While all the contractual changes apply to all teachers in maintained schools, phase three of the agreement also includes the specific guarantee that all headteachers receive an allocation of "dedicated headship time". This is designed to allow headteachers time during the school day which they can devote to the strategic leadership of their schools.
Beyond contractual compliance, the agreement and workforce remodelling represent an unparalleled opportunity for schools to embrace new ways of working. In many cases schools have found that the need to implement contractual change has brought other benefits, such as:
- increased capacity to address school improvement priorities
- an enhanced curriculum offer (eg. foreign languages in primary schools)
- enhanced teamwork across all staff, and
- lower rates of staff absences.
In schools which have followed the remodelling change process to assist with implementation of the agreement, headteachers are often working with a school change team to help identify and plan for areas of change. Working with the team has allowed headteachers to build commitment and consensus from the whole school staff on how change can be introduced and sustained.
The implementation of the agreement also enables schools to effectively address both the staffing review structure required under the STRB transition guidance and the government's extended schools agenda.
The purpose of Headteachers and the national agreement: a summary (available to download in the right-hand margin) is to highlight the benefits and relevance of each of the contractual changes to headteachers. The booklet also provides useful guidance and clear signposting to other sources of help and support.
