Gaining a competitive edge in recruitment

A closer alignment between business goals and employee performance is crucial in a challenging economic climate; schools are no different to other organisations in that respect. Set against the backdrop of budgetary constraints, more and more schools are being forced to run themselves as highly efficient businesses. But while many businesses have financial capital to fall back on, for schools it is human capital that often makes the difference between success and failure. Ensuring that you recruit and retain the right staff is key.

Having the right person, in the right place, at the right time is crucial for us here at All Saints. Our employee turnover is currently less than three per cent; a testament, I believe, not only to the positive and supportive work environment we have established but also to the emphasis we place on implementing effective recruitment procedures.

When it comes to recruiting we often enlist the help of higher education partnerships and invite trainee teachers who have completed their teacher training at the school to apply for unfilled positions. The benefit in doing this is significant; these teachers are already very familiar with the school itself, the staff and they know how our internal systems work. Most importantly, however, they know the students; they have spent time building up valuable rapport with them and know their strengths and weaknesses. Approximately 20 of our current teachers (around 30 per cent) were trainees in the school prior to appointment in all curriculum areas.

The recruitment process
When our trainee teachers are not suitable for a particular post we turn to trusted advertising sources such as the Times Educational Supplement (TES) Jobs section, or those associated with Teaching Learning and Responsibility (TLR). We also regularly utilise the Barking and Dagenham Borough Jobs Bulletin.

Interested candidates are asked to first submit a letter of application; we usually get quite a substantial number of these and go through them with a fine tooth comb in order to create a shortlist. Shortlisted candidates are invited to come for a tour of the school, often led by our students. This is a key step, as being located in an area of multiple social deprivation, will often mean they have some preconceptions about All Saints, some of which may be quite negative. However, once they come to the school and experience the respectful and positive atmosphere for themselves, our ethos of ‘keeping the school an oasis where the streets are kept “outside’, is very well demonstrated for them. They are introduced to our school council and there is also an informal meeting with department area staff and technicians, where appropriate. Candidates are then asked to teach a lesson on a topic provided with a set list and student data to allow us to judge resources, effectiveness, communications and engagement. A formal interview then ensues. Often, for more senior positions, we include some additional strategies such as the analysis of school data, and dealing with “in-tray” activities to assess prioritisation skills and managing scenarios. Particular attention is given to the techniques they would use to resolve conflict or respond to a parent.

You’ve got the best, now what?
Only when we are certain that a candidate meets all our requirements do we offer them a position at the school. Confident that we have hired the very best candidate, we set about making them ever better through Continuous Profession Development (CPD) programmes.

CPD is identified as part of the teacher performance management strategy which is matched to the needs of a whole school, including departmental areas and individual circumstance, and plays a big role here at the school. We implement a mixture of whole school INSET/CPD on a weekly basis, which includes programmes on teaching and learning, literacy, numeracy and so on.

Teacher training is ongoing and integrated into CPD as appropriate. We encourage all our teachers to become involved in accredited CPD such as, The National College Middle Leadership Development Programme, Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies, DATA Health and safety Training, and First Aid. We also encourage Masters Level studies in education management and specific subjects.

Not only do we provide opportunities for our teachers to avail themselves of in-house CPD, but we also encourage them to engage with external agencies to access, for example, HEI provided courses or commercial programmes.

There is also a heavy focus on in-school development through paired observations of practice, mentoring and coaching approaches (Teacher Training & Professional Studies is largely focused on new entrants whereas for existing staff it’s more CPD focused). 

Opportunities for secondment to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), which are often focused on internal professional development and career progression routes, are also available to our teachers. Consequently, many of our senior staff have been promoted through the school in this way.

Keep ‘em sweet
Retaining high achieving teachers is crucial for any school. We want to ensure that our teachers are as happy as possible in their roles; by doing so we ensure that they remain as motivated and productive as they can be, staff turnover remains low and our students reap the benefits. We have implemented a number of people management strategies that allow us to hone in on what is required for managing effective teams, involving team members and consultation approaches. We have designated team areas and dedicated rooms for teaching staff.  Heads of department have meeting slots included on the school timetable to support the academic and social development of their areas. We also have an open door policy for discussions with senior leaders and can arrange for time to be given to staff to discuss any issues with line management in a non-threatening atmosphere. 

The benefits going forward
As a faith school our mission statement is ‘We are all one in Christ’, and the environment we have created in the school closely mirrors this, in that everyone is equal and should be respected and treated as such. If we can sustain a positive environment that supports teachers, nurtures creativity and rewards success then we can rest assured that our teachers will remain motivated. It also means that our teachers are more likely to stay with us longer, which in turn creates a stable, happy environment for our students allowing them to thrive.

About All Saints
All Saints is a designated National Teaching School and works closely with the National College for School Leadership and the Teaching Agency.  There are active links with a number of Higher Education providers to support initial teacher training and staff development.  The school also operates effectively with private sector organizations providing training for overseas teachers seeking employment in the UK.  The school holds IIP status and also has nationally recognized awards in school governance (School Governor Mark) and the National Equalities Award.

All Saints has successfully achieved Bronze and Silver Eco-School status and is currently on track to achieve the Green flag award which symbolises an excellent approach to environmental awareness.

Further information
www.all-saints.bardaglea.org.uk