Sunday October 2, 2011

Agency Workers Regulations

Class Cover are very pleased to announce that we are prepared and ready for AWR which arrived on October 1st.

We have been working closely with the People Management Team at West Sussex County Council to share our strategies concerning AWR and have sought legal advice to put together our company strategy.  We are pleased to confirm that in most cases these new regulations will not affect day to day assignments.  Our ‘daily cover teachers’ who do not fulfill the criteria of ‘specified work’ will remain unchanged in terms of our daily charge rate.   Our ‘planning teachers’ who carry out ‘specified work’ will, after the qualifying period, be entitled to the same terms and conditions with regard to remuneration comparable to a direct recruit.

As from the 1st October, at the point of booking, our Consultants will need to identify whether the assignment requires a ‘daily cover teacher’ or a ‘planning teacher’.   The list of five questions which will be asked at the point of taking the booking are as follows: 

1. Is the teacher expected to plan and prepare lessons for this booking?

2. Is the teacher expected to deliver a pre-prepared lesson?

3. Is the teacher expected to mark work during the booking?

4. Is the teacher expected to assess and report on the development, progress and attainment of pupils?

5. Is the teacher expected to take part in extra-curricular school activities e.g. parents’ evenings, lunchtime duties, trips and visits?

Confirmation of the cover required will be included on all the booking confirmations sent out to you from 1 October.

Providing our ‘daily cover teachers’ are only expected to deliver the lessons and mark the work during the assignment, then this booking will be deemed to be requiring a ‘daily cover teacher’. 

For long term assignments where a ‘planning teacher’ is required to carry out ‘specified work’ there are several solutions to minimise the impact and we will be delighted to discuss this with each individual school.  Furthermore, if you would find it beneficial to arrange a presentation at your school or a group of schools together then please do contact us.   Our designated AWR Compliance Officer is Mario Giordano, however all of our Consultants are able to answer any queries you may have.  

As holders of the Quality Mark, our governing body the REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation) require us to issue updated Contracts to reflect the new regulations and these will be forwarded to you shortly.  We would like to reassure you that our Contracts do not tie you into an exclusive arrangement with Class Cover.  Our robust strategy and monitoring procedures will ensure that both Class Cover as the ‘agency’ and the School as the ‘hirer’ will be embracing the Agency Workers Regulations.

We would like to assure you of our continued commitment to providing your school with outstanding teaching staff and excellent customer service. 

In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the team at Class Cover if you require any further information at this stage.

Kind regards

Class Cover Ltd

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