Having implemented the contractual change on cover, schools may still wish to consider other options. In this section you can study and borrow from the good practice of other schools.
Elements of good practice
Some elements of implementing good practice are true whatever strategy a school adopts. The elements of good practice below are generic to the change management process involved in deploying all cover strategies.
Good practice can be divided into:
- before implementation
- process of implementation
- benefits of implementation
Before implementation
- Audit your school's current cover provision – the downloadable tool can help you.
- Consult with all school staff and unions.
- Make sure any proposed cover strategies are consistent with the school's policies and practices.
- Assess the grading for any staff undertaking cover – you can refer to the National Joint Council (NJC) for local government services 'green Book' agreement. To order a copy of the green book agreement go to Employers' Organisation for Local Government.
- Cost the strategies and plan for any necessary budget reorganisation.
- Consult and communicate with other schools that have implemented cover strategies..
Process of implementation
- Consult with staff regarding changes to their job descriptions. You must find agreement if there is a substantial change to a role*
- Provide the necessary training for all staff providing cover supervision – training and mentoring should be ongoing.
- Include support staff in the school's CPD programme.
- In implementing any strategy schools must be mindful of the section 133 Regulations and Guidelines issued under the Education Act, 2002.
- You should define for how long cover supervision can be employed when a teacher is absent – strategies will differ for short-term and long-term absences
*Sample job descriptions which reflect changing responsibilities for support staff are available in the NJC booklet School support staff - the way forward, which you can download at Employers' Organisation for Local Government.
Benefits of implementation
- Less disruption for pupils and a consistent approach to cover mean that teaching and learning standards will improve in your school.
- Your support staff know the pupils – they often contribute to lesson planning and know what is expected in a lesson.
- Your teachers' work/life balance is enhanced.
- The role of your support staff is enhanced.
- Pre-prepared subject materials mean that your pupils learning can continue.
- The headache of short-term/emergency cover disappears.
- You will usually notice a reduction in staff sickness absence.
The case studies section of this site looks at how schools have deployed cover strategies.
