September is the calendar month we associate with new beginnings in education. A new school year, a new term, a new class, a new school and sometimes the decision to move to pastures new.
Teacher resignation dates are the deadlines for teaching staff to hand in their notice if they wish to leave their current post. The vast majority of publicly funded schools in England operate according to the provisions of the Burgundy Book – conditions of Service for Teachers in England and Wales which specifies the notice periods for teachers in local authority maintained schools and which occur three times per school year.
The notice periods for headteachers in UK schools work in a similar pattern to classroom teacher resignation dates, but allow for a slightly longer recruitment process than for a teaching post. This is due to the time it takes to recruit school leadership, so there is an expectation that headteachers provide a longer notice period. It also makes sure that your headteacher has a smooth departure, safeguarding effective leadership, as it is giving schools plenty of time to arrange a successful recruitment campaign and perform a successful handover.
Headteachers are therefore required to provide notice in line with the below:
- to leave at Christmas (31st December), give notice by 30th September
- to leave at Easter, (contractually it’s the 30th April) give notice no later than 31st January
- to leave at the end of the school year (31st August), give notice no later than 30th April
Recruiting a headteacher is arguably one of the most important tasks a board will undertake. Research suggests that school leadership is second only to classroom teaching as an influence on pupil learning, and leaders improve teaching and learning indirectly and most powerfully through their influence on staff motivation, commitment and working conditions.
A good time for boards to be deliberately strategic about the needs and structure of the school often arises with a headteacher vacancy, assessing what skills and qualities they need in a future headteacher.
There were concerns over the pandemic causing a disruption to notice periods for teachers and school leaders, however the Board of Education’s Covid-19 resignation guidance recommends a flexible approach to those impacted by the pandemic. Interviews are also being held virtually and visits to schools are not encouraged at this time.
Allow yourself plenty of time
Things may take longer than normal, so make sure you start the recruitment process early. Ensure that at least one panel member has undergone Safer Recruitment training. We are offering online safer recruitment training and you can read more about this here.
We can assist with your Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, key leadership roles and Trust leader recruitment. We can also support with template job descriptions for any senior role, application packs, employment contracts, job offer letters, induction planning and internal policies. We are also still processing DBS and employment checks during this period, so call one of the team if you need recruitment help on 01924 827 869 or complete our contact form. You may also want to take a look at our new Applicant Tracking Software FACE-Ed, helping you to ensure you find the face that fits. Bespoke to education, FACE-Ed can manage the whole recruitment process in accordance with Safer Recruitment guidelines from advertising the vacancy to issuing the offer letter. Why not take a look on our next webinar.
Sources:
Leithwood, K, Day, C, Sammons, P, Harris, A and Hopkins, D (2006), Seven Strong Claims about Successful School Leadership, NCSL
Government Social Research. 2021. School and Trust Governance during the Coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic. [online] Available at: <https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1006077/School_And_Trust_Governance_During_COVID_Pandemic.pdf> [Accessed 1 September 2021].
