School Teachers' Review Body Member

The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) is an independent body which makes recommendations to the Government on the pay and conditions of school teachers in England.

The STRB assesses evidence from Government and organisations representing schools and the teacher workforce, and visits schools and local authorities to develop its understanding of issues facing teachers. In recent years, the STRB has been asked to report on a variety of matters, including establishing a stronger link between teachers’ pay and performance, and providing greater flexibilities for governing bodies to produce individual pay policies for their schools.

Further information on the STRB is available here.

The STRB is now seeking to fill a vacancy, and is looking to recruit a member that demonstrates the following criteria:

Essential Criteria:

• Recent senior leadership experience within an educational setting, for example, a former headteacher.
• A detailed knowledge and understanding of workforce issues and operations within an educational setting, including recruiting, retaining and motivating an effective teacher workforce.
• An understanding of pay, remuneration, performance management and reward issues and an appreciation of the policy, financial and operational constraints that impact on remuneration decisions.
• The ability to analyse and interpret a large amount of complex and sensitive information, providing insight and a working knowledge over the impact of any potential decisions on the teacher workforce.
• An ability to communicate effectively in collective decision making, providing sound argument and assessing/debating conflicting opinions within a group to form a coherent set of recommendations.
• A sound understanding of and commitment to equal opportunities, public service values and principles of public life and the ability to act impartially and uphold the independence of the STRB.

Eligibility and disqualifications from appointment

Serving teachers and headteachers

Serving teachers or headteachers may apply but can only be appointed if they resign from their post. Serving civil servants may also apply but can only be appointed if they resign from their Civil Service post.

Consultant headteachers

The eligibility of consultant headteachers very much depends on the nature of their work. Advisory work as a consultant headteacher would not in itself disqualify a candidate, as long as the work is distinct from actually being a headteacher.

Consultant headteachers will almost certainly face potential conflicts of interest, but of overriding importance is that their work should not be able to be interpreted as: a) benefiting from the decisions taken by the STRB; or b) taking payment for providing an STRB perspective. This means that consultant headteachers should not be paid under the STPCD (or be in a way directly linked to it), and they should not work on developing and implementing pay policies; more general work on school improvement, the use of pupil premium etc. is more likely to be acceptable.

Consultant headteachers should bear in mind when applying that all conflicts of interest are explored fully at the interview stage by the assessment panel, and that if the panel judges there to be a conflict of interest, the candidate may be required to resign from his or her existing role (as serving headteachers would be) before being permitted to take up a position on the STRB. All candidates must declare actual or potential conflicts of interest as part of their applications.

Appointment

This position will provide an influential and intellectually stimulating challenge for the right individual, who will contribute to the recruitment, retention and motivation of an effective teacher workforce. As a member of the STRB you will bring your own expertise, alongside a high degree of analytical ability, strong communication skills and, ideally, an appreciation of public sector reward issues.

This is a ministerial appointment and will initially be for up to three years. The time commitment for this position is approximately 25 days per year, for which an attendance allowance of £300 per day is payable, along with reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs.

The closing date for applications is 7 February 2019.

Details of how to apply are contained in the information pack for applicants. Please note there may be a period of a month between the application closing date and candidates being invited to interview.

Appointment will be made on merit following an open, fair and transparent competition.

We value and promote diversity and are committed to equality of opportunity for all and appointments made on merit.

Please visit the public appointments website for more information and details of how to apply at: Home - Centre for Public Appointments