Staff Update
Message to Staff – 28 February 2025
Pay rise proposal
Price increase for subsidised staff meals
Head of Nottingham Provision appointed
Parent/carer code of conduct launched
Dear Colleague
Pay rise proposal
Hopefully your Staff Council or Union representative will have made you aware of the proposal from the Board of Governors.
We are proposing 6.73% for the majority of staff but the most highly paid staff the offer is slightly lower at 5%.
The reason for a slightly differentiated offer is that as well as the pay rise we also have to pay an extra 1.2% on employers national insurance. We have no confirmed increases of income yet but we are confident to get an average increase of around 7% on adult social care fees in April. However, our further education income is likely to rise by 2% -3.5% on average in September.
Whilst we are all finding the growth in student numbers gives us many challenges, it is that growth that enables us to keep offering higher than cost-of-living pay awards when the prices of our services are not able to rise by the same amount.
Staff Council meets on Thursday 6th March so there is still time to make your views known to your representative.
Price increase for subsidised staff meals
I need to let you know about our first increase in prices in the Woodlands Restaurant for a number of years. Catering costs have increased by at least 35% over that time and following a review of pricing we could no longer justify, as a charity, such a high level of subsidy.
From Monday the 3rd March the price of a main meal will be £3.30 and all other prices will also be increased by around 20%.
Hot and cold drinks will still be available free of charge to staff members.
We have still managed to keep this below a typical supermarket meal deal price, offering great value.
We will need to keep prices under regular review to ensure we can keep offering the service to staff.
Head of Nottingham Provision appointed
A key proposal we started to develop in the autumn was to open a specialist provision hub for learners with the most complex support challenges.
When I started to discuss this idea with staff groups in the autumn it got a very enthusiastic response. The Board of Governors also really liked the idea.
So, whilst we originally planned to have something in place for September 2026 we have worked flat out to accelerate the project and we now plan to open a completely new site in Nottingham in September 2025.
Following an internal advert (internal because we really wanted someone who was very familiar with College processes) and selection process, I am delighted to announce that we have appointed Mark Morton as Assistant Principal for Nottingham operations.
Mark takes up his duties full-time in June but in the meantime he will continue to work on our FE Employment curriculum and on the new project. He is stepping back from safeguarding duties and NAPPI training for the time being.
Next month I will be able to tell you more about the new site and we will be advertising further roles (internally and externally) to make this exciting vision a reality.
Mansfield campus parking survey
We want to hear your thoughts on parking at the Mansfield campus. Your feedback will help us understand current challenges and explore potential improvements.
The survey is available here and all responses are anonymous.
Parent/carer code of conduct launched
Finally I am sure there will have been times when quite a few of you reading this, including me, will have been at the sharp end of communicating with irate parents or carers. I know how stressful that can be.
We all work really hard to promote a culture of tolerance and respect for others combined with a zero tolerance approach to abuse, especially where racism, sexism, homophobia, disability discrimination or other forms of prejudice or hate speech are evident.
Zero tolerance really has to mean something and in the case of learners and citizens it can mean the termination of their placement – and that has happened in a number of cases over the last few years. For staff it can mean the termination of their job – and again that has happened in a very few instances.
When it comes to parents and carers it is rather more tricky – for example, we can’t end a placement without disadvantaging the young person. However, we can, and on a few occasions we have, put in place measures to protect staff and have even involved the police where necessary.
All our staff and volunteers have right to work in an environment free from abuse and harassment. To underline that we have issued a new Parent/Carer Code of Conduct which sets out those expectations.
On a hopeful note its metrological Spring tomorrow and the weather seems to be obliging. For any Welsh colleagues or those with Welsh family: Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus.
Mark