Role and responsibilities
The national induction arrangements are designed to ensure everyone involved in induction has confidence in a school’s assessment procedures, and is clear about the progress of each NQT against the core standards , well before the headteacher/principal makes the formal recommendation.
In its role as appropriate body the local authority (LA) has two key responsibilities:
- to be confident that the schools for which it is the appropriate body understand, and can meet, their responsibilities for monitoring, support and guidance and for undertaking a rigorous and equitable assessment of NQTs
- to decide, in the light of the headteacher’s/principal’s recommendation, whether an NQT has satisfactorily completed the induction period, and to communicate this decision to the NQT, the headteacher/principal and the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE); in exceptional circumstances, LAs can offer an NQT the opportunity of an extension to the induction period (guidance paragraph 124).
In undertaking these responsibilities, the LA should consider its obligations under the code of practice on LA and school relations.
Specific tasks
These responsibilities involve specific tasks that require the local authority to:
- identify a named induction contact within the LA with whom NQTs can raise issues about induction which cannot be resolved satisfactorily within the school; LAs must ensure the contact is seen to be impartial and approachable and not directly involved in an area NQTs may be concerned about – such as deciding about satisfactory completion of induction
- keep a record of the name, Department for Children Schools and Families reference number, date of birth and national insurance number of each NQT for whom it is the appropriate body
- keep a record of the stage of induction which each NQT has reached, based on information from headteachers/principals
- liaise with other LAs, as appropriate, about an NQT employed on a part-time basis in more than one school at the same time
- ensure it is fully aware of the circumstances where any summative assessment forms have not been submitted or signed (see guidance paragraph 58)
- retain an NQT’s assessment reports until the GTCE has confirmed the NQT will remain registered or has been removed from the register, following the end of the induction period and, where relevant, any appeal process
- in relation to independent schools and further education institutions as appropriate, reach agreement with head teachers and principals to act as the appropriate body, including agreeing the scale and scope of any charges to be made
Conflicts of interest or disagreement
The LA should consider whether any potential conflicts of interest will arise from its dual role of deciding about satisfactory completion of induction, and responding to schools’ requests to provide support for NQTs, especially if they are at risk of not meeting the core standards.
Some LAs are addressing the need to separate these functions by identifying a small panel of officers and/or headteachers/principals to make the decision about satisfactory completion of induction.
Schools should alert the LA to any concerns about a particular NQT as early as possible; LAs should offer support and guidance to any schools that require it to discharge their responsibilities. This communication between the school and LA, coupled with the LA's quality assurance mechanisms means an LA will only rarely disagree with the headteacher’s/principal’s assessment of an NQT. If there is a disagreement, the final outcome will be decided by the LA, or by the appeal body if an NQT wishes to appeal against the LA’s decision.
