HR

HR Advice

There are a number of different options available for HR advice.  These include:

• Miranda Francis, HR Officer at Weydon school. mfrancis@weydonschool.surrey.sch.ukJo

• Jo Brooks, HR Administrator.  jbrooks@wmat.org.uk 

• Louise Buckley - COO (more complex or unusual situations) lbuckley@wmat.org.uk

• CEFM - HR helpline offers initial advice via the helpdesk or by phone on 01494 459183.   CEFM can be contacted here..    If more detailed advice is required, the Trust has consultancy hours which can be used for HR Consultant or HR Lawyer advice.    If the consultancy hours required are significant, schools can pay for additional advice.  

• The Trust also has a partnership with Stone King and a ‘Retainer Contract’.    For more complex HR situations or where legal advice is required, Stone King can be contacted: https://www.stoneking.co.uk/sectors/education-law/education-retainer-service

HR Administration

• As the employer, WMAT has a range of template documentation for new starters / offer letters / changes in employment details.    Each school issues documentation using school headed paper. This documentation is stored in the WMAT Google Drive / Business Ops - Personnel and can be found here.   

• If there is not a template in the HR Google Drive, CEFM also has a range of HR Administration templates which can be used.   The link to CEFM is here.

• All new starters will be employed by WMAT and template contract documentation  for Associate Staff, Teachers and Leaders are stored in the Google Policy Drive which can be found here

HR Recruitment.

There is a trust recruitment and selection policy which all schools should follow.    It can be found in the WMAT Google Drive / Policies - Recruitment and Selection Policy here.    Some additional points to note:

Recruitment Process 

Appointment Tracker

A WMAT Appointment Checklist is in place to manage the recruitment process for all appointments.   A template is included within the Recruitment and Selection Policy.    

Best practice is that this checklist is maintained as an electronic document until completed, and then printed and attached within the HR file.   This is for ease of tracking numerous new appointments, and to enable HTs / Principals to see recruitment status at any point in time.     

• HTs / Principals must sign off the Appointment Checklist prior to new staff starting.   

• All safer recruitment checks should be completed prior to the start date.   

The electronic version of the appointment tracker can be downloaded and saved into school Google Drives, and shared with Headteachers / Principals.   https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Qb_WzwRkizMGddLZ5Suv_YEcFZkEj127jC6TQMqhgyc/edit?usp=sharing

Job Descriptions

Each school maintains and creates their own Job Descriptions / Person Specification.     Schools are encouraged to share job descriptions with each other.  

To support an effective recruitment process, the job description and person specification must be contained within a professional Recruitment Pack which includes:

• Welcome Letter from the HT / Principal

• Information about the role

• Job Description / Person Specification

• Marketing material / photos / 

Where roles are advertised

• Most schools in the Trust have an SLA through Strictly Education for recruitment which gives access to Eteach via a reduced subscription.     Our Eteach Customer Success Manager is Sarah Walter swalter@eteach.com 01276 674238.   www.eteach.com

• There is a Trust SLA with TES which new schools can join.  To find out more, please contact Louise Buckley,  lbuckley@wmat.org.uk

• Use of the national teaching vacancies service is strongly encouraged.   Teaching Vacancies is the free recruitment platform for state-funded schools in England.

• A number of schools also use Ad Warrior to place adverts for associate staff - this is a recruitment body who place adverts in a range of locations such as Indeed / Total Jobs / Monster Jobs.  Again, there is a Trust SLA with approx 10 adverts at any time available for use across the schools at approx £200 per advert.   To access Ad Warrior contact:  

Andy Green

andy@adwarrior.co.uk

+44 (0)1775 828111

Ad Warrior, Welland Workspace, 10 Pinchbeck Road, Spalding, PE11 1QD

Application Forms

Application forms can be found in the WMAT Business Operations - Personnel Google Drive. here  There are separate application forms for Teaching Staff and Associate Staff.

 Offer Letters

Offer letter templates can be found in the WMAT Business Operations – Personnel Google Drive / Standard Letters to Personalise here.   

Post Offer Communication

A template for the wording of an email to candidates post offer is held here.   The offer letter should be sent to candidates with a Fair Processing Notice, Personal Details Form and Payroll Starter Form.  

Recruitment Medical Questionnaire / Occupational Health Review

The Trust uses Medigold through CEFM for all pre-employment medical reviews.     The cost of all reviews is included within the Trust membership.   Applicants should be given the instructions, below, to follow.

Log on to:  

https://www.medigoldone.com/Responses/5614 and action the following steps:

• Please use the password - CEFM-Weydon. Once you have entered the password, please click on View Form.

• All mandatory questions marked with * must be answered.  As you progress through the form, certain questions will show/hide depending on the answers provided.

• You can save the form at any stage and come back to it later by clicking ‘Save for Later’ button and following the on screen instructions.  Only enter your details once on the Medigold system, otherwise the school may be charged multiple times.

• Once you have entered all the questions, you will be asked to confirm your acceptance of a declaration “I hereby declare that to the best of my knowledge and belief the above answers are true…”.  You will then be provided with information on Medigold’s Privacy notice and be able to ‘Submit’ your questionnaire.

• Please could you complete this process within one week.  We will usually be notified very promptly that you are fit for your role; however occasionally a clinician may need to contact you and will do so within one working day.  If they are unable to reach you, may we ask that you call back within 4 days.

References

• It is essential to obtain two references for all applicants to ensure a thorough evaluation of their suitability for the position. 

• These references should generally come from the two most recent employers to provide an accurate and up-to-date assessment of the applicant's professional conduct and capabilities. 

• Additionally, it is crucial that the references include a statement about safeguarding to ensure the applicant's commitment to maintaining a safe and secure environment. 

• If the applicants have previous experience working in schools, a reference request should be made to the respective school to gain insights into their performance and adherence to educational standards. 

• Applicants’ employment within schools should not begin until all references have been obtained.   In the rare event that this process is not complete, as a minimum one reference and a full risk assessment with appropriate risk mitigation measures in place, must be signed off by the Principal / Headteacher.

Pre-appointment checks / Risk assessments

The following checks must be completed prior to an applicant starting employment:

• Enhanced DBS / Barred List /

• Prohibition from Teaching 

• Childcare Disqualification

• Management Section 128

• In the event of there being a gap - such as the DBS not being back or one reference is outstanding - the HT / Principal has the discretion to sign off the new starter with a Risk Assessment which includes suitable risk mitigation measures to ensure the safety of students / children.   

•  Risk assessments must be robust - eg if a DBS is not in place then access to students / children must be limited and staff accompanied / escorted around school.    

• Risk assessments should only be in place in exceptional circumstances.

• Risk assessments must be signed off by the HT / Principal prior to any new colleague starting.

Documentation

Right to Work in the  UK evidence must be seen, verified, copied and retained within the  personnel file.      The Government checklist here details suitable evidence.

For Teaching posts, original certificates must be seen and copied including:

• Degree Certificate

• Teacher QTS Certificate

• Teacher Induction Certificate

• Literacy / Numeracy Skills certificates

Online Media Check

As part of the recruitment process, schools should undertake comprehensive online media checks to ensure compliance with the Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 guidelines. These checks should include a thorough analysis of the applicant's online presence across major social media platforms to identify any potential issues that may require further exploration during interviews. This process helps in gaining a holistic view of the candidates, making informed decisions, and mitigating risks effectively. By conducting these checks, schools can safeguard their pupils, maintain their reputation, and uphold ethical recruitment practices.

Strictly Education and Satswana both offer paid for social media checks.

Contracts

When all recruitment checks have been completed, the contract should be prepared for signature by the Headteacher / Principal.   The contract should be issued in duplicate and a signed copy kept in the personnel files.     Contract of employment are contained within the Trust Business Operations – Personnel Google Drive.

Safer Recruitment 

• Records of all staff who have been Safer Recruitment trained should be maintained alongside Safeguarding Records.   Copies of certificates will also be stored.

• Safer Recruitment training is available online through the Every CPD training module.    There are other organisations who also offer safer recruitment training and face to face training periodically is best practice as those training options are often more detailed.

• All Business / Ops or HR leads should also have completed Safer Recruitment Training.

• Best Practice includes the name of the safer recruitment trained interviewers to be recorded on the interview question templates.

• A member of the LGB should also be safer recruitment trained.

WMAT Staff Benefits

At WMAT, we offer a comprehensive pay and benefits package designed to support our employees' well-being and professional growth. One of the additional benefits is provided through Vivup, which provides a range of discounts through various retailers and gift cards. 

Additionally, Viva Up offers a cycle-to-work scheme, promoting a healthy and eco-friendly commute. To register for Viva Up, new members need to apply through the provided link. This suite of benefits is part of our commitment to creating a supportive and rewarding work environment for all our staff.

Staff on WMAT pay and conditions benefit from Westfield Health cover, which is a healthcare cash plan providing cash benefits for optical treatments and a range of physio and chiropractor treatments. Full details can be found in the relevant documentation. To register new members of staff in the trust scheme, please contact Westfield Health using the new member registration form available in the Business Operations – Personnel Google Drive.

A Westfield Health Plan Guide is stored within this same folder.   The Trust pays for level 1 cover for most colleagues.

Single Central Records – 

SCR

Each school is required to maintain an accurate and up to date Single Central Record.    The Trust requires all SCRs to be copied into the Trust’s Schools SCR Google Drive.   This Drive has restricted access.   This enables the Trust to comply with KCSiE requirements of SCR management with in a MAT.

Occupational Health Referrals

If occupational health advice is required, for example because a member of staff is off work through sickness absence, or is returning to work following a period of absence, advice can be sought from Medigold.  Further detail is available in the 'wellbeing' folder on the WMAT Google Drive / Business Ops - Personnel here.