Sixth Form Colleges' Forum
All Sixth Form Colleges are members of the SFCF which was first formed (as the SFCEF) in 1992.
The Council of the SFCF consists of six Governors and six Principals elected by the five geographical regions through which the SFCF operates and the Designated Colleges. In addition, four Principals are co-opted to the Council to ensure that the Council represents the full range of Sixth Form Colleges and to provide strong links between the Council and the SFCF's Committee structure.
This section explains the unique service the SFCF provides for colleges in lobbying on behalf of Sixth Form College interests, the conduct of national pay and conditions negotiations and the provision of advice and information specifically for Sixth Form Colleges.
Colleges pay an annual subscription to the SFCF and all SFCF documents are contained in the secure area of this website for which colleges will need to obtain a password.
Lobbying
The SFCF lobbies Ministers, DCSF, DIUS and LSC officials on issues affecting Sixth Form Colleges and represents specific Sixth Form College interests on a range of DCSF/DIUS/LSC Working Groups.
The SFCF produces a Prospectus putting forward the case for Sixth Form Colleges. This contains briefing sheets showing the success of Sixth Form Colleges, drawing on many current research reports.
The SFCF regularly liaises with many organisations such as ASCL, SSAT and the Association of Directors of Children's Services.
Each year the SFCF produces a Directory of Sixth Form Colleges which includes, College by College, the number of students and their ethnic backgrounds and the range of provision at all levels.
Committees
The SFCF has established a range of Committees so that Principals and other senior managers and Governors can consider a wide range of issues from the Sixth Form College perspective. The SFCF has the following Committees:
Curriculum Committee
Funding Committee
Growth and Competitions Committee
IS Committee
Pensions Committee
Reputation and Promotion Committee
Quality Committee
Teaching Committee
Support Staff Committee
Conferences
Each year the SFCF organises a Curriculum Conference in the Spring Term and in the Summer Term a one-day IS Conference and a 3-day 16-19 Summer Conference for all Colleges with a 16-19 interest; Sixth Form Colleges, tertiary and GFE. A one-day SFCF AGM/Conference is held at the end of November.
Newsletters
Newsletters are produced after each Council meeting (approximately every six weeks) identifying the issues discussed and the action being taken and a special ‘Forum News’ is issued each term for all Corporation members, providing a résumé of Council activities.
National Negotiations
One of the key functions of the SFCF is to undertake national negotiations on pay and conditions with the unions representing college employees through national negotiating machinery for both teaching staff and support staff. This achieves national settlements which are then recommended to colleges. College employers are represented by members of the SFCF Council and employees by the three main teachers’ unions, ATL, NASUWT and NUT and the support staff union UNISON.
There are agreed National Conditions of Service Handbooks for these staff, which set out ‘core’ conditions of employment. Sixth Form College staff, therefore, have their own nationally agreed pay scales and conditions of service which are unique to the sector.
Pay and conditions settlements have been reached each year with all the unions concerned. These have continued to provide the flexibility available under the national agreements and provide levels of settlement which have taken into account colleges’ ability to pay. The agreements have enabled Sixth Form Colleges to flourish in a stable and harmonious climate of industrial relations.
Employer Advice
The SFCF provides the following Employer services to colleges as part of their annual subscription. These services are all specifically geared to the requirements of Sixth Form Colleges and take account of the particular issues facing colleges and the industrial relations context within which they all operate.
- Written advice through a monthly bulletin on issues relating to employment law, Sixth Form College conditions of service, pensions and other HR issues.
- Employer Guides examining in detail relevant HR issues, such as Redundancy, Fixed Term Contracts, Part-time Staff.
- Two or three free workshops each term on relevant HR issues. There is also an annual employment law update.
- A ‘helpline’ service by telephone/letter/email providing advice to individual colleges on specific employee relations problems and the interpretation and application of national agreements.
- Advisory circulars on other issues as they arise e.g. teachers’ pensions.
- E-mail information base. Brief surveys on a range of issues are conducted by e-mail.
- An annual survey of the numbers and salaries of all staff (including senior postholders) employed in colleges with feedback of the results to colleges. This provides comparative information on the pay levels for all staff in the sector as well as enabling accurate costings of all our national settlements.
- An annual survey looking at the working arrangements for teaching staff in Sixth Form Colleges.
Forum Secretariat
The SFCF has a contract with the LGE for the provision of Secretariat services. This involves five members of staff.
Head of Secretariat - Sue Whitham
Employment Issues Adviser - David Maycock
Committee Support Officers - Deepa Jethwa and Siobhan Smyth
Secretary/Administrator - Jane Betchley
These staff develop close contacts with senior management and HR staff in each college. They draw on the advice and expertise of other sections of the LGE as appropriate e.g. on employment law and the conduct of surveys.
In addition, colleges have, through the SFCF, access to consultancy services which include:
- In depth advice on HR policies and procedures
- College support during restructurings/redundancies and in relation to disciplinary/capability issues
Head of Secretariat
Local Government House
Smith Square
London SW1P 3HZ
Tel: 020 7187 7349
Fax: 020 7664 3030
Email: sfcf@lge.gov.uk