Recruitment Selection & Employment Policy

Date of Policy:	For Academic Year 2022-23
Date for Review:	August 2023
Lead for Review:	Headmaster

Contents

Contents	2

Aims	3

Responsibility	3

The Recruitment Process	3

Advertising	4

Pre-Application Information	4

Scrutinising and Short-Listing	4

References	4

Invitation to Interview	5

Interview Panel	5

The members of the panel should:	5

The interview panel should also explore:	6

Offer of Appointment	6

Agency staff, contractors and volunteers	7

Agency staff	7

Contractors	8

Volunteers	8

Arrangements for Monitoring and Evaluation	8

This policy has regard to guidance from the Secretary of State and also:	9

Related Policies	9

Aims

To ensure the safeguarding and promotion of the welfare of children and young people. Guildhouse School London expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment

To ensure that we select the best possible person-to-job fit, therefore contributing significantly towards the organisations effectiveness

To ensure Guildhouse School London follows all statutory requirements when it comes to Recruitment & Employment. To that end, this policy should ensure that all laws and regulations are met

To ensure that our staff work in accordance with British Values and the values of the school. This is not only restricted to those who present as ‘a risk of harm’ to children. Applying safer recruitment principles, practice and checks, including our Countering Extremism & Terrorism (‘Prevent’) procedures based on Government guidance, will help deter and/or identify people who are possibly unsuitable for appointment for a wide variety of reasons

To be non-discriminatory on the grounds of sex, race, age, religion and belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership or disability

This policy is a combination of elements that are statutory, recommended by the Department for Education, or considered as good practice.

To ensure that these policy aims are achieved, all appointing managers should receive training in effective recruitment and selection.

Relationship to other policies: This policy is in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE, September 2019), National Minimum Boarding Standards, and Safeguarding Policy Teacher Misconduct: the Prohibition of Teachers and the Equality and Diversity Policy.

Responsibility

Ultimate responsibility for this policy and procedure lies with the Headmaster.

All staff responsible for selection and recruitment of staff into the organisation will be responsible for adhering to this policy

The Recruitment Process

Due to the fact that all employees will have the potential for significant access to young people and children, Guildhouse London will adopt the procedures set out below. This will apply regardless of the employment status of the post, i.e. permanent or casual.

It will be the responsibility of all staff involved in the recruitment and selection of individuals who will work in any capacity for Guildhouse London to ensure that they have familiarised themselves with the document Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019.

In addition the immediate line manager who is responsible for recruitment and selection will be responsible for the following:

Advertising

Any form of advertising used to recruit staff to a role with access to young people or children will include or reflect:

A statement about the employer’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and reference to the need for the successful applicant to undertake an Enhanced DBS check via the Disclosure and Barring Service

The advert should also contain the school’s commitment to our policy on equal opportunities

Pre-Application Information

Pre-application information (that meets the Department for Education KCSIE, September 2019 statutory regulations) available to potential applicants will contain:

A job description and person specification that states the level of checks that are required for a role that meets the Department for Education statutory regulations. (Reference to Department for Education KCSIE, September 2019)

The school’s Safeguarding Policy

An application form that must be completed for all vacancies within the school. The application form must contain all relevant information, in accordance with KCSIE, September 2019.

We will not accept curriculum vitae drawn up by applicants in place of an application form.

Scrutinising and Short-Listing

Applicants must be chosen against the Person Specification

All application forms and accompanying documentation should be scrutinised to ensure that they are fully and properly completed. Incomplete applications should not be accepted and should be returned for completion

Identify any gaps in employment in accordance with KCSIE, September 2019.

References

Open testimonials should never be accepted as references

At least two written references, including the current or most recent employer, with a reference request letter that specifically asks all referees to state any known reason why the person should not be employed to work with children and that there should be no material mis-statement or omission relevant to the suitability of the applicant

Suitability references should also be sought for internal candidates. Internal references are permissible where appropriate.

For internal or external appointments references should ideally be from a senior person with appropriate authority (in a position to be aware of issues), not usually just a colleague.

On receipt, references will be checked to ensure that all specific questions have been answered satisfactorily. The referee will be contacted to provide further clarification as appropriate, for example if the answers are vague. References will also be compared for consistency with the information provided by the candidate on their application form. Any discrepancies will be taken up with the candidate directly.

Electronic references should be verified as originating from a legitimate source.

Any disciplinary warnings, including time-expired warnings that relate to the safeguarding of children, young people, and vulnerable adults will be considered and discussed with the candidate, with further clarification sought from the relevant employer as needed.

It is vital that the references are obtained and scrutinised before a person’s appointment is confirmed and before s/he starts work. Referees will always be asked specific questions regarding:

The applicant’s suitability to work with children and young people

Whether the applicant has ever been the subject of any child protection allegations or concerns and if the answer is yes, what was the outcome of the enquiry.

Invitation to Interview

Wherever possible, the invitation to interview should contain time and place, directions to the venue and membership of the interview panel.

The invitation should also stress that the identity of the successful candidate will need to be checked thoroughly. All candidates should be instructed to bring with them relevant documentary evidence to satisfy DBS and UKVI requirements.

Interview Panel

Best practice suggests that it is better to have a minimum of two interviewers. Although it is possible for interviews to be conducted by a single person it is not recommended.

The members of the panel should:

Have the necessary authority to make decisions about appointment

Be appropriately trained, (one member of interview panel must hold a current Safer Recruitment certificate)

Meet before the interviews to reach a consensus about the required standard for the job to which they are appointing

Consider the issues to be explored with each candidate and who on the panel will ask about each of those; and agree their assessment criteria in accordance with the person specification

The panel should agree a set of questions they will ask all candidates relating to the requirements of the post, and the issues they will explore with each candidate, based on the information provided in the candidate’s application and references (if available)

The interview panel should also explore:

The candidate’s attitude toward children and young people; and the candidate’s ability to support the establishment’s agenda for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children

Any gaps in the candidate’s employment history that have not been explained to a satisfactory level and concerns or discrepancies arising from the information provided by the candidate and/or a referee

The panel should also ask the candidate if they wish to declare anything in light of the requirement for an enhanced DBS Disclosure

If references are not obtained prior to interview, candidates should be given the opportunity to discuss anything that wish to declare in light of questions that have been (or will be) put to his or her referees

Offer of Appointment

All offers of employment should be conditional based upon satisfactory checks including the receipt of at least two satisfactory references; verification of the candidate’s identity; a satisfactory enhanced DBS Disclosure; a barred list check; an overseas check; (if applicable), a prohibition order check (if applicable); prohibition from management (s.128) (if applicable); verification of the candidate’s medical fitness, verification of qualifications (if not verified at Interview); verification of professional status where required and ensuring the candidate meets the relevant right to work criteria in line with UKVI legislation.

All checks should be confirmed in writing; documented and retained on the personnel file (subject to relevant advice contained in the DBS Disclosure Code of Practice and the school’s data protection arrangements); and followed up where they are unsatisfactory or there are discrepancies in the information provided.

Staff promoted internally to a management position are subject to prohibition from management check (section 128).

Where a candidate is found to be on the Barred List, or the DBS Disclosure shows s/he has been disqualified from working with children by a Court; or an applicant has provided false information in, or in support of, his or her application; or there are serious concerns about an applicant’s suitability to work with children. The facts will be reported to the police and/or the Disclosure & Barring Service and/or The Department for Education Children’s Safeguarding Operations Unit (formerly the Teachers Misconduct Team)

Staff may, as an exception not a rule, commence employment in advance of receipt of their DBS certificate providing that a separate barred list check has been received and their DBS application has been submitted. A risk assessment will be undertaken and monitoring/supervision to be in place and reviewed every two weeks until all necessary checks are completed. Any risk assessment must be signed off by the Headmaster before the person starts work. Guidance from the Department for Education and Disclosure and Barring Service to be followed at all times.

Boarding staff will not generally be allowed to start work until the original DBS is seen as the Headmaster will be unlikely to be able to sign off the risk assessment.

Guidance from the Department for Education, Disclosure & Barring Service, and National Minimum Boarding Standards is to be followed at all times.

Where a member of staff has worked or lived overseas for a period of over three months in the past five years a police check or certificate of good conduct should be requested from the country concerned. Where this is not possible, further checks should be carried out such as an additional reference, preferably from overseas employer (if not already provided).

members of staff transferring between schools within the group will subject to all of the same checks as those required for an external candidate

Staff must check the teachers prohibited from the profession list who are on the EAA sanctions list to check any EEA authority restrictions in force

Agency staff, contractors and volunteers

Agency staff

When using an employment agency to recruit staff, we will complete all of the same checks as if we had recruited the individually directly.

When using an employment agency to provide staff on a supply basis, a signed ‘Safer Recruitment in Education’ letter must be received to ensure that the agency understands their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and recruitment

For each member of staff, the agency must provide written confirmation that the following have been undertaken:

Identity check

A check to establish whether the individual is barred from regulated activity relating to young people; or is not subject to any disqualification, prohibition or restriction

Qualification checks have been made

Satisfactory references have been obtained

An enhanced DBS disclosure was obtained

Right to work in the UK check was made

Overseas checks undertaken if appropriate

Management Prohibition Check if appropriate

Medical fitness for post

In addition to the above checks being undertaken the supply staff member must also provide original proof of identity on arrival at the school and the original DBS certificate.

Contractors

Any contractor, or any employee of a contractor, who is to work at the school must have had the appropriate suitability checks. These checks will be confirmed in writing by the employer and will include full names and details of checks undertaken. The appropriate level of DBS check is as follows:

An enhanced DBS check with barred list information for contractors engaging in regulated activity

An enhanced DBS check, not including barred list information, for all other contractors who are not in regulated activity but whose work provides them with an opportunity for regular contact with children

We will obtain the DBS check for self-employed contractors.

Regular taxi drivers arranged by the school are considered to be contractors in regulated activity and will require an enhanced DBS check (generally done by the taxi company and confirmed by letter).

Contractors who have not had any checks will not be allowed to work unsupervised or engage in regulated activity under any circumstances.

We will check the identity of all contractors and their staff on arrival at the school.

Volunteers

We will never leave an unchecked volunteer unsupervised or allow them to work in regulated activity.

We will obtain an enhanced DBS check without barred list information for all volunteers who are not in regulated activity, but who have an opportunity to come into contact with students on a regular basis, for example, supervised volunteers. We will obtain an enhanced DBS check with barred list information for all volunteers who will be working in regulated activity unless they are able to present a valid enhanced DBS certificate.

We will carry out a risk assessment when deciding whether to seek an enhanced DBS check for any volunteers not engaging in regulated activity.

Arrangements for Monitoring and Evaluation

In line with DFE requirements, Guildhouse London will keep and maintain a Single Central Record (SCR). The SCR will list all staff who are employed at the school, including casual staff, agency staff, volunteers and proprietorial governors. The SCR will confirm that the required pre-employment checks have been completed, what documents have been checked, when and by whom.

Leavers will be removed at the end of each academic year and archived.

The Headmaster is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of this policy. This is achieved by monitoring the SCR and reviewing personnel files. The Safeguarding Governor will review the SCR on a monthly basis and raise any concerns with the Headmaster or Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Any reference about difficulties concerning an applicant will be made to the Disclosure & Barring Service and the Teaching Regulation Agency (if applicable).

If a member of staff is dismissed the school is under a duty to consider making a referral to the Teaching Regulation Agency including if a member of staff resigns who may otherwise have been dismissed and a prohibition order may be appropriate.

This policy has regard to guidance from the Secretary of State and also:

ISSRs Part 4, paragraphs 18-21

Department for Education guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE, September 2019)

Teacher Misconduct: the prohibition of teachers July 2014

Government Guidance on Countering Extremism/Terrorism

Related Policies

None.