NAVIGATE ACADEMIES TRUST

And

THE JOINT TRADE UNIONS

RECOGNITION AGREEMENT

1.0 NAVIGATE ACADEMIES TRUST

1.1Navigate Academies Trust is a multi Academy Trust established in 2012. The first of its Academies were former primary schools in Barnsley and Middlesbroughand came on stream on 1st September 2012.

1.2Further Academies at Secondary and Primary level are planned to come on stream between and discussions are continuing regarding future opportunities for academy conversions.

1.3A schedule of Academies referred to above is shown at Appendix 1.

We are an education provider committed to the development of an inspirational academies and schoolsnetwork.

1.4We know that education has the power to transform lives.That is why we are determined that the children and young people who attend our academies will develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to prepare them for life beyond the classroom, enabling them to succeed in whatever they choose to do.

1.5Our academies will offer exciting opportunities for every learner, with a modern, relevant curriculum that is developed in partnership with employers.Children and young people will be encouraged to pursue their own unique strengths and interests, develop their confidence and self esteem, and challenge themselves to achieve the best they can.

1.6The Navigate Academies Trust is an inclusive organisation, bringing together both improving and high performing academies and partner schools.All members will be encouraged to be active participants within the trust, providing school to school support and sharing accountability for outcomes.

1.7Ultimately, our commitment is to the children, young people and communities we serve.We are determined that everything we do is focused on inspiring them to achieve their best.

1.8Our unique approach is based on the following key themes:

  • A commitment to the achievement and personal development of all children and young people.
  • An exciting and challenging curriculum which encourages ambition, enterprise, innovation, and responsibility.
  • Appropriate learning pathways, tailored to student need.
  • Engaging and experiential learning, encouraged by innovative and creative teaching.
  • An employment focused curriculum, emphasising knowledge, understanding and key employability skills of teamwork, self confidence, communication and leadership.
  • Partnerships with local and national employers, allowing learners to experience different work environments and have the opportunity to carry out purposeful internships.
  • Routes to Further and Higher education, through strong links with colleges, universities and other education providers.
  • Powerful professional networks,creating opportunities for learners and staff, sharing expertise across the trust and beyond.
  • Value for money, pooling resources and procuring services to ensure maximum impact on improving teaching and learning.
  • Creating learning hubs for the whole community, encouraging lifelong learning for people of all ages.

1.9To achieve success we will:

  • Maintain an unremitting focus on improving outcomes for all young people, with a particular focus on closing the attainment gap for vulnerable children and young people and those with special educational needs and disabilities.
  • Appoint school leaders with the vision, energy and determination to inspire and develop leadership at all levels.
  • Transform teaching and learning, recruiting only high quality staff and establishing a relevant and exciting curriculum to engage our learners.
  • Ensure that all students understand the impact that learning can have on their lives, foster a love of learning and support them to aspire and achieve all they can.
  • Ensure that students feel safe and secure, in a well ordered and respectful environment: that their voice is listened to and has real influence on the life of the academy.
  • Ensure that each academy in the trust develops a unique ethos and strong sense of commitment to the community it serves, providing enhanced learning opportunities.
  • Actively engage with parent and carers so that learning is supported and valued.
  • Use our sector-leading professional networks to bring cutting edge practice into our academies and develop a sustainable self-improving school system.
  • Celebrate and build on success, sharing good practice and learning opportunities across our network of schoolsand beyond.

1.10The Academies Trust has developed a locality based model to strengthen educational provision through effective partnership between all academies within the Trust and between Academies and the local educational and business communities.

1.11Applying a single employer principle, Navigate Academies Trust has agreed with the teacher unions that it will apply employment conditions set out in the School Teachers Pay & Conditions Document and Burgundy Book arrangements for all its teachers – including newly appointed teachers - across its network of Academies. Any variation to this will be subject to full consultation.

1.12The same principle has been applied to support staff in Academies who will continue to be employed under the provisions of the National Joint Council for Local Government Employees (Green Book). Any variation to this will be subject to full consultation.

1.13As the employer, Navigate Academies Trust will establish the key employment principles and practices to be applied across all academies whilst the Governing Body of each Academy will manage day to day employment practices within a central support infrastructure.

1.14In accordance with the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, Navigate Academies Trust has adopted previous local authority policies for all its employees in each of its Academies, pending agreement and implementation of common policies and procedures.

1.15This Recognition Agreement between Navigate Academies Trust and the signatory trade unions establishes the machinery to consult and negotiate with staff through the recognised trade unions. The joint trade unions are also recognised as the body representing staff for the purposes of informing and consulting the workforce.

1.16All parties to the Agreement are committed to negotiating constructively with a view to reaching agreements which are acceptable to their respective constituents.

1.17A guiding principle across the Academies Trust is the need to establish and maintain a culture through which the highest quality of education is promoted and delivered.

1.18The joint signatories therefore support the following key objectives:

  • Effective, partnership based working relationships
  • Jointly agreed terms and conditions of employment
  • Sound industrial and employee relations with fair treatment of employees
  • Commitment to equality
  • Commitment to quality
  • Avoidance of disputes
  • Ability of Navigate Academies Trust to operate successfully in a competitive market place
  • The efficient and effective management of each Academy
  • Effective use of funding

1.18 In the same context, Navigate Academies Trust acknowledges the right of the Joint Trade Unions to represent and protect the interests of their members employed within each Academy.

2.0 Recognition

2.1Navigate Academies Trust recognises the following trade unions for individual and collective representation, consultation and negotiation purposes:

Teaching:

ATL; ASCL; NAHT; NASUWT; NUT; and Voice

Support and Other professional Staff:

GMB and Unison

2.2 Throughout this agreement, the following definitions apply:

  • NAT means the Navigate Academies Trust plus the local governing bodies responsible for the running of individual NAT Academies and other persons or bodies having responsibility for the management of individual NAT Academies;
  • "The trade unions" means the recognised trade unions as listed above.

3.0 PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES

3.1 NAT recognises the independent trade unions identified in this agreement for the purposes of collective bargaining, consultation and individual staff representation on behalf of the whole workforce.

3.2 This agreement is intended to promote and assist in the establishment of:

  • jointly agreed pay and conditions of employment;
  • good practice with regard to matters of employment and health and safety;
  • effective communication;
  • participation and involvement of staff;
  • effective and prompt resolution of issues and disputes; and
  • equal opportunities in employment.

3.3The trade unions recognise that it is NAT's responsibility to plan, organise and manage the delivery of education to the students across the NAT Academies.

3.4 NAT recognises the trade unions' right to represent and protect the interests of their members employed in Navigate Academies both individually and collectively.

3.5 NAT believes that representative trade unions help ensure good employee relations, and to this end, provide their employees with up to date information on local Union contacts at the point of induction.

3.6 NAT and the trade unions declare their commitment to maintaining good industrial relations and agree to make every effort to resolve any difficulties which may arise and to ensure that this agreement is effective.

4.0 TRADE UNION REPRESENTATIVES

4.1 For the purposes of this agreement, the term "trade union representatives" includes:

  • work place representatives,
  • health and safety representatives and
  • Union learning representatives (ULR

4.2 Trade union representatives will be appointed in accordance with the rules of the individual trade unions concerned. The trade unions will inform NAT and individual Academy Principals in writing of the names of their appointed representatives.

4.3 The numbers of trade union representatives appointed shall be a matter for each union but the trade unions agree that the numbers shall be reasonable in relation to the number of members represented. NAT will not decline to recognise appointed trade union representatives.

4.4 Trade union members shall be entitled to be represented by employed officials or local representatives of the trade union, where the trade union considers this to be necessary in the circumstances. The trade union will provide the member with any requested representation as soon as possible and normally within 5 working days of such a request.

4.5 Navigate undertakes that where it is within their control, no trade union representatives will suffer any disadvantage as a result of undertaking this role on behalf of trade union members.

5.0 FACILITIES FOR TRADE UNION REPRESENTATIVES AND MEMBERS

5.1 NAT agrees to provide appropriate on-site facilities to trade union representatives and members in order to enable them to discharge trade union duties and undertake trade union activity related to the local Academy in order to facilitate the objectives of effective communication and consultation with employees and their representatives set out earlier in this agreement.

Time off with pay for trade union representatives

5.2 NAT will permit employees who are trade union representatives reasonable time off with pay during their normal working hours (including release from timetabled teaching and learning support in the classroom) for the purpose of carrying out trade union duties.

5.3 NAT will also permit employees who are trade union representatives reasonable time off with pay within their normal timetabled working hours (including release from timetabled teaching and learning support in the classroom) where necessary for trade union duties, in particular to prepare for and/or attend meetings or to consult with employed officials of their union. Trade union representatives will give as much notice to Navigate Academy Principals as possible of the need for such time off.

5.4 NAT will seek to ensure that all meetings convened by NAT and involving trade union representatives take place within their normal working hours.

5.5 NAT will participate in arrangements within the local authority areas in which NATAcademies are situated with regard to pooled funding for time off with pay for any employees who are local or national trade union officers. Subject to the provision of adequate funding via such arrangements, NAT Academies will permit reasonable time off with pay to employees who are local or national trade union officers for trade union duties and/or representation undertaken in that capacity.

5.6 NAT and the trade unions are committed to ensuring that trade union representatives receive appropriate training to allow them to discharge their trade union duties. The trade unions will provide appropriate training to their representatives. NAT will permit employees who are trade union representatives reasonable time off with pay to attend relevant training courses run by their trade unions or by other appropriate bodies.

Facilities for trade union representatives

5,7 NAT will provide the following facilities to trade union representatives within its Academies:

  • reasonable accommodation to hold meetings and to interview members in a confidential manner;
  • confidential access to and reasonable free use of telephone, fax and email facilities and computing and photocopying facilities;
  • reasonable access to administrative and secretarial services;
  • secure office/storage space;
  • notice board space in staff rooms;

Trade union meetings

5.8 NAT will allow trade union members to hold meetings on the premises outside their normal working hours, including at lunchtimes and immediately following the end of the student day. The trade unions will give reasonable notice of such meetings to the local NAT Academy Principal. NAT will not seek to place restrictions on the frequency or duration of such meetings or to the attendance of employed officials or local representatives of the trade union at such meetings.

5.9 NAT will allow trade union members to hold and attend such meetings on the premises within their normal working hours, where appropriate to the urgency or nature of the matters to be discussed. Trade union representatives will give as much notice as possible to the NAT Academy Principal when seeking consent for such meetings. NAT will not unreasonably withhold such consent to such meetings.

Time off for trade union activities

5.10 NAT will allow trade union representatives and members reasonable time off during working hours for the purpose of taking part in trade union activity, including in particular, representing the trade union at external meetings and conferences. Time off for trade union representatives and members to attend annual conferences and other policy-making conferences of their trade unions as a delegate will in all cases be time off with payand restricted to one delegate per trade union when such events take place during term time, unless attendance forms part of a CPD programme agreed with the Principal.

Payment of TU Subscriptions through Payroll

5.11Those employees who are members of any of the recognised trade unions will have the facility to pay their TU Membership Subscriptions through payroll. On receipt of an up to date schedule of members from TUs, NAT will arrange the necessary deductions from employees’ pay and then make the associated payments to the recognised TUs.

Disciplinary action involving trade union representatives

5.12NAT will not take disciplinary action against a trade union representative until an employed official of that trade union has been consulted.

6.0 Structure for Consultation and Negotiation

6.1 Within Navigate Academies Trust consultation and negotiation will take place at two levels:

i)At a National/regional level, consultation and negotiation on terms and conditions of employment will take place through a National Joint Council (NJC). Such meetings will normally take place once per term.

Sub Groups may be established with the agreement of each side and meet as required to discuss details of proposed changes to terms and conditions, related to specific employment groups. The sub groups will report back to the NJC.

National/regional level meetings will take place at Navigate Academies Trust Headquarters or at an individual Academy as appropriate.

ii).At Locality or individual Academy level, consultation and negotiation will take place through an Academy Joint Council (AJC). Representation on the AJC will mirror that on the NJC. Meeting arrangements and conduct of business at the Academy level will be determined by the AJC. Meetings will normally take place once per term. Each Academy will be bound by the terms and conditions agreed by the NJC but the AJC will be responsible for discussion on the application of local discretion on employment provisions.

7.0 NATIONAL AND ACADEMY JOINT COMMITTEES

7.1 NAT will provide the trade unions with appropriate information on financial and organisational issues in order to allow meaningful consultation and negotiation (including information required for collective bargaining and consultation in accordance with the ACAS Code of Practice). The trade unions agree to treat information with sensitivity in cases of genuine commercial confidentiality.

7.2 Before implementing any changes in employment procedures and working and organisational arrangements, NAT will undertake consultation and negotiation with trade union representatives through the joint committees.

7.3 The following matters shall, in particular but not exclusively, be considered by the joint committees:

  • terms and conditions of employment;
  • staffing and pay structures;
  • employment policies and procedures;
  • matters of health and safety;
  • operational issues affecting the deployment, security and prospects of staff;
  • equal opportunities matters.
  • staff training and development

7.4 Any difficulties at Academy level over the interpretation of national provisions or the scope of local decision making will where necessary be referred to the National Joint Council for consideration and resolution.

7.5 The constitution and procedural agreement governing the national and local joint committees is attached to this agreement as an Annex.

8.0 FAILURE TO AGREE

8.1 NAT and the trade unions agree that it is in the interests of all parties that consultation and negotiations are carried out expeditiously and with the aim of reaching an agreed settlement.

8.2 If NAT and the trade unions cannot reach an agreement, on a matter, it may be referred to the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) in order to seek resolution of the issue. Either party may determine that a matter is referred to ACAS for conciliation. Both parties must jointly agree, where appropriate, that a matter is referred to ACAS for arbitration.