After careful consideration the Governors at Range High School decided to convert to Academy status.
As part of the conversion process, Andy Pritchard, Resources Director, was charged with reviewing all Local Authority Service Level Agreements. Following this process, the Governors decided that they would continue with these contracts to ensure a smooth transition to Academy status.
Unfortunately, the Human Resources Department informed the school that, following conversion, they would no longer be able to indemnify their advice. The Governors decided that this was unacceptable and Andy was instructed to identify and select an alternative HR provider.
Working closely with other newly formed Academies, he began the process of selection. A number of providers were invited to present their services to the schools’ Business Managers. Following extensive examination of all the submissions, Strictly Education was selected as the preferred HR provider. Although the contract was considerably cheaper than the LA, there was reluctance to break the Local Authority ties – Andy had worked for many years with their HR staff and respected and valued their contribution. It was therefore with apprehension that he signed the new contract.
To his relief, his initial contact with Strictly Education was professional and efficient. Andy was fully briefed on all of their processes including medical clearances, CRBs and occupational health referrals. He also received a full list of company contacts together with details of their responsibilities.
The school was assigned an HR Consultant who came to school to meet all the staff involved in their HR processes and to introduce herself. During this initial visit the Consultant was briefed on all current HR issues and received copies of current personnel policies for review.
Unlike the Local HR SLA, all the Strictly Education services and advice were fully indemnified!
Now Andy says:
“I have every confidence in the services provided by Strictly Education – I can’t believe I had reservations! All services received have been nothing less than excellent, efficient and professional. The systems and processes are straight forward and hassle free. Our requests for advice, whether via the telephone service or the HR Consultant, are dealt with promptly and responses have always been swift and well thought through.
In summary, if you are considering using Strictly Education as a provider for your HR requirements I cannot recommend them highly enough! In my opinion, Strictly Education has set the standards that all other HR providers should aspire too.”
