Managing school staff
2 articles
Conduct
- Allegations against staff: investigation reports Download our template report to record all the required details when investigating a safeguarding allegation against a staff member. Get guidance on working with your local authority designated officer (LADO) and how to store your records once the investigation has finished.
- Guide to difficult conversations with staff Prepare yourself for challenging conversations with staff by following our tips on how to give feedback, develop questioning skills and practice active listening, so you can approach your meetings with confidence.
1 article
Cover and supply arrangements
- 'Rarely cover' and 'foreseeable absence': rules and guidance Understand the rules around 'rarely cover' and 'foreseeable' absence, and find answers to common questions on who can provide cover.
7 articles
Restructuring and transitions
- Advice for a new deputy headteacher Make a good start as a deputy headteacher by understanding your responsibilities and getting to know your school community.
- Consulting staff: guidance Find out how you should consult staff about proposed changes at your school. Download and use our model consultation letters to invite staff to express their views on issues such as staff restructures, and changes to holiday and pay arrangements.
- Handover checklist for school business managers Download our handover checklist to help your new SBM settle into the role. It includes tasks and information related to finance, premises management and HR.
- How to reorganise your staff structure Get to grips with how to make sure you stay compliant when restructuring. Read guidance on the importance of your strategic vision, the consultation process and making changes to an employment contract.
- New headteacher: questions to ask your SLT Ask your senior leadership team (SLT) these questions in the early days of headship so you can learn more about how your leadership team works, the strengths and weaknesses of your staff, and the school's context.
- Salary safeguarding Teachers may be entitled to safeguarded pay if their role changes as a result of a restructure or the closure of the school. Understand how to calculate a safeguarded sum and the required duration of safeguarding.
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Succession planning in multi-academy trusts (MATs)
Strong MATs have good succession planning in order to deal with a change in leadership well. Here's how to get started with this in your trust.
For Trust Leaders
7 articles
Staffing structures
- How to create a cost-effective staffing structure Make sure your staffing structure is providing value for money. Take a look at our tips and strategies for finding what cost-saving structure will work best for your school.
- Job sharing: how to make it work Whether you're thinking about setting up a shared-working arrangement or trying to get the most out of a current job share, read our top tips about how to make job sharing work in your school.
- Leadership structures in 'outstanding' schools Find guidance from a school leader on how you can organise your staffing structure, and have a look at how some ‘outstanding’ schools have structured their leadership teams.
- Leadership structures in primary schools Get to grips with the different leadership structures available, and see examples of how schools, including small schools, are organising their senior and middle leaders.
- Organising a cost-effective support staff structure Read advice and case studies on achieving better efficiency in how you use support staff, and download our guide to calculating support staff salary costs.
- Primary school staffing structures: examples See examples of staffing structures from a range of primary schools.
- Staffing structures: special schools See examples of structures from primary, secondary and all-through special schools, and read advice on what to consider when reviewing your staffing structure.
25 articles
Workload and wellbeing
- 10 ways to support staff wellbeing and work-life balance Find out how other schools are reducing workload and improving work-life balance for their staff. Use their ideas to retain great people, save on recruitment and make your school a happier place.
- Alcohol at staff parties It’s up to you to decide whether staff can drink alcohol at social events such as Christmas parties. Take a look at some of the things to consider, and see how other schools approach this issue.
- Developing peer-to-peer mentoring Learn how to use peer mentoring effectively and what peer-to-peer sessions might look like, to create a supportive and collaborative culture in your school.
- How one 'outstanding' secondary school cut its marking workload by 75%: case study Barr Beacon School cut down teachers' marking time to less than an hour a day by banning detailed written marking and improving the way staff give feedback to pupils. Read on and download this school's marking policy and other resources to learn how you can make this happen too.
- How to create a staff mental health and wellbeing action plan Know what good staff mental health and wellbeing looks like and get advice on achieving it. Learn ways to check in on your staff as a first step towards creating a staff mental health and wellbeing action plan, and use our template to help you put together a plan that meets the needs of your setting.
- How to escalate staff wellbeing concerns As a line manager, find out how and when to escalate wellbeing concerns about your staff, so you can effectively support them at school.
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How to improve staff mental health and wellbeing across your trust
There's no silver bullet to improving mental health and wellbeing across your trust. The needs in one school will be different to another, so it's important you help your schools tailor an approach to their context. Find out what's worked for 5 leaders we spoke to and how you can make it work for you.
For Trust Leaders
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How to monitor and support the wellbeing of your headteachers
Be clear on how you can monitor your headteachers' wellbeing and make sure they feel supported. Use our audit tool to identify any stressors and agree actions to manage them.
For Trust Leaders
- How to offer flexible working to attract outstanding staff and boost retention: case study An innovative timetable enables Manchester Communication Academy to offer flexi days, staggered start times and part-time working – contributing to a 90% staff retention rate. Read on for ideas about how to implement flexible working in your school.
- How to run a working group to improve staff wellbeing Get advice on how to set up and run a working group to improve staff wellbeing and workload in your school.
- How to run welfare checks for school staff Know how to conduct wellbeing checks with your staff so you can effectively provide support and respond to any problems they have. Download our list of discussion questions to help you prepare.
- How to support your SBM As a line manager or senior leader, read expert advice on understanding your school business manager (SBM)'s role. Get to grips with how you can support training and a review of school processes to improve their workload and wellbeing.
- Marking mythbuster Separate fact from fiction around marking and reduce your staff's workload. Learn the truth in relation to Ofsted inspections and understand what effective marking looks like.
- New headteacher: welcome presentation to staff Find out how to introduce yourself to staff for the first time and get advice on what you should cover to help you set the groundwork for building good relationships.
- Perks and incentives for staff Understand what non-financial rewards and incentives you can give staff, so you can show your appreciation and stay compliant.
- Save time and improve wellbeing by cutting down internal meetings Find practical advice on how to reduce meetings in your school.
- Staff survey pack Everything you need to create your staff survey – a statement bank covering a range of topics, plus a survey template and a letter to staff. See examples of staff questionnaires used by schools.
- Staff wellbeing: how to spot early signs of depression and anxiety With an open and honest wellbeing culture in place, you may be able to spot problems early. Get advice on what to look for and what to do if you have concerns.
- Staff wellbeing: how to use individual action plans Find out if individual action plans are right for your school, so you can help support your staff's wellbeing. Download our template and see an example plan to help you confidently create your own.
- Staff wellbeing questionnaires See examples of questionnaires and find guidance on how to analyse the results.
- Staff wellbeing toolkit for line managers Use these resources to help you look after the wellbeing of your staff. Feel equipped to spot wellbeing challenges, take the appropriate next steps, and support a whole-school focus on wellbeing.
- Supporting trans staff Cultivate a trans-inclusive atmosphere in your school. Use our action plan to guide you while supporting any staff member through transition, and find advice on communicating with pupils and parents.
- Teacher workload audit tool Use our teacher workload audit tool to spot workload issues and cut down on time wasted on ineffective or unproductive tasks.
- Trans staff: summary of legal rights Understand your legal responsibilities around supporting staff who identify as trans in the workplace and learn how to make informed decisions around the arrangements you put in place.
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Whole-trust approach to staff mental health and wellbeing: case study
Find out how a 4-school trust developed a trust-wide approach to staff wellbeing, and how you can do it too.
For Trust Leaders
