In a recent survey of over 9,000 NEU support staff members, half of the respondents (49 per cent) said their job description does not reflect the work they do, while 14 per cent have never seen a job description at all. More than a third (38%) said their job description has never been reviewed during their employment.
Inaccurate job descriptions are a key cause of support staff working beyond contracted hours, as detailed above, and of the increase in workload, as detailed below. The NEU is deeply concerned that support staff members are regularly working beyond their contracted hours and taking on additional duties outside their job role without pay. Support staff members, reps and union groups should challenge this in their workplaces.
Job descriptions
What is a job description?
A job description should detail the purpose, tasks and responsibilities of a particular job. The national agreement for support staff outlined in School Support Staff – The Way Forward Agreement says that “every member of staff needs a comprehensive job description reviewed on a regular basis”.
Even for standard school roles, such as teaching assistants, librarians, technicians and administrators, job descriptions can be amended to account for any additional duties the post holder is expected to carry out. While a job description does not have the same legal standing, it should be provided to a new employee at the same time as the contract of employment.
How can a job description be changed?
Government guidance on the Workload Agreement states that headteachers should “consult with staff regarding changes to their job descriptions. Agreement (must be found) if there is a substantial change to a role.” This clearly indicates that changes to job descriptions should not be imposed, but rather agreed.
Employers should notify and consult with unions on proposed changes to working conditions and working practices that will affect members prior to their implementation.
If you wish to amend your job description to encompass changes to your role and responsibilities, you should first update it yourself, using the model job profiles for guidance. Refer to pages 9-34 of School Support Staff – The Way Forward Agreement
Before embarking on a challenge to your existing job description or grading, it is a good idea to consult your NEU school rep. If you do not have a rep at your school, you can always seek advice from your local branch or district or contact Adviceline
You should then talk informally to your line manager, to try to reach an agreement on the revised job description. Should the informal approach not result in a satisfactory outcome, then you have recourse to the school's grievance procedure, whichever is applicable. However, it is likely that more than one support staff member has an inaccurate job description and a collective union response may be the best next step.
Advice for reps
Reps should raise the matter of inaccurate job descriptions for support staff at a members’ meeting and coordinate and collectivise the approach to support staff achieving accurate job descriptions.
Once job descriptions are up to date, the next step may be a need for job evaluations to ensure that support staff members' pay reflects the work they do.
Job evaluations
Job evaluation is the assessment of the relative worth of varied jobs within an organisation based on a consistent set of job and personal factors, such as skills, qualifications, experience and training required.
LAs use one of two different job evaluation schemes, when undertaking a complete overhaul of their grading structures, as part of what is called single status, and for ongoing reviews of individual posts.
The national local government single status job evaluation scheme has been developed jointly by the local government employees and unions and has been incorporated into Part 4 of The Green Book
But increasingly popular with employers is the Greater London provincial council scheme (GLPC) which, despite its parochial title,e is used by LAs in many parts of the country when implementing single status.
By using a job evaluation scheme such as GLPC, employers are able to ensure that jobs with vastly different characteristics can be assessed and remunerated on a fair and equitable basis.
Frequently asked questions
I think I am underpaid for what I do - how do I get my job re-evaluated?
You must first ensure that your job description is accurate and up to date, and in particular, you should highlight any additions made to it since you started in the role. You should then share it with your line manager, with a view to agreeing on its’ terms. If your manager says that any of the new items contained therein should be taken out, you will need to state that, if the manager is insistent, then they will need to reallocate those duties to another member of staff. Note that a job description is just that - a description of the job in question. Management does not have the right to pick and choose which current duties are included in, or excluded from, your job description.
If no agreement can be reached with your line manager on the contents of your job description, then you have three options:
- To use the Grievance Procedure, to individually escalate the matter within the school
- To go directly to the locally agreed arrangements which should be in place for local grading appeals. If your employer follows the Green Book, Part 2, Paragraph 5.3 states
“An employee dissatisfied with the grading of their job is entitled to appeal for a reconsideration of the grading. Procedures will be agreed locally to deal with such appeals.”
- Collectivise the issue: It is likely that more than one support staff member has an inaccurate job description. Ask your rep for this issue to be raised at a NEU members’ meeting in order to coordinate and collectivise the approach to support staff achieving accurate job descriptions.
If, however, your manager agrees with the contents of your revised job description, then they should ask the Head to consider an upgrade: The school does not have to submit your revised job description for a formal evaluation, if they deem it unnecessary and are prepared to upgrade you in line with your wishes.
Can I ask for a grading review?
Yes. It is important to stress that you are perfectly within your rights to request a grading review. The support staff national agreement states that “any additional responsibilities taken on by support staff need to be assessed against the grading system”.
The Workload Agreement Monitoring Group (WAMG) guidance is even more emphatic: “It is incumbent on all schools to ensure that support staff roles and responsibilities, i.e., job descriptions - reflect the skills, training, expertise and experience of members of staff and that such attributes are reflected in appropriate pay and rewards and fair conditions of employment.”
For those members who are covered by the Green Book, job evaluation schemes are part of the pay and grading framework. Crucially, employees have a contractual right to appeal their grading if dissatisfied - Green Book Part 2, Paragraph 5.3.
A number of the support staff in my school believe we are underpaid - what can we do?
Speak to your NEU rep. You and your colleagues can seek to pursue the matter informally at first. If that proves unsuccessful, then you should consider submitting a collective grievance, to be signed by all members involved or as a more effective approach, collectivise the issue with the support of your union group.
What about the independent sector and free schools?
Our support staff members in the independent sector and free schools may not be covered by the various national agreements and guidance mentioned above, but that does not mean to say that inaccurate job descriptions should be tolerated or pay anomalies should go unchallenged. The same approach to job descriptions should be adopted as in the maintained sector.
Job evaluation in independent and free schools
It is unlikely that your school uses a job evaluation scheme to work out the pay rates of its various employees. That should not prevent you from challenging your current grading through discussions with your line manager, and if necessary, via the school grievance procedure. Before starting on this course, you should seek guidance from your NEU school rep.
What about support staff in academies?
If you wish to have your job re-evaluated, please speak to your line manager and NEU representative in the first instance. If the initial approach does not work, you may wish to formally seek to resolve the issue as described above.