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Reflecting on the past month, as part of April’s snapshot, keep up with the latest sector developments.
Let's tackle your challenges
With more than 3.2 million working days missed by teachers because of illness in the 2021-22 academic year, more needs to be done to support and understand the root cause. Managing employee absence in schools and trusts is just one of the mammoth tasks to keep track of, which is why we want to find out more about your current situation and where you find the most difficulties in managing this.
With our new software in the wings, we want to gather intel from schools and trusts like yours to better understand your circumstances and how our approach can help improve and simplify your situation.
<< Please spend a few minutes completing our questionnaire >>
Submit your application for the academy conversion grant
🚨Changes to the eligibility criteria for the £25,000 academy conversion grant will take effect from September and may impact your Trust's growth plans. Make sure you've read the latest guidance, particularly if you registered your interest by the 26 April deadline. Read our overview to find out more about the changes and important deadlines to meet.
Our Leadership & MAT Development Team can provide bespoke advice on navigating your academy conversion and the process. If you'd benefit from speaking with us, please get in touch.
Be part of the conversation
We recently hosted two roundtable events on people strategy, allowing sector colleagues to come together, in a safe space, to share their experiences and ideas. Our first, delivered in our Newton Aycliffe office, kicked off our engaging series of School Leaders Breakfast events, which will be taking place over the next couple of months. Details about our future sessions are below.
⚖️ Handling complaints from a legal and governance perspective - 21 May
💼 Financial planning and procurement advice - 6 June
🌍 Strategic planning and focus for the next academic year - 20 June
The roundtable session was alive with insightful discussions about developing and embedding effective people strategies in Trusts - with local leaders embracing the opportunity to talk openly about their situations. It's important to remember that an influential people strategy is paramount in fostering aspiration, championing collaboration, and supporting staff in the workplace.
Many of our attendees resonated with the challenge of having individual policies and strategies that still need to be integrated into a comprehensive people strategy framework. And it was great to dive into differing approaches to wellbeing, engagement, and personal development, emphasising the importance of data in measuring impact and success.
To learn more about developing a People Strategy, please reach out to us!
Harness your data for effective school management
Transform your school management systems by integrating our software, EPM Connect, and improve the management of administrative duties, financial operations, monitoring performance, and resource allocation. With data analytics at your fingertips, you can uncover insights, predict trends, and make evidence-based decisions. And, in an increasingly data-driven world, making the most of your analytics to find a solution simply makes sense. Not only that, but it's also a necessary part of schools and trusts wanting to thrive and excel in the competitive landscape. Understand how to get the best outcomes from your data by diving into our recent blog.
An update on holiday pay
Following further government guidance updates, you must be prepared to proactively implement and manage changes to the payroll for casual workers with holiday leave years commencing on or after 1 April 2024. Please familiarise yourself with the reforms to ensure that holiday entitlement is correct for your part-year and irregular hours workers.
Remember, if casual workers begin to work regularly or at any point become employees who no longer meet the definition of a part-year or irregular hours worker, you should consider offering the individual a contract of employment with at least 5.6 weeks holiday entitlement (your contractual holiday entitlements are likely to be higher than this already) and moving away from using RHP.
EPM customers should read our updated bulletin with accompanying FAQs and watch the recording of our live Q&A for more details.
The importance of a 3-year budget
Between 1 May and 30 June, maintained schools should be producing and submitting a 3-year budget plan to their local authorities. While some local authorities are still not making a 3-year budget compulsory, they form a crucial aspect of best practice. 3-year budgeting will give your School an insight into the future and encourage proactive solutions, whether that's surrounding falling pupils on rolls, reducing income, or inflation on costs. Of course, budgets are only as good as the assumptions made, but they enable potential problems to be spotted and stopped before becoming reality. You'll find further details about the importance of a 3-year budget in our blog.
Dates for your diary
Reserve your place online for our May training sessions
DBS Update Service Masterclass - 8 May > Recommended for anyone with HR responsibilities and particularly those involved in recruitment practices
Shared Parental Leave Training - 14 May > Recommended for SLT, line managers, SBMs, and anyone who wishes to develop their knowledge
Ill-Health Retirement Training - 16 May > Recommended for SLT, line managers, and anyone else who deals with this in their role
Safer Recruitment Admin Workshop - 16 May > Recommended for school staff involved in safer recruitment
School Leaders Breakfast Roundtable - Handling Complaints from a Legal and Governance Perspective - 21 May > Recommended for those local to Newton Aycliffe, including CEOs, CFOs, COOs, School Business Managers, Governance Managers
Creating a Positive Safeguarding Culture: How to Make a Good DBS Referral - 21 May > Recommended for anyone with HR responsibilities and particularly those involved in recruitment practices
Managing Investigations Training - 21 May > Recommended for Managers and HR professionals who are responsible for carrying out investigations
