarily undermine or constrain the ability of schools and trusts to continue to innovate and become centres of curriculum excellence. We welcome the interim report of the Curriculum and Assessment review.
School improvement - Repeal of duty to make academy order in relation to a school causing concern: We welcome the clarification in the DfE’s consultation document on school accountability reform, which says that that a school judged by Ofsted to require special measures will continue by default to receive structural intervention (although this presumption does not extend to schools with serious weaknesses / requiring significant improvement). Our position is that schools judged to be inadequate by Ofsted should require a change of governance in order to secure timely improvement. Therefore, this measure could be removed from the Bill.
Admissions, pupil admissions numbers (PAN) and new schools: We want to work with government to create a robust decision-making framework to ensure that decision-making is in the right place, in the interests of children and communities, and protects high quality education. This can be achieved through a combination of regulations and statutory guidance. Conflicts of interest must be either removed or actively mitigated, specifically in relation to direction powers, admission numbers, and establishing new schools.
Qualified Teacher Status: In the midst of the most severe teacher recruitment and retention crisis since records began, leaders must retain the flexibility to make decisions with regard to teacher expertise. Given the impact of this measure on the special, specialist and alternative provision sector, exemptions should be set out in regulations to ensure that appropriately qualified staff can teach in our schools. This will ensure that schools retain the flexibility to recruit teachers from the further education sector, those with industry or creative qualifications and higher level teaching assistants on a route to qualification. We are pleased with the constructive engagement we have had on this matter with the DfE.
Power to secure performance of academy proprietor’s duties: CST believes that an amendment to this measure (set out in detail below) is necessary to provide a legal safeguard that the DfE still respects the operation of academy trusts as independent charities under charity law.
CST represents 77% of academy schools. As a membership body CST’s position is informed by consultation with member trusts; CST has an elected policy advisory group with representatives of school trusts across England, and more than 16,000 trust executive and governance leaders receive CST’s regular briefing emails.
