The national agreement on raising standards and tackling workload was signed by the then government, employers and school workforce unions on 15 January 2003.
What is the national agreement?
The agreement acknowledged the pressure on schools to raise standards and tackle workload issues for teachers and introduced a series of significant changes to teachers' conditions of service. These were introduced over three years from September 2003.
The agreement arose out of social partnership and the workforce agreement monitoring group (WAMG) which is made up of representatives of the signatories. WAMG also oversaw its implementation and provided guidance and support to schools and local authorities.
The agreement acknowledges the vital role played by school support staff. It led to the establishment of higher level teaching assistant (HLTA) standards and the certificate in school business management (CSBM). The agreement also helped create other new roles that support teachers' work and pupils' learning.
The agreement called for a structured change process that would help schools implement the contractual changes and embrace wider workforce reform.
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