Date Accepted by Governors: July 2021
Review Date: July 2024
This policy has been introduced to provide a framework for the efficient and effective recruitment of all categories of staff at Ash Grange Nursery ad Primary School.
The Governing Body of the school values the contribution of all staff and recognises that the recruitment of appropriately skilled staff is key to the provision of a safe and successful teaching and learning environment in which pupils can thrive.
The Governing Body is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Accordingly, this policy complies with the current DfE guidance regarding the recruitment and selection of staff. It is updated in response to staff and governors’ recruitment training.
The Governing Body, with appropriate advice from the Headteacher, is responsible for determining the staffing complement of the school and for all appointments to the School Community.
The Headteacher will have delegated responsibility for the appointment of teachers and other staff outside of the leadership group.
Once the selection panel has been agreed, a lead person will be identified, who in conjunction with the panel, will be responsible for drawing up the relevant documentation and planning the selection process.
The selection panel for any position will have responsibility for ensuring that a fair, equitable and non-discriminatory process is maintained throughout the recruitment and selection activities.
Matters of child protection, safeguarding and the promotion of the welfare of children will be central to the recruitment process, starting with the planning of recruitment needs through to the recruitment exercise itself. Particular measures to ensure safe recruitment practice, compliant with DfE guidance, are identified throughout this policy. The selection panel have responsibility for ensuring the implementation of these measures. The safeguarding measures noted in this policy are not exhaustive or designed to obviate the need to refer to the most recent DfE guidance.
The Resources Committee of the Governing Body, in conjunction with the Headteacher, will review the staffing requirements of the school annually and assess the short and long term recruitment needs so that, as far as possible, a planned approach to resourcing the school can be taken.
Before the start of the recruitment process, there will be a review of the requirements of the specific role. Where a job description or person specification does not exist (e.g. for new posts) then these will be drawn up for agreement by the selection panel.
Job descriptions and person specifications for existing posts will also be reviewed to determine whether the roles and responsibilities of the post need to be revised and to update the necessary qualifications, knowledge, experience, skills or abilities required by the post holder.
The person specification will also be assessed to ensure that it does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, age, pregnancy or maternity leave.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
The school has a learning environment that promotes and enhances the positive mental health of the whole school community, recognizing that healthy relationships underpin positive mental health and have a significant impact on learning, health and wellbeing. We champion the expectation that ‘mental health is everyone’s responsibility’.
Ash Grange Primary School has:
Safeguarding Measures
For all posts, information packs will be sent to all interested parties or be available as a download from the School’s website/E-teach website. The information pack will generally consist of:
Applications received after the closing date will not be considered, unless the applicant has given prior notice of a late application to the recruiting officer and this has been agreed.
Applications through agencies require all aspects of the Surrey Application Form to be completed, albeit the layout may be different. Applications made through means other than application forms will not be considered, unless a reasonable adjustment has been made to accommodate the needs of an applicant with a disability.
Safeguarding Measures
6.1 All posts
All teaching and non-teaching posts will be advertised internally within the school. Where particular skills, experience or qualifications are required or recruitment difficulties are anticipated, posts may additionally be advertised on an appropriate internet jobs site and/or in the local press.
In certain circumstances a post or promotion opportunity will be ring-fenced for current staff in the first instance. Any such ring-fencing will be done in a consistent and transparent manner.
Occasionally the decision may be taken not to advertise a post. This may occur, for example, when a similar post has recently been advertised and an appointment can be made from the subsequent interviews, or because a temporary appointment needs to be made as soon as possible to ensure continuity within a post.
6.2 Leadership posts
Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher posts will be advertised as the Governing Body considers most appropriate. As a general rule, such posts will, as a minimum, be advertised on a relevant internet jobs site, and may additionally be advertised in a nationally printed publication.
Where there is demonstrable good reason not to advertise, and the Governing Body choose not to do so, the decision making process will be robustly documented to ensure that it will stand up to scrutiny. No final decision regarding the Headteacher post will be made until the local authority has been consulted.
Safeguarding Measures
8.1 The selection panel
A selection panel of at least two people will be set up prior to the shortlisting process. The members of this panel will be comprised of the Headteacher, at least one governor, plus any of the following, as appropriate to the post:
Wherever possible, all panel members will have been trained in and/or have relevant experience of recruitment and selection and interviewing. There must be at least one member of the panel who has undertaken the relevant training.
Where a candidate is known personally to a member of the selection panel this fact should be declared before short-listing takes place. It may then be necessary to change the selection panel to ensure that there is no conflict of interest and that equal opportunities principles are adhered to.
Safeguarding Measures
8.2 Short-listing
Prior to short-listing, the equality monitoring form will be removed and not copied for the short listing panel. If an applicant has requested reasonable adjustments to a part of the selection process to accommodate a disability then this will be notified to the chair of the selection panel.
The short-listing process for interview will determine those applicants who best meet the criteria for the post as outlined in the person specification. Decision making will be based solely on the information available on the application forms.
Where short-listed applicants have declared that they do have a criminal record, and/or have had any sanctions imposed by GTC and/or are not registered with the GTC, then this will be followed up at interview. In certain cases it may be necessary to have a discussion with the applicant prior to the interview.
If a disabled applicant meets the minimum criteria of the person specification then he/she should be short-listed. Advice should also be sought about what reasonable adjustments may be required to enable a disabled applicant to take up post.
Safeguarding Measures
8.3 References
References will be requested for all short-listed candidates (including internal applicants) prior to the interviews. The school will comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 by not asking questions about a candidate’s health or disability as part of these references prior to a job offer being made (this includes information relating to levels of sickness absence which is asked after the job offer has been made). It will be for the selection panel to determine whether the referees given by applicants are suitable and appropriate. Care will be taken in determining whether a referee given by an applicant is suitable. Any applicants currently working in a school environment should give the Headteacher of that school as one referee. References from family members or friends will not be acceptable. References will only be acceptable from the referee. Any references received through an agency recruitment process will be verified by email/written form.
All references subsequently received will be held by the chair of the interview panel who will explore any areas of concern at interview. Once a preferred candidate has been chosen following the interview process, the rest of the interview panel will be given access to the references of that person only, in order to confirm their decision.
Safeguarding Measures
8.4 Other checks prior to interview
Where a candidate is claiming specific qualifications or previous experience that is relevant to the job but is not verified by reference checks, these will be verified before interview so that any discrepancy can be explored at interview.
8.5 The interview and selection process
Prior to the interview and selection process candidates will be given any relevant information, e.g. details of any selection methods that will be used. Candidates who have a disability or any other special needs will be given a chance to highlight this prior to the process in order that reasonable adjustments may be made to the recruitment process.
Whilst an interview is always likely to be used as the primary feature of the selection process the selection panel will consider whether any additional selection methods are required to supplement the interview. These may include video submissions, presentations, teaching observation, interaction with pupils, interactions with team members, in-tray exercises, psychometric, verbal or numerical tests, according to the requirements of the role. Any psychometric tests used will have been validated in relation to the job, be free of bias, and be administered and validated only by a suitably trained person.
Whichever methods are chosen, the panel will use these to assess the merits of each candidate against the person specification and explore their suitability to work with children. The selection panel will ensure that all candidates are asked the same main questions at interview based on the list of essential criteria for the post, although supplementary questions may differ according to the candidates’ answers and backgrounds.
Particular care needs will be taken to ensure that no questions or selection methods could be viewed as discriminatory. Panel members will all score questions to ensure all review each aspect reviewed by the panel. At least one panel member will record details of the answers given.
Checks are made prior to appointment to see if a prohibition order is in place – Employer Access online Service
Safeguarding Measures
9.1 Job offers
Successful candidates will normally be offered the post verbally, followed by an offer letter as soon as possible afterwards and within one week. Any written offer of appointment will include any terms that the offer is made conditional upon, e.g. satisfactory completion of an occupational health questionnaire, provision of appropriate documentation to verify entitlement to work in the UK (under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006), and other relevant details.
Safeguarding Measures
9.2 Conditions of Appointment
Any offer of employment in the school will be conditional upon:
If a translation is required it must be from a certified organisation.
Where:
the facts will be reported to the Disclosure & Barring Service and/or the police, as appropriate
The school values, and where possible seeks to retain, the skills and contributions of all staff within the school community. The school will support as far as possible the continued professional development of all staff as they seek promotion to new opportunities both within the school and elsewhere. All members of staff are therefore encouraged to consider their suitability for any vacancy within the school. Where a member of staff applies for a vacant post they will be given equal consideration to external candidates, based on the essential criteria for the post.
Where the Governing Body, in conjunction with the Headteacher, determines that posts are of a short term nature, this will be clearly specified in the job description and on any advertising literature. Posts will only be advertised on a temporary, casual or fixed term basis for genuine temporary reasons. Most temporary, casual or fixed term contracts will come to a natural end. However, where a fixed duration contract expires and the need for the post remains for a further definite period, then the post holder will usually be given an extension to their fixed period contract.
Where the need for a temporary, casual or fixed term post becomes a permanent one, there will be no automatic entitlement for the temporary post holder to be offered the permanent contract. It will be for the Governing Body to consider the most appropriate recruitment process in the circumstances. This could include consideration of the original reason for the post initially being temporary, any subsequent changes in the needs of the school, the original recruitment process that was undertaken, etc.
The school workforce is made up of a rich variety of professional and highly skilled and committed people, not all of whom are paid employees. The school values the diversity that this brings to its community as we strive to provide a safe environment and improve the standards of teaching and learning for all pupils. To ensure the continued high standards of contributions, we will:
Safeguarding Measures
Any volunteering opportunity in the School will be conditional upon:
Where:
the facts will be reported to the Disclosure & Barring Service and/or the police, as appropriate
Volunteers are monitored by all staff and overseen by the volunteers co-ordinator.
The school will not employ, as a member of staff, any individual who cannot demonstrate that he/she has the right to work in the UK, regardless of the individual’s colour or apparent race, nationality or ethnic origins. Any employee who has a restricted right to work in the UK will be required to provide evidence of that right at least once in every 12 month period.
The school is not currently licensed to sponsor migrant workers who require sponsorship in order to work in the UK under UK Border Agency rules.
Mindful of its commitment to best practice in recruitment and its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and safeguarding of children guidance, the Governing Body will ensure regular monitoring of all recruitment activity. This will be undertaken with a view to improving future recruitment practices and thereby achieving the aims of this policy. The results of this monitoring and any recommended actions will be reported to the Governing Body on an annual basis.
Safeguarding Measures
Records relating to recruitment and selection activities will remain confidential and accessible only to those who require information either as part of the recruitment decision-making process or for the administration of the process (including monitoring activities for the purposes of this policy or equality policies). Records relating to successful candidates will be placed in personnel files. Records for unsuccessful candidates will be retained in a secure place for a period of six months, after which time they will be destroyed.
Safeguarding Policy, Whistleblowing, Staff Capability