WORKING IN SPT ACADEMIES –

AN NUT GUIDE (OCTOBER 2013)

This guidance document gives a brief overview of the School Partnership Trust(SPT) and working in SPT Academies, including information about:

  • The School Partnership Trust and its Academy programme
  • The national trade union recognition agreement
  • Pay and conditions of service
  • Employment policies and procedures

The School Partnership operates common pay and conditions for employees and central negotiating machinery, within which the Union negotiates alongside the other recognised teaching and support staff unions. Arrangements have been established within the NUT for consultation and communication with NUT divisions, Academy representatives and members.

Detailed information about pay and conditions of service in Academies can be found in the NUT document Teachers’ Pay and Conditions in Academies: Guidance for NUT Members at

ABOUT THE SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP TRUST

The School Partnership Trust is led by Sir Paul Edwards, former head teacher of GarforthSchool in Leeds, and is involved in leadership and operation of a number of schoolsin the North of England including Academy Trusts, Foundation Shared Trusts and National Challenge Trusts.The Trust’s website is

SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP TRUST ACADEMIES

At the time of writing the School Partnership Trust had 33open Academies and planned to open a further 8. They are:

  • Bradford
  • HansonAcademy (due to open Sept 2013)
  • Cross FlattsParkPrimary School (due to open Sept 2013)
  • WhetleyPrimary School (open Dec 2012)
  • Doncaster
  • De Warenne Academy (open Sept 2009)
  • Rossington All Saints Academy (open May 2011)
  • AshHillAcademy (open Sept 2011)
  • DonValleyAcademy (open Sept 2011)
  • GrangeLaneInfantAcademy (open Sept 2011)
  • PheasantBankAcademy (open Sept 2011)
  • HatfieldWoodhousePrimary School (open April 2012)
  • CrookesbroomPrimaryAcademy (open April 2012)
  • HighfieldsPrimaryAcademy (open April 2012)
  • RowenaAcademy (open Nov 2011)
  • Leeds
  • The SouthLeedsAcademy (open Sept 2009)
  • GarforthAcademy (open Oct 2010)
  • GreenLanePrimaryAcademy (open Oct 2010)
  • ParkViewPrimaryAcademy (open Sept 2012)
  • North Lincolnshire
  • The ValeAcademy (open Sept 2011)
  • WorlabyPrimary School (open Sept 2012)
  • MeliorCommunityAcademy (open Jan 2013)
  • NE Lincolnshire
  • JohnWhitgiftAcademy (open Sept 2011)
  • WeelsbyPrimary School (open July 2012)
  • StrandPrimaryAcademy (open Oct 2012)
  • WybersWoodPrimaryAcademy (open Dec 2012)
  • MacauleyPrimaryAcademy (open Nov 2012)
  • WillowsPrimary School (open May 2013)
  • Wakefield
  • SimpsonsLaneAcademy (due to open Sept 2013)
  • De Lacy Academy (open April 2012)
  • WillowGreenAcademy (open Sept 2012)
  • The ValuePrimaryAcademy (open July 2012)
  • Knottingley England Lane, J,I&N School (due to open Jan 2014)
  • Kingston upon Hull
  • HullTrinityHouseAcademy (open 2012)
  • CravenPrimary School (due to open Nov 2013)
  • Mersey Primary School (due to open Oct 2013)
  • The Parks Primary School (due to open Oct 2013)
  • Kirklees – ManorCroftAcademy (open Sept 2013)
  • Stockton on Tees – IngelbyBarwickSchool (due to open Sept 2013)
  • Nottinghamshire
  • Queen Elizabeth’s Academy (open Jan 2012)
  • SerlbyParkAcademy (open Sept 2011)
  • WainwrightPrimaryAcademy (open Sept 2012)
  • KingstonParkPrimary School (open Dec 2012)

The Trust is also planning to open a 4 Free Schools in Stockton, Doncaster, Leeds and NE Lincolnshire.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION AGREEMENT

A national recognition agreement in respect of School Partnership Trust Academies is under negotiation between the Trust, the teacher unions - ASCL, ATL, NAHT, NASUWT and the NUT - and support staff unions, the GMB, Unison and Unite.

The agreement will provide for national determination of arrangements for pay, conditions of service and working time across School Partnership Trust Academies.

When finalised, the recognition agreement will be found on the NUT website in the pay and conditions > academies section at

PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

In General

All Academies are able to set their own pay, conditions and working time arrangements for newly appointed teachers joining the Academy. In some Academies, pay and conditions arrangements for such teachers are similar or identical to those for teachers in local authority maintained state schools. In others, teachers’ pay and conditions can be very different.

Teachers transferred from predecessor schoolsreplaced by an Academy are covered by the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE). The TUPE regulations provide that, where an Academy replaces an existing school(s), teachers’ previous pay and conditions entitlements transfer. These include statutory provisions on pay, professional duties and working time and national and local agreements on teachers’ conditions of service, redundancy payments and recognition of the NUT as a trade union. Where the Academy is a new institution, however, all teachers are in the first category of newly appointed teacher and no teachers are protected by TUPE.

Pay and Conditions in School Partnership Trust Academies

The Trusthas agreed with the teacher unions that it will apply STPCD and Burgundy Book arrangements for all its teachers – including newly appointed teachers - across its network of Academies. This means that School Partnership Trust teachers will be appointed on STPCD pay scales and working-time arrangements and have Burgundy Book provisions in respect of sick pay etc.

EMPLOYMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

All staff will be employed by the Trust. When a national recognition agreement has been finalised, the trade unions will be seeking to discuss a range of employment policies and procedures with the Trust.

NUT SSEE Dept.

October2013