What are FWAMS?
Flexible Working Ambassador Multi-Academy Trusts and Schools (FWAMS) have been appointed by the DfE to support school leaders to implement and embed flexible working in their schools.
Flexible working can support in the recruitment and retention of quality teachers and have a positive impact on staff wellbeing, as well as promoting equality in the workforce. Despite the benefits, there are challenges associated with implementing flexible working.
FWAMS can offer practical advice on designing a policy, on overcoming common challenges such as timetabling and budgeting, as well as highlighting the importance of ‘flexible hiring’. Whether you are a leader in a MAT, a mainstream primary or secondary, a special school or an alternative provision/pupil referral unit setting, a FWAMS will be able to offer bespoke support.
Tim Gilson, CEO The Athelstan Trust
In 20 years in school leadership teams in various roles there is no doubt that the hardest, most important and often the most satisfying thing I have done is recruit great staff to work in our schools. I absolutely believe that we should hire great people who will complement our culture and move us forward in line with our values and worry about the exact nature of the role afterwards.
Schools benefit hugely from staff at all levels working part-time and with other flexible models. We must always believe that all roles in our organisation can be carried out within a flexible working model, we must ensure that working in schools is always seen as part of a rich fulfilling life and not a barrier to it.
We should do all we can to be the employers of choice in our area that offers a supportive, creative career to colleagues at all stages of life with all kinds of other family or personal responsibilities and life choices.
We are proud of the culture of flexible working that The Athelstan Trust exemplifies. In order to recruit and retain the very best staff, schools need to be responsive and flexible to individual needs. At The Athelstan Trust 83.3% of team are employed flexibly and 51.9% of teaching staff at Malmesbury School (our lead school) work flexibly, well above the national average in schools. There is also a relatively high level of SLT (28.6%) working on a part-time basis which shows that flexible working is not a barrier to progression. An incredible 72.7% of support staff work flexibly.
The Athelstan Trust are delighted to be the Flexible Working Ambassador Multi-Academy Trusts and Schools (FWAMS) in the South-West. Flexible Working Ambassador Multi-Academy Trusts and Schools (FWAMS) have been appointed by the DfE to support school leaders to implement and embed flexible working in their schools. For more information about FWAMS please visit https://www.flexibleworkingineducation.co.uk/.
We hope that you will find the resources on this website valuable and that you will feel able to get in touch if we can support you adopt a wider range of flexible working patterns or explain the benefits to teams within your school community.
