Reorganisation of The John Roan (Appendix C)

Rationale for the Reorganisation:

The John Roan faces a significant budget deficit of £438,355in 2015-16 As a result the school has to take dramatic steps to ensure that it returns to financial stability at the earliest possible opportunity. The Royal Borough of Greenwich has approved the 4 year plan put forward by the Governing Body to make savings and to rationalise. Every effort in this process will be made to make sure that the quality and standard of education for the students at The John Roan is not jeopardised.

A significant element of this recovery plan is a reorganisation and restructure of staffing. The purpose of this is to re-align the staffing levels and leadership structure of the school so that it operates within its current financial parameters. The plan will touch many aspects of the school’s staffing (support staff, admin staff and teaching staff). The main goal behind any of this change is to reduce overall costs, to ensure best value, at the same time as maintaining and over time enhancing the quality of provision. Therefore, any adjustments in funding and staffing will also attempt tominimise the impact on the quality of education provided at The John Roan.

In this process it is essential thatthe schoolis looking to enhance the quality of care, support and learning for our students. The planned changes are intended to provide a different structure that will offer new ways of working and learning, as well as open up scope to cultivate the capacity for leadership across the school. In line with the new vision and the strategic direction of the school, the aim will be to provide a platform for excellence at The John Roan that ensures greater outcomes in our students’ knowledge, skills and competences. We aim to be at full capacity in our sixth form with 350 students.

Reducing Impact for Staff
The school is committed to minimising the negative impact of this restructure for staff. This is a challenging process, and will require difficult decisions to be made. The main ways to achieve this will be:

  • Operating a fair, open, transparent,proper and meaningful process;
  • Working towards a smooth transition to a new structure;
  • Making sure that any appointments are made on the basis of skills, ability and experience in line with the school’s recruitment process;
  • Operating a full and meaningful consultation and negotiation with the recognised trade unions and individual employees and groups of employees.

There will also be a wide range of support on offer to staff during the process. This will include:

  • Opportunities for 1:1 meetings with the Head Teacher, to discuss the change process and individual circumstances;
  • Timely provision of pension information as required;
  • Confidential counselling, help and information through the Royal Borough’s Employee Assistance Programme – 0800 423 458 or through their website (username: royal password: Greenwich). Staff must make clear that they work for Greenwich Council when they make contact with this service.
  • Call the Acas Helpline on 0300 123 1100 for free and impartial advice

Throughout the process staff will be encouraged to get involved and to be pro-active ensuring their views are known to the Head Teacher. It will also be crucial that staff focus on the skills and experience they have, that they might bring to a new job through any redeployment process as this will be a one way the school seeks to avoid redundanciesparticularly within administration where there are a number of new opportunities that staff can apply for.

School Vision

We have dreams and aspirations. In 2016, we will continue our journey to become an outstanding school. We want to go ‘beyond ‘best practice’, to ‘NEXT PRACTICE’ – not just being another ‘OUTSTANDING’ school…but being world leading…beyond where others are. We challenge our students to learn and aspire to the highest levels of achievement they can reach. We want each of them to develop their individual talents, skills, abilities and personalities to their full potential. We believe in a strong partnership between students, parents and staff. We will work with you to ensure your child is happy and successful. Work in the classroom and at home, combined with our wide programme of enrichment activities allows all of our students to leave us ready to contribute to the local, national and global communities. We want our students to leave The John Roan and change the world.

The John Roan aims to ensure that all students achieve their personal best in their learning, develop as individuals, become responsible members of the community and take full advantage of the opportunities, experiences and challenges that they meet now and in the future.

• We provide a wide range of exciting curricular and extra curricular opportunities to help students become independent learners, achieve academic success, maximise their potential and achieve economic well-being in their future lives

• We provide a safe, secure and harmonious learning environment where each individual becomes emotionally and physically healthy; develops personal, social, moral and spiritual values and is enabled to make a positive contribution to society

We value, respect and celebrate the diversity of our school community and promote equality of opportunity.

Strategic direction of the John Roan:

  1. Offering a world class education to every student
  2. Students achieve academic, social and personal success by:
  • having a broad, balanced and innovative curriculum that ensures a structured progression in all subjects and an enrichment programme that provides extensive choices and opportunities.
  • generating and creating innovation. Innovation is based on curiosity, the willingness to take risks and to experiment to test assumptions. Innovation is based on questioning and challenging the status quo. It is also based on recognising opportunity and taking advantage of it. Being innovative is about looking beyond what we currently do well, identifying the great ideas of tomorrow and putting them into practice.
  • developing systems, classrooms, programmes and activities so that all students are able to learn, develop and participate together.
  • Having leaders at all levels, inspired by the Headteacher, who set an exceptionally clear strategic direction and promote an ambitious vision that is shared by the whole school community.
  • Having a school ethos of collective accountability that ensures consistently excellent school performance.

1.2 Students become global citizen by

  • consistently making meaningful connections between areas of learning and use these to deepen their understanding of the world.
  • being sensitive and showing empathy to the needs and differences of others.
  • demonstrating and excellent understanding, awareness and appreciation of their own and other world cultures.
  • contributing to the local, national and international community
  1. Delivering outstanding pedagogy in our learning environment

2.1 Students experience the highest quality learning as

  • Teachers plan imaginative lessons, provide inspiring learning environments and use time and resources creatively to enable all groups of students to learn very successfully.
  • Teachers’ interactions with students ensure that they are always active and focused learners. Questioning challenges students’ thinking and promotes insightful responses. Dialogue engages students in insightful discussions and reflection.
  • Teachers use strategies that very successfully meet the individual needs of students. Teachers have high expectations of all groups of students. They provide very challenging work and excellent support.
  • Teachers skillfully develop students’ critical thinking, problem-solving, innovation and independent learning skills.
  • Assessment information is used skilfully and effectively to influence teaching and the curriculum in order to meet the learning needs of all groups of students and to optimize their progress.
  • Teachers have in depth knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of individual students. Teachers provide excellent personalized challenge and support. Feedback to students is comprehensive and constructive. Students are routinely involved in assessing their own learning.
  • Systematic and rigorous monitoring ensures that there is accurate evaluation of teaching and learning and their effect on students’ achievement.
  1. Embedding technology

Students and stakeholders embrace our online education platform and tools. Students are:

  • Learning technologies independently and very effectively. Critical thinking and problem solving skills are intrinsic features of learning.
  • Using technology tools (Showbie, Ibook, Keynote..) and make faster progress.
  • Engaged with interactive online learning and multimedia projects.
  • Receiving quicker feedback from staff via media rich videos or audio feedback.
  • Accessing ItunesU courses online with self study resources, explanatory videos, differentiated questions and links to relevant apps, websites and book chapters to further or complement their studies.
  • Having access remodelled learning environment with access to Ipads and mobile technology
  • Are digital leaders
  1. Building financial sustainability

4.1 Maintain state of the art buildings

  • The school’s premises and facilities provide an excellent physical environment, which meets the learning needs of all.
  • The school consistently provides a fully safe, hygienic and secure environment for students and staff.
  • The premises are of the highest quality, with extensive specialist facilities that are designed well to allow access for all. All learning areas, including technology facilities, are of excellent quality, and are used constantly to promote students’ achievements.

4.2 Appoint the best teachers so that

  • All students attain systematically above national and international average
  • All students make better than expected progress in relation to their starting point and curriculum standards
  • All students have a passion for learning
  • Attendance is at least 97%. Students are punctual to school andlessons.
  • The school is appropriately staffed to fulfil the vision and mission of the school. All staff members are suitably qualified and benefit from extensive personalised professional development that is well matched to the school’s priorities. They are very well deployed to optimize students’ achievements.
  • They are very well deployed to optimizestudents’ achievements.
  • They are eligible to apply to become Apple Distinguished Educator or a Google Certified Teacher

4.3 Invest in mental health and well being

  • The school has rigorous procedures for the safeguarding of students including child protection so all stakeholders are happy.
  • Staff-student relationships are exemplary.
  • The well-being and personal development of all students are closely monitored. The information is used to provide highly effective personal and academic guidance and support and, for senior students, careers’guidance.

We have the highest aspirations for all our students, so that irrespective of their background and ability, we empower them to flourish in their lives. The John Roan is a true comprehensive school comprising a rich diversity of people, cultures and backgrounds, and we celebrate all these differences that make up our whole. Our priority is excellence, so that all of our students are equipped with knowledge, skills and competences to achieve their full potential so they can go on to change the local, national and global world for the better. We are very proud of our 6 Roan ready that we promote in our curriculum: our students collaborate, create, investigate. They are confident, tenacious and compassionate.

Main parameters of the Reorganisation

Adjustments to Staffing Levels:

A primary cause of the deficit position for the school is the fact that 84% of the budget is spent on staff salary, over 60% of our staff have a TLR and the average salary is about £60,464. Staff turnover has been very low over the past 3 years so the staffing cost has continued to rise.

The staffing levels have not been adjusted in light of the surplus space in the numbers of students expected in the Sixth Form.A key aspect of this reorganisation is to respond to this change and to adjust staffing where there may be a surplus. At the same time the school will have to ensure it offers a curriculum that opens a range of pathways which are sufficiently attractive to secure sustainable student numbers in the Sixth Form. The school needs to ensure that students in the Sixth Form are successful in achieving excellent results, which provide them with access to the most competitive courses and most sought after jobs when they leave school. This means staffing levels need to be reviewed, in conjunction with a review of the current curriculum offer to make sure it is both affordable and attractive. It is through this careful balance that the sustainability of the curriculum offer in Sixth Form will be determined.

The school faces a number of issues:

  • 84% of the budget is spent on staff salary. The expected spend is about 70%.
  • The average cost of employing a teacher (ATC): £58,419 (2015/2016); £60,464 (2016/2017); £62,580 (2017/2018)
  • In 2015/2016, we have so far spent £102,330 on supply teachers. By 31st March 2016, the projected spent is £140,000. This is not viable. In the financial year 2013/2014, the spend was £108,177 and in the financial Year 2014/2015, the spend was £82,235. The average spent is 110k. This is not sustainable financially and is affecting the quality of learning and the behaviour.
  • We spent £146,000 on exam board fees in 2015, £74,716 in 2014 and £133,996 in 2013. The average spend is 118K.
  • Too much is spent on non essentials: photocopiers (£45,000), School magazines (£3500), Postage (2013: £26,178; 2014: 24,835; 2015: £24,644). E portal means that we will minimise what is being sent home by post. Mailchimp newsletter will replace the school magazine. We are looking at reducing the number of photocopiers around the school.
  • We have reviewed our current contracts and procurement processes to make significant savings on certain goods and services (Subscriptions, Capita in house, Recruitment, Energy). See Appendix xx
  • The funding available to the school has not met the current objectives for Teaching and Learning. In the 2013/2014, T&L budget was £1500.
  • We have 109 places in the sixth form at 4k per student which are not filled so this is a loss of revenue of £436,000 for 2015/2016. The loss of revenue for 2014/2015 was £436,000. The PAN for the sixth form is 350.
  • Year 9 is not full so we are operating at a loss of 4 students at £4253.63 each so a loss of £17,014.52.
  • We have a rising number of students in our 11-16 but we do not see the money until the following year.
  • Poor curriculum planning and timetable construction: Although all teachers start with 42 periods, there does not seem to be a rationale approach in their management allocation and in the teaching allocation that they eventually have.
  • The school budgets need to be reviewed more frequently and as a result a sub governors’ committee has been set up. Governors are to be trained on their role in financial planning.
  • The school intend to use the new benchmarking system so that we can compare to other similar schools.

Leadership Structure and Capacity:

A key aspect of the reorganisation is to rationalise the leadership structures, including the TLR and honorarium structure, in the school. We want to promote a model of distributed leadership – where middle leaders and TLR holders are empowered to play a critical role in driving forward change in tandem with a close relationship and accountability to senior leaders. The investment in technology with SIMS, Eportal and SISRA means that what was originally the responsibility of the portfolio of a Senior Leader is now distributed across the whole school. Tasks and duties have been evaluated; a number of them have evolved and are now no longer required. A number of them can be redistributed without affecting the workload of other senior leaders. This reorganisation will therefore incorporate a reduction of two Assistant Headteachers. It is proposed that there will be 3 Assistant Headteachers: AHT Teaching, Learning, Assessment and digital learning, AHT STEM and Curriculum innovation, AHT Sixth Form. The 3 Assistant Headteacher job specifications are available on the intranet. The emphasis will be balanced and harmoniousin a systemthinking and leadership model (vision, mental models, structures, patterns, events). This is why there will be a reduction in the number of senior posts, and a more accountability approach to middle leadership and TLR holders.

New temporary Head of Faculty of Creative Arts (one year)

A minor adjustment to the middle leaders’ structure is the new faculty of creative Arts for 2016/2017. This proposed model will be evaluated at the end of Year 1. If the model is successful with a real impact on students’ outcomes, then it is likely that the Faculty model would be looked at for 2016/2017 by governors. It is important to note that the member of staff will revert back to their substantive post should the governors decided against the Faculty Model. The post will attract an allowance that will be confirmed at a later stage.

Honorarium:

5members of staff have an honorarium. Honorarium are normally for a year for a particular project and going forward it is proposed that project work would be recognised under a TLR 3 and if it is an on going area of work would be recognised under a TLR 1 or 2. Hence the proposal is the honorariums will not continue.

TLRs for Heads of House

The House model can run with the GALS/AGALS running events which they currently do. The duplication of tasks between the Heads of House and the GALS/AGALS is unnecessary and costly. It is proposed that the TLR is removed.

Site supervisors

It is proposed to remove the 2 posts from the staffing structure. There are several reasons for this:

The new behaviour policy

The new MIS team will all be trained as first aiders

The new MIS team will maximise the support to the pastoral team

The GALs job description has been redefined so this means they will have more time to conduct their academic monitoring in the classrooms

The more distributed leadership will mean more joint learning walks therefore more opportunities to check on students’ learning

GALS/AGALs

There is no change to teachers in post for the GALS and AGALS. Their TLRs remain unchanged. However there is a more refined job description which is available on the intranet.