Bolton St Catherine’s
Academy opened its doors for the first time in September
2009. In 2012 it will move into a new state-of-the-art £36m
building. The academy, which specialises in business and
enterprise, leadership and mathematics, was formed when Withins
Secondary School and Top o’th’ Brow Primary School closed. Located
in a highly deprived area, it has capacity for 1,200 pupils aged
3-18.HR Director Claire Wilkinson looks after around 160 staff.
Here she talks about why she’s looking forward to working with
Mentor.
YOUR KEY
CHALLENGES?
One is achieving long-term financial
stability. In the current financial climate, we will need to look
at our expenditure. We anticipate pupil numbers will increase later
on this decade. As more pupils enrol, funding increases
pro-rata.
We need to work innovatively to raise
standards of teaching and learning and improve the outcomes for our
young people. From a staff perspective, it’s about creating an
environment where staff are fully engaged in the life of the
academy. It’s important they buy into its ethos and culture.
We’re hoping Mentor will be able to
guide us through the next couple of years, to get us into the new
building and help us achieve our objectives.
WHY DID YOU SOURCE A SUPPLIER
FOR EMPLOYMENT LAW & HR?
The local authority was our previous
supplier and we were seeking a more business-oriented/focused
option.
WHAT SORT OF ISSUES DO YOU
FACE NOW?
HR policies state very clear time
frames for meetings to be held. On advice from our existing HR
advisers, we ended up waiting six to eight weeks just for the
initial meeting because of the unavailability of union
representation.
We need advice that will help the
academy achieve speedy resolutions to disputes. Absence management
is another example in terms of the length of time taken to resolve
unsatisfactory attendance.
A significant issue is the massive
change that everyone went through when transferring from the
predecessor school. Some people find change challenging and resist
new policies and procedures.
We inherited policies from the local
authority and adapted those. We are now beginning to revisit those
policies and make sure they are relevant. This is an area we are
looking to Mentor for support with.
The move to a new building will bring
some change in working practices. If we can get our policies and
procedures fit for purpose now it will help.
WHY MENTOR?
The support and services on offer –
24/7 helpline, the fact we are getting a very quick response and
the confidence that advice is up to date and accurate.
The litigation back-up and insurance
indemnity is a big draw. Policies and documentation are other key
factors but, more than that, I was impressed with the effort Mentor
put in to secure our business. They visited the academy two or
three times and did a presentation for our governors. A couple of
practitioners actually came on site to answer questions and
demonstrate the support they offer.
And value for money; compared with our
previous provider, we get better provision for similar financial
outlay.
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would like further information on how
NatWest
Mentor
can support your sector please click
here.
For details on
how
NatWest
Mentor could
help your business in situations like this and many
others, contact
us today. If you already subscribe
to Mentor, please call the Advice
Service.