Safer staff recruitment

The recruitment of a new member of staff is an important responsibility and should be given the necessary time and effort to ensure it is done correctly.

It is the Governing Body’s responsibility to recruit and retain staff. The Governing Body must appoint the Headteacher, however it can decide whether to delegate other appointments to a smaller group of School Governors, a single School Governor or to the Headteacher.

It is recommended by the Local Authority that there should always be a minimum of three individuals on a recruitment panel.

It is essential for your school that you appoint the best person for the job. However, you also have a responsibility to carry out employment checks to ensure that the person is suitable to work with children and does not present any risk to the school or its pupils.

Safer Recruitment

The Safer Recruitment training programme must be undertaken by the Headteacher and at least one Governor in every school. This training provides detailed guidance on what to look for and how to minimise the risks in your school. Please contact your HR provider for details on any training available.

It is recommended that Governors retake training after five years in order to refresh their learning.

In addition a Safer Recruitment Good Practice Guide has been produced by the Local Authority which should be read by all Governors involved in the recruitment and selection of staff. Please see the document entitled Safer Recruitment Good Practice Guide.

Safer Recruitment Good Practice Guide: Download (117KB)

Before a post is advertised School Governors should ensure that they need the post and that it is affordable within the school’s budget. If the post is agreed then there must be a clear job description and person specification agreed which lists all the duties and responsibilities of the post. The person specification will list those skills, experiences, qualifications and characteristics which are essential to undertake the post. This then forms the criteria against which you will shortlist and appoint.

Once you decide to proceed with advertising a post there will need to be an application pack which includes the job description and person specification along with information about the school which may include the most recent Ofsted summary or any other information specifically relevant to the post being advertised. It should also include at least a summary of the school’s Child Protection Policy.

At the interview the panel will need to ensure they have clear questions to ask each candidate about the role they are applying for as well as any specific questions regarding an applicant's suitability as a result of issues on their application form, references or criminal convictions form. The panel should ensure that they share information about the school and the role as well as soliciting information from the candidate.

It is also the responsibility of the interview panel to view and take copies of any qualification certificates, verification of identify and other information identified in the Safer Recruitment Good Practice Guide.

At the end of all the interviews the panel should agree who is going to be responsible for contacting all the candidates to inform them of whether they have been successful, and what feedback will be given to any unsuccessful candidates based on their interview responses or other concerns from documentation received as part of the recruitment process.

The successful individual should be informed that the Governing Body wish to make a conditional offer of employment to them, subject to the receipt of satisfactory employment checks.

As soon as possible after the interview, the school must notify Pay and Employment at the Local Authority of the appointment in order for the individual to be issued with a contract of employment and to be entered onto the payroll for the school.

Pay and Employment can be contacted on Rotherham (01709) 336060.