Whilst it is understandable that middle staff may want to start looking for alternative jobs as soon as a decision to close is made, there are a number of initiatives which will help the retention of middle school staff.
Salary safeguarding does not apply until the start of the transition. For example, the academic year prior to closure when the middle school loses its year 5 and will need to reduce their staffing accordingly. This helps retain staff particularly those on higher grades and/or responsibility allowances.
First and upper schools, who will need to increase their staff to cater for the additional year groups, will require upper KS2 and lower KS3 experience and will provide the main source of recruitment for the middle schools. These schools will be encouraged to prepare their 3-year resource plans and organisational structures early on. They also need to start recruiting into the new structures by offering post dated contracts to Middle School staff who can take up the new posts either the year before closure or as soon as the Middle School has closed.
Post dated contracts are an effective way of addressing staffing issues within the pyramid.
The SOR team will also encourage schools within a pyramid or cluster to work more closely and to form staffing working groups. This is where heads can meet regularly, discuss their staffing requirements and how they can help each other within their group of schools.
Where middle schools have a surplus of staff during the transition year, rather than make them redundant, they may be able to second staff to other middle schools with a shortage.
Staff whose schools have closed and haven’t been able to secure posts may be interested in working for a closing middle school for a year or so without losing the right to redundancy.
Where the staff shortage cannot be resolved within the pyramid a first or an upper school may decide to appoint a new member of staff earlier than required and second them to the middle school for that duration. Failing that, temporary appointments can be made or supply teachers as a last resort.
It is important to note that it is to the pyramid’s benefit, in particular the upper school, to ensure that middle schools are not left without the right level of staffing and not to allow standards to drop.