Impington Village College leads the way in flexible working for East of England and North-East London region

Impington Village College, a non-selective secondary school on the outskirts of Cambridge, has been appointed as the Flexible Working Ambassador School (FWAS) in the East of England and North-East London region, joining seven other schools in England delivering the programme between April 2021 – December 2022.

Impington Village College has been selected to be a FWAS based on the strength of its policies, practices and culture that supports flexible working across its management, teaching and non-teaching positions. The College maximises flexibility for staff so that they can study, either as part of a Masters, NPQ or a degree, alongside their role; provide child and family care alongside other commitments; and maintain a work-life balance. Examples of flexible working at the College also include job share and flexible working patterns, including start and finish times, and one paid family day a year.

Victoria Hearn, Principal at Impington Village College, said: “We’re incredibly passionate about flexible working and have been proactive in ensuring that it is built into the working culture of Impington Village College. The impact of flexible working remains clear for our College – over the last three years, staff absence rates have significantly improved (two thirds less) and staff retention has been enhanced, with 70% fewer staff leaving. Our student community has also benefitted from increased staff productivity, leading to consistently high outcomes through broadening the curriculum and improving student experience.

“I am so proud that we have been given the status of a flexible working champion and I’m looking forward to sharing our best practices with schools across the region to improve retention rates and positively impact learning communities.”

As part of its ambassador role, Impington Village College will work to increase awareness of the different types of flexible working and provide practical support to help schools deploy their staff effectively and efficiently. Senior leadership team members and staff at the college will share their own learning and practical experience of flexible working through a mixture of events, direct support and other forums.

The Flexible Working Ambassador Programme will be led by Ryan Kelsall, Principal of Impington Village College 2016 – 2020 and now Deputy CEO of the Eastern Learning Alliance. For more details, please contact Ryan Kelsall at rkelsall@ivc.tmet.org.uk.