Schools Personnel Service Breakfast Briefing www thesps co

Schools’ Personnel Service Breakfast Briefing www. the-sps. co. uk

Payroll Update Nicola Cadell

Operational Team Updates • SPS Service Enhancements: • Live Chat • E-Form update – automated contracts • Teachers Pensions – Monthly Data Collection (MDC) • Apprenticeship Levy • HMRC and Autumn Statement Updates • Free School Meals • Reminders

SPS Service Enhancements – • Live Chat – now available • Pilot with 22 customers currently with positive feedback • Ability to chat to a member of the SPS helpdesk team as and when you need to between the hours of 8. 30 am and 5. 00 pm • Immediate response to enquiry – no waiting • Access to all areas of SPS website so links can be provided as part of the call • Reference Number allocated so you can locate the call and chat history through the portal • If further advice is required a call will be made to you immediately or at a mutually agreed time

SPS Service Enhancements –

SPS Service Enhancements –

SPS Service Enhancements –

SPS Service Enhancements – “ Feedback Received so far: The Live Chat facility has been invaluable to me and I have used it regularly during the trial period. No more waiting in queues to speak to somebody and no waiting for a call back! With Live Chat I have started an online conversation immediately and have had answers to my payroll/personnel queries straight away. “ The operators have been efficient and helpful. It is a massive time saver and to receive the transcript of the conversation by email is so much better than receiving an email with a long reference number logging your call. I can't recommend Live Chat highly enough.

SPS Service Enhancements – “ Feedback Received so far: I have only had a couple of occasions to use the Live Chat, but on those occasions I have found it very useful. Having a direct dialogue with a member of SPS was very effective in getting a speedy and satisfactory solution to my enquiry. “ It was, also, time effective as it was possible to carry on with other tasks whilst having the dialogue.

SPS Service Enhancements – “ Feedback Received so far: I have found Live Chat really useful and very easy to use. The fact that I could get a reply straightaway was great and that there was a record of what has been discussed was good too. “ I had a sickness query which I used Live Chat for and would have made more use of it if something else had cropped up.

Service Enhancements – E-Forms Update • Review of current standard contract templates; • Updated wording • Only Part 1 and 2, Part 3 incorporated into Part 1 • New Appointment E-Form – review to allow for better capture of information • Contracts Templates populated from information submitted on E-Form • Following submission contract will be accessible immediately

Service Enhancements – E-Forms Update • Streamlined information when submitting form allows for population to our standard contract template • SPS will quality check contracts to ensure compliance and will discuss any problems with schools • Word Version of template allows for updates to be added before being signed off and passed to the member of staff • Bespoke Contracts – Meeting with customers to review current templates with a view to auto populating via E-Forms

Teachers Pensions – Monthly Data Collection (MDC) • Will become a statutory return from April 2018 • Replaces Annual Service Return • Data to be submitted monthly alongside monthly contributions return – will need to be produced through payroll as earnings related • Data to be submitted by 7 th of the month • Errors to be addressed and resolved by last day of the month ready for following month

Teachers Pensions – Monthly Data Collection (MDC) • KCC responsible for LA Schools – only 1 return can be submitted for this – further communication to be sent about this • Academies as Employers responsible for their return • Employers have to inform TP of date to go live – latest date to do this is December 2017 • TP are now sending a number of reminders to employers to sign up • SPS Inte. Pay are currently working to produce the report via the payroll platforms used and will liaise with customers in the new year with regards to ‘go live date’

Apprenticeship Levy – April 2017 • From 6 th April 2017, the Finance Act (part 6) 2016, will place an obligation on employers to contribute to a new apprenticeship levy • Policy reflects a desire by the Government to provide adequate investment in training • Levy has been set at 0. 5% of the employer’s NI’able pay bill • • Levy will be paid through PAYE alongside Tax and National Insurance • Therefore only those employers with an annual NI’able salary bill of over £ 3 m will have to contribute funds beyond the £ 15, 000 allowance • Employers will need to monitor their NI’able salary bill as once £ 3 m is reached, the levy will need to be applied • Some employers are considered to be linked and so treated as one employer Central Government have already committed to provide £ 15, 000 annual allowance in order to contribute to the levy

Apprenticeship Levy – April 2017 • The allowance and any additional levied funds will be paid into a digital account that can be accessed by the employer in order to pay for training and development • Employers will be able to easily access to the digital scheme, with information available on demand, with access to service providers to help develop their apprenticeship programmes • KCC has set a target to offer 464 school apprenticeships from April 2017 – part of an overall target of 2. 3% of it’s workforce • Questions still to be answered with regards to which employers are considered to be linked (share the £ 15, 000 and how this is to be shared) • Recognition that further communication is needed and this will be forthcoming once HMRC publish further details – Dec 2016 • SPS are currently looking at payroll platforms to ensure compliance and ability to administer this for customers

HMRC and Autumn Statement Updates • National Living Wage increases to £ 7. 50 from April 2017 • Kent Scheme Pay Scales will be increased accordingly to comply • Those Schools/Academies maintaining their own pay scales will need to undertake their own review to ensure compliance • National Minimum Wage will become: • £ 3. 50 for Apprentices • £ 4. 05 for 16 -17 year olds • £ 5. 60 for 18 -20 year olds • £ 7. 05 for 21 -24 year olds • This change will take effect from April 2017 rather than October • From April 2018, termination payments over £ 30, 000 will become NI’able – already taxed

HMRC and Autumn Statement Updates • National Insurance – Employers threshold will be aligned with employees at £ 157 per week – will increase salary bills • Default Tax Code – confirmed as 1150 L - £ 11, 500 tax free pay, with 40% threshold increased to £ 45, 000 • Salary Sacrifice is effectively abolished from April 2017; • Tax and NI breaks on schemes will be removed so employees will need to pay deductions on the earnings before the sacrifice is applied • Exemptions remain – Childcare and Cycle 2 work (the two principle KCC schemes are therefore protected) and ultra low emission company cars • All existing arrangements in place prior to April 2017, may run until April 2018, where they will need to cease or apply the tax change • SPS Inte. Pay will review current customer arrangements in conjunction with customers to confirm the impact

HMRC and Autumn Statement Updates • Personal Tax Account – Ability to access HMRC details held about you • https: //www. gov. uk/log-in-register-hmrc-online-services • Register e-mail address for notifications • For set up you will need access to; • Recent Payslip or P 60 • National Insurance Number • Telephone • Will be able to register for on-line notifications and view Tax codes, NI, child benefit and tax credits, state pension details and figures • Will be able to update details online

Free School Meals • SPS Helpdesk are now processing the FSMS calls and enquiries • Contact telephone remains unchanged: 03000 415123 • Email remains unchanged: Freeschool. Meals@kent. gov. uk • Please encourage parents to apply online. They can even use their Smart phones • There is a new improved FSM Application Form available on the SPS Website for parents who have no computer access • The School on-line login to FSMS remains unchanged: https: //www. cloudforedu. org. uk/ofsm/kent/school

Reminders • SPS Inte. Pay Submission Deadline is 7 th December • December Pay Day is Thursday 22 nd December • Power Hour 1 – Introduction to HR continues and Power Hour 5 – Introduction to Payroll – new from this Academic Year • TCP – Indicative date for spreadsheets to be sent to schools will be around 22 February 2017 and deadline for receipt with SPS will be 17 March 2017 for inclusion in April pay • Teachers Pensions – reminder that teachers need to register to manage their record on line – check for missing service

Kent-Teach Katerina Nicholaou

Teaching, the Best Superhero Job in the World?

Over 1 million views to www. Kent. Teach. com a year Over 109, 000 registered members Over 5, 000 monthly views to our blog Over 10, 000 teaching applications per year 21% of applications a month are submitted through a mobile device Over 39, 000 teaching, leadership and support applications per year 70% of applications are as a result of people finding the vacancy on Kent. Teach Only 0. 1% of total applications in 2015/16 were submitted via TES

* Get creative with your recruitment

• Interview week in New Zealand October 2016 • 26 teachers seen • Mix of primary and secondary: experienced and newly qualified • 14 amazing teachers for Kent Schools • An alternative way to recruit during the national teacher shortage • Kent-Teach will continue to work in partnership with schools across Kent

HR Consultancy Kate Trevor Jo Wakeman Sarah Wyllie Sophie Young

Rewarding Performance for Teachers

Background April 2013 Department for Education published draft School Teachers Pay & Conditions Document Move towards performance related pay

The Reality Is? Has there really been that much change! Are you confident that you truly recognise performance in your school?

Pay Example Teacher Salary on M 2 (2015 rate) - £ 24, 003 Point 2016 Annual Salary M 1 £ 22, 467. 00 M 2 £ 24, 243. 00 M 3 £ 26, 192. 00 M 4 £ 28, 207. 00 M 5 £ 30, 430. 00 M 6 £ 33, 160. 00 Pros and Cons of removing reference points? What factors are most important to your school?

Next Steps • Please discuss this issue with your School Leaders • Review your Pay Policy • The SPS team can help you

National Living Wage v Living Wage Low Pay Commission projections: 2017 - £ 7. 60 2018 - £ 8. 05 2019 - £ 8. 55 2020 - £ 9. 02

National Living Wage (25 & Over) - £ 7. 20 Standard (21 - 24) - £ 6. 95 Development (18 - 20) - £ 5. 55 Young Workers (16 - 17) - £ 4. 00 Apprentice (Under 19 or in first year of apprenticeship) - £ 3. 40

National Living Wage • Kent’s position • Check your pay scales • Ensure that you are paying the required rate

Training

www. the-sps. co. uk/training

is now live! www. the-sps. co. uk/training

Coming Soon… 360 Leadership Review Our new SPS 360 delivers a structured and facilitated review of leadership practice aligned to the Standards of Excellence for Head teachers. The resulting insights captured in the 18+ page report serve to support the professional development of individual leaders and leadership teams. Enabling leaders to develop individually and collectively – capitalising on areas of strength and planning collaborative CPD.

Coming Soon. . . Webinars for Terms 3 and 4 January: February: March: Kent Teach share insights into new methods & strategies to promote your vacancies and attract the right people to your school jobs. Kent Legal Services provide an Employment Law Surgery We look at managing special leave requests

Coming Soon. . . Employment Law Conference Working in partnership with our friends at Kent Legal Services we’re readily planning an Employment Law Conference open to schools and business leaders alike. Delivered by esteemed legal experts this event will be informative and engaging with keynote speakers and workshops covering the latest hot topics.

Coming Soon. . . Redundancy and Restructure Support for Staff We have developed a programme of support for affected staff helping them to plan and prepare their next steps.

To find out more… Tel: 03000 418677 Email: Summer. macer@kent. gov. uk Website: www. the-sps. co. uk/training

Break

Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Updates Lisa Bugh

Delays to DBS Checks • The DBS release monthly figures detailing police disclosure units and how they are performing against Service Level Agreements (SLA’s); • Red Police Forces – Overall performance is of concern; action and recovery plans are in place to promote improvement, • Current red LPF’s – Metropolitan and Surrey • Amber Police Forces – Overall performance is good in some areas, worse in others, being closely monitored. • Current Amber LPD’s – Hampshire, North Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Great Manchester, South Yorkshire, Sussex, Dorset, Essex, Nottinghamshire, Cleveland Northumbria. • Kent Police Force is currently Green.

Police Force Delays • Police performance figures as of September 2016:

Police Force Delays • The SPS Employmentcheck DBS escalation process: • Applications have to be outstanding at Stage 4 ‘Records held by the police search’ for 60 days or more before an escalation request can be made by the team. • This can be done online via the DBS tacking page by both the team or the applicant. • The team escalates checks online on a weekly basis. • If a result is not received within a further 10 working days after the online escalation, the team will contact the DBS to enquire what LPF the check is with. • The team will then contact the LPF directly to chase the status of the DBS application.

Police Force Delays • What can you do to prevent new employees being effected by the delays? • Begin the DBS process as soon as possible once an offer has been made by creating a check on the SPS Employmentcheck System. • Use our Portability service if the applicant is eligible via our online Portability request form. • Consider a Children’s Barred List check – please note employees must be supervised whilst working until a full check has been returned. • Ensure all information is correct on the application form before submitting to prevent delays. • In some cases the check can be escalated via the hardship route.

Eligibility - Governors • Academies: Enhanced DBS check with the Children’s barred list (Volunteer) • All academies are registered as independent schools and as such the governors and staff must have received an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check with a check against the Children's Barred List. • The chair of governors is responsible for ensuring that appropriate checks are carried out on all personnel who could potentially come into contact with children, young people and vulnerable groups.

Eligibility - Governors • Schools: Enhanced DBS check only (Volunteer) • If Governors are only attending meetings and not regularly interacting with children, they would not be eligible for a check against the Children's Barred list. • However if they are undertaking one of the listed activities on the required frequency basis (once a week on an on-going basis, or four or more times in a 30 day period), then this is classed as regulated activity and a check for the Children’s barred is required. • Please select the job title to read as ‘Helper in School’ to reflect that their duties go beyond the standard Governor role.

Disclosures with Content • When a DBS certificate is issued with content: • An email advising that the certificate needs to be seen is sent to the Manager • SPS will telephone the Head Teacher to notify them that the disclosure has • • • content. The candidate will receive a copy of the certificate - you will need to ask them to provide their certificate to view the additional information. SPS will not receive information as to what is disclosed on the certificate. If the applicant wishes to dispute the information they will need to contact the DBS directly. The manager to be notified will need to be updated on the system if responsibilities change – this can be updated on the ‘Edit’ screen. The SPS team may not be able to speak to the Head Teacher during the school holidays – please check the status of new employee’s checks before they begin working at the school.

Assessing Disclosure with Content • When assessing an applicants criminal record, the following should be considered: • Nature, seriousness and relevance • How long ago it occurred • If it was a one-off or part of a big history • Circumstances of it being committed • Changes in applicant’s personal circumstance • Country of conviction • Decriminalisation • Remorse • Once you have made your recruitment decision: • Inform the SPS Employmentcheck team • Update your SCR

SPS Employmentcheck Update • The new developments to the SPS Employmentcheck system will go live in December 2016. • Improvements have been made to the site using your feedback: • User friendly system which is • • • ER B M E C E D G HIN C N U LA 2016! clearer and easier to use One system login for both creating applications and ID verifications Added validation on the application form helps to prevent errors Referencing module to be launched early next year

SPS Employmentcheck Update • Improvements have been made to the site using your feedback: • New training manuals have been created to aid users • Training videos will be available on the system to refer to

Employment and Immigration Training • We have delivered a number of training sessions over the past few months. • Topics covered include: • Understanding who can take up lawful employment • How to check that staff have the right to work in the UK • Certificate of Sponsorship process and how SPS can support with this • DBS refresher • Single Central Record • Further training sessions will be scheduled for March 2017

Contact Us Tel: 03000 411115 Email: sales@the-sps. co. uk Website: www. the-sps. co. uk Twitter: @thesps_online