The Person Specification describes the standards and requirements accurately and identifies between the necessary (essential) requirements and those which are desirable for the required role. Never set unnecessary conditions or standards and take particular care when describing experience, qualification and communication requirements. Be aware of the danger of setting standards which may lead, directly or indirectly, to unfair and unlawful discrimination. At all stages in the preparation of Person Specifications, selectors must be mindful of issues which could be construed as unlawfully discriminating. Before the Person Specification is used for recruitment purposes it should be reviewed and agreed by all members of the selection panel. Selection Panel The selection panel has a responsibility to appoint the person who best matches the Person Specification. It must also ensure that all relevant employment legislation and Trust/Academy policies are followed and that the selection process is managed in an equitable and courteous manner. Each panel should have a Chair acting as an ‘appointing officer’ who is normally the person responsible for the management of the process as a whole. It is good practice that any selection should have a minimum of two selectors and, recommended as good practice, to have no more than four selectors for all appointments below Senior Management Level. All panels must have at least one member who has had safer recruitment training. A varied selection panel composition is highly recommended, however should not be tokenistic. It is good selection panel practice to include people from different backgrounds, cultures, genders, ages and, wherever possible, disabled people. It is good practice that all members of the selection panel are involved in the whole process from the outset of agreeing the Job Description, Person Specification and the method of recruitment, to the short-listing and finally the interviewing and selection. In the event of a complaint to the Industrial Tribunal this could be a matter that the Tribunal may wish to examine. The panel is responsible for agreeing the specific recruitment documentation and for producing the ‘recruitment information pack’ which is sent out to all applicants along with application forms. Before preparing the advertisement it is useful to determine the outline of the selection process and to arrange the dates when short-listing and interviewing will take place. Other Appointments Temporary Staff: Selectors should apply the same high standards of selection to temporary appointments. There must be an assessment made against the Person Specification criteria and a proper selection process should take place. Selectors must be sure that any existing temporary member of staff is the best person available to fill the job and should take into account legitimate aspirations of other employees and those needing to be
As part of an Ofsted inspection, inspectors will want to view the school’s single central record of recruitment checks. It is therefore important that such a record is kept and maintained. A school is expected to have a record of: All staff employed to work at the school, Staff employed as supply whether employed directly or through an agency. Other staff who work in regular contact with children such as volunteers or specialist instructors. The record must indicate whether or not the following checks have been completed: Identity Qualifications legally required Right to work in the United Kingdom Enhanced DBS Overseas checks where appropriate. The record should also indicate the date on which each check was completed or the relevant certificate obtained and who carried out the check. The date of the DBS check should be recorded on the central record of pre-employment checks. The Head teacher should place a copy of the email that confirms whether or not the disclosure is clear on the employee’s file. If the disclosure was not clear and a risk assessment was completed, a copy of the risk assessment should be placed in the employees file. References The selection panel should not seek to obtain any references for candidates at an early stage in the process for use as an aid to short-listing. The use of references is best restricted to the identification of contra-indicators, in other words, information as to why a particular candidate might not be suitable for appointment. If an appointment is not to be confirmed due to “unsatisfactory” references the panel should ensure that the decision is fair and reasonable and is based on justifiable grounds. It is not advisable to make offers of employment until satisfactory references have been received. It is not good practice to request references for some of the short-listed candidates (unless they have so requested), and not for others, as this could lead to perceptions that some candidates are being treated more or less favourably than others. It is a breach of the applicant’s confidentiality to seek references, or to make informal enquiries, from any person other than the applicant’s nominated referees. the reference is unclear or where there may be hints at problems, it is advisable to telephone the referee in order to clarify this information. Notes from the telephone conversation should be recorded. Criminal Convictions