Contact:
Chris Williams Schools HR Advisory Team Tel: 01438 844907 Email:christopher. williams@hertscc .gov.uk
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Rarely Cover Information and Guidance

Rarely cover is the realisation of an objective set out in the National Agreement ‘Raising Standards and Tackling Workload’ (signed January 2003) to move to a position where teachers (and headteachers may only be rarely asked to cover for absent colleagues.

The expectation is that all schools will have cover strategies to deal with all foreseeable events and that these will include consideration of historical patterns of absence.

This change will be statutory featuring in the 2009 edition of the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD). Advanced notice of this change was issued in both the 2007 and 2008 editions of the STPCD.

Guidance material has been published by WAMG to aid the implementation of Rarely Cover and is available to download from their website:

• www.socialpartnership.org

The official guidance material is also set out below, however the Local Hertfordshire School Workforce Partnership (SWoP) has isued two summary documents, one on the Sequence of Actions for Implementation and one on Rarely Cover - Frequently Asked Questions. They have also issued the results of a survey taken in March 2009. These are set out here:

• Adobe pdf , 37kb/1 page, 27/11/2009, SWoPRCguidance_v2.pdf
• Adobe pdf , 35kb/1 page, 08/09/2009, Rarely_Cover_FAQs.pdf
• Adobe pdf , 124kb/24 pages, 15/10/2009, PPA_and_Cover_report_for_the_grid_2009.pdf

The official guidance material consists of:

A WAMG statement - setting out the basis for implementation of "rarely cover".

• Rarely cover WAMG statement (pdf)

The relevant sections of the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document - showing the proposed changes to the 2009 STPCD and the accompanying Section 3 and 4 guidance (subject to the usual formal consultation on the STPCD).

• Rarely cover STPCD changes (pdf)

Implementation process guidance - setting out the process WAMG advise schools to follow to implement "rarely cover" from 1 September 2009. This guidance includes an Annex A: Deployment of support staff in relation to moving to "rarely cover".

• Implementation process guidance (pdf)

Colleagues will see that the guidance sets out the recommended process for schools to undertake in order to implement the new arrangements.
Many of the additional documents referenced in the implementation process guidance are provided here:

Raising standards and tackling workload: a National Agreement:

• www.tda.gov.uk/upload/resources/pdf/n/na_standards_workload.pdf (pdf)

The Education (Specified Work and Registration)(England) Regulations 2003:

• www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2003/20031663.htm

The Education (Specified Work and Registration)(England) Regulations 2007:

• www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2003/20031663.htm

Time for Standards: Guidance Accompanying the Section 133 Regulations Issued under the Education Act 2002

• www.teachernet.gov.uk/_doc/7361/Section%20133%20Guidance.pdf (pdf)

Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) Professional Standards:

• www.tda.gov.uk/support/support_staff_roles/learningsupportstaff/hlta/professstandards.aspx

School Support Staff: the Way Forward (NJC for Local Government Services 2003)

• www.schoolsupportstaff.co.uk/supportstaff_guidance_job_profiles.pdf (pdf)

WAMG Note 10

• www.lge.gov.uk/lge/aio/51049

WAMG Note 12 (Effective Deployment of HLTAs)

• www.lge.gov.uk/lge/aio/50941

WAMG Note 17 (Effective Deployment of HLTAs to Help Raise Standards)

• www.lge.gov.uk/lge/aio/107829

WAMG Note 22 (The Appropriate Deployment of Support Staff in Schools)

• www.lge.gov.uk/lge/aio/476204

Guidance for Schools on Cover Supervision (WAMG Guidance)

• www.lge.gov.uk/lge/aio/50775

Guidance for Schools on HLTA Roles for School Support Staff (WAMG Guidance)

• www.lge.gov.uk/lge/aio/50810

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