Agenda Item 6

Report to:	East Sussex Schools Forum
Date of meeting:	12 September 2025
Report By: Title:	Chief Operating Officer NJC Pay Award 2025/26
Purpose:	Inform the schools forum members of upcoming changes to the single status pay scale resulting from the NJC pay award.

Recommendations:

i) Note the impact of the deletion of single status 2 from 1 April 2026.

ii) Note the proposed course of action being taken to review and address the impact on recruitment and retention.

1. Background

1.1. The NJC pay award was confirmed on 23 July 2025 and was applied retrospectively to 1 April 2025 in August 2025.

1.2. The pay award agreement includes the deletion of pay point 2 from the NJC pay spine. Pay point 2 on the NJC scale is equivalent of scale point 4 on the local East Sussex Single Status pay scales. This will delete Single Status 2. Everyone who is paid on Single Status 2 will automatically move to Single Status 3.

2. Supporting Information

2.1. HR attended the Bursars forum to outline the change and provide an impact assessment for schools. The impact includes:

· Assistant Caretakers. They have a career progression bar where staff are required to do additional tasks to progress to single status 3. Schools can consult with staff in single status 2 about requiring them to do the additional tasks required at the single status 3 level from 1 April 2026.

· Cleaners. There will be no change of duties required and there is no impact on more senior roles in the career structure.

· Club and wrap around care roles e.g. playleaders and playworker assistants. There will be no change of duties required and there is no impact on more senior roles in the career structure.

· Exam invigilators. Senior invigilators, who supervise Exam invigilators, are single status 4. There is no immediate issue however the pay difference between the invigilator and senior role will be reduced.

· Midday supervisory assistant and Senior midday supervisory assistants. Both roles are paid on the same grade following the deletion of single status 1 in a previous year.

· Nursery assistants (unqualified). Staff can progress to single status 3 when they obtain an appropriate qualification. Both roles will be paid the same from 1 April 2026.

2.2. The increase in the grade for these roles will also create recruitment and retention issues for other roles. Teaching Assistants are paid Single Status 3 or single status 4 and will be paid the same as the above roles from 1 April 2026.

2.3. HR are organising working groups to review the impact on the following roles:

· Nursery Assistants

· Teaching Assistants

2.4. The working groups will recommend changes to job descriptions to support updates. This may include re-grading requests.

3. Recommendations

3.1. Note the impact of the deletion of single status 2 from 1 April 2026.

3.2. Note the proposed course of action being taken to review and address the impact on recruitment and retention.

Ros Parker

Chief Operating Officer

Contact Officer: Ruth Wilson, HR Manager
Tel. No: 01273 481762
Email: ruth.wilson@eastsussex.gov.uk