ABSTRACT
The employment of adults other than teachers in schools has proceeded steadily since the mid 1990s. Teachers and head teachers have welcomed the classroom and administrative support that an additional workforce provides, but this significant workforce development has, it can be argued, happened in a somewhat piece-meal way. This is not, however, meant as a criticism of schools as they have had to manage and implement many reforms at the same time as employing and integrating additional staff to help progress these reforms. Workforce remodelling, in theory, is an opportunity for schools to bring about a more effective organisation of all staff. This chapter explores the gap that can occur between policy and practice. Linda Hammersley-Fletcher and Michelle Lowe consider findings from a small-scale study of eight Staffordshire schools. They find that the legislative requirements of remodelling are being addressed in a range of ways, with a tendency to prioritise cover for teachers’ ‘planning, preparation and assessment’ (PPA) time rather than the wider purposes of remodelling embracing the work–life balance of all employees. They describe varied approaches to the establishment of school ‘change teams’ and question the extent to which all staff across the eight schools are truly represented and consulted.
