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Section 5 - Redeployment and Temporary Appointments
All teachers are employed by an education authority and assigned to a particular place of employment. They may be liable to transfer to another place of employment should the authority require it.
Redeployment
There may be situations such as school closures or mergers, where the authority may need to consider permanent redeployment of existing staff within their employment and in such circumstances may decide not to advertise the post. Clearly parents need to know when any such changes are likely to affect their child's school and in such circumstances, authorities should, in accordance with regulation 4, consult with the relevant Parent Councils. Authorities need to ensure that the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher to be deployed can demonstrate an awareness of the specific requirements of the school about to be taken over. This process may entail some form of informal selection process. While, in relation to redeployment, there is no statutory requirement for the Parent Council to have any further involvement in the appointment process beyond the consultation phase, the Act itself is concerned generally with involving parents in their children's education. Authorities should consider what role the Parent Council can be given in the circumstances of redeployment, for example, in being given the opportunity to have an informal meeting with any proposed new appointee in their school.
Temporary Transfers
Temporary transfers of senior staff can and should continue to happen for very good management and educational reasons. It is important that authorities should retain maximum flexibility in order to maintain the good order of the service. However such moves must reflect a judgement with regard to the benefit of the children in the receiving schools, balanced against the loss for the interests of the children in the transferring school, with further regard to the education service or the professional development of an individual Headteacher or Deputy. Authorities should therefore, when developing their new appointments procedures, incorporate a policy on transferring staff to be agreed locally, which incorporates a role for parents in the process.
Examples of reasons for transfer could include:
- school closures and mergers, it may be possible to assign a Headteacher or Deputy temporarily whilst a permanent appointment is being found;
- cover for long term absence;
- providing extra support to another school;
- continuous professional development for individuals (for example a Deputy Headteacher of a small school may require a period in a larger school to enable further progression);
- secondments into the authority or to external organisations bring proven rewards to the individual professionally and enhanced wider educational policy making.
Clearly parents need to know when any such changes are likely to affect their child's school. Many councils already have good practice of consulting school boards on such matters, and this practice ought to be extended. Where a Headteacher or Deputy is being transferred for whatever reason, the education authority should consult with the Parent Councils of the schools involved.
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