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What can be done to improve the recruitment and application process? Which websites and publications are most frequently checked by school leaders looking for jobs? What factors influence the decision to apply?
These were some of the topics up for discussion when contributors shared their first-hand experiences of recruitment in a hotseat with Alison Curtis, Deputy Director for Shared Services in the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).
Criticisms of what many contributors thought was an often ponderous procedure included tight deadlines that did not allow applicants enough time to prepare properly and a lack of useful information from prospective employers who sometimes filled forms with irrelevant questioning.
One contributor said that his school week is too busy and if he couldn’t find a clear weekend in which to write an application, then he simply didn’t bother.
Another school leader described his difficulties in looking for a deputy headteacher post in a junior school.
"I have found on a number of occasions – especially when a job has been re-advertised – that the spec has not been updated or dates have not been altered. Once the pack arrives, it’s a mad rush – especially if you want to go and look around the school – to get the application filled out and checked."
Some felt that too much of the application form was devoted to irrelevant information about qualifications.
"I am looking for a headship and, like many others, have graduate qualifications, qualified teacher status and the National Professional Qualification for Headship," said Mark Helstrip, Head of Yeovil Centre, a pupil referral unit in Somerset. "I find it irritating to have to fill in the columns asking which school I attended in 1966 – it no longer exists – or what qualifications I achieved by 1973. These were checked at my college of education."
Others had found the quality of information sent out varied widely between schools and their decision to apply for a post was often influenced by it.
Paul Rafferty a primary leader in County Durham, reflecting on his experiences of being short-listed for deputy headteacher posts, thought a more business-like model would be less time-consuming than the current process. "The system seems antiquated and, unfortunately, as we deal with governors who are mostly often out of education, the safe maxim of ‘well, I know him/her because they work here’ seems to be uppermost and those candidates get the job. This ensures that a huge amount of time and money is wasted. I feel that, in the future, we should consider using the industry model where a candidate is informally interviewed and then invited for a formal interview by their line manager and an independent representative of the authority."
Kathy Jones, Business Manager at a primary school on Merseyside, pinpointed how overlapping systems contrived to produce a sluggish recruitment process. "As a member of the senior management team, I know how hard it can be to try and fit everything into a term. We can know we need to advertise but are forced to wait for a full governors’ meeting for ‘rubberstamping’. Once the agreement is received, we have to send in the details to staffing who generally have closing dates a week in advance; as some vacancies are advertised bi-weekly, this creates another hold up."
W e should consider using the industry model where a candidate is informally interviewed and then invited for a formal interview by their line manager and an independent representative of the authority .
Contributors had a variety of suggestions for ways in which the process could be improved. One change for the better would be a minimum notice period of three months for staff, replacing the current fixed dates for giving notice which places great strain on schools at certain times of the academic year, said John Broggio, responsible for Key Stage 3 maths at a secondary school in Walsall. "This way, a more flexible approach to recruitment can be adopted; every other walk of life manages this system – there is no reason why we cannot do so as well."
The move by many local authorities and schools to advertising online was widely welcomed by many, though several contributors felt more could be done to capitalise on the benefits offered by technology.
Electronic application is definitely streamlining the process, said Anne Munro, Headteacher of primary at a middle school in Northumberland. "Given that every local authority has a different form, it does make it easier to complete the information in a legible manner."
Access to job descriptions and/or full application packs online was similarly welcomed. Matthew White, Numeracy Coordinator at a Liverpool primary school, said: "The application process has changed little in the last 10 years, with TES being the main port of call, but with schools becoming more creative (or frugal) in their preferred method of advertising, finding the right post is increasingly difficult. It is time this changed and a system that supports both advertiser and applicant, using available technology, is the way to go."
One school finance officer said she preferred to look at adverts online, reviewing personal specification and job descriptions before requesting further information. "School websites should contain all relevant details (ie job specifications, department and whole school information, easy-to-complete forms) together with an email address for submission," said John Broggio.
Thanking contributors for their views and ideas, Alison Curtis said the DCSF was looking at several options for improving recruitment. One approach being examined is to offer schools a shared support service but one which would allow them to retain individual control of the process. She added: "I have appreciated the input from school leaders and the support of NCSL in setting the discussion up. It is wonderful to be able to hear from such a wide range of schools and staff and I am very grateful for all the time that respondents have put in. The comments have highlighted the efforts schools make in finding talented people and have given us some useful ideas about areas to support in the future."