Education Sector – Useful Employment Law & HR
information
NatWest
Mentor can help your
educational establishment with its Employment Law compliance and HR
needs. Whether your organisation is an established independent
school, a foundation school just getting to grips with running
things, or involved in early years childcare,
NatWest
Mentor can provide help
and support with complying with the law and getting the most out of
your staff.
You’ll need to ensure you recruit the right staff
In education and children’s work, employee vetting and
compliance with safeguarding requirements is paramount. Failing to
do the correct checks could have very serious consequences,
particularly for any victim of abuse, and could be devastating for
your organisation.
You should:
- Operate strict policies at the recruitment stage to vet and
verify the identity and qualifications of all new starters
- Ensure all staff have up-to-date CRB / Disclosure Scotland
checks
- Comply with any requirements for ongoing updating of these
checks.
Mentor can provide:
- Up-to-date guidance on all employee vetting and verification
requirements
- Appropriate documentation, including application forms
- 24 / 7 telephone advice.
Maintaining staff / child ratios is important
Staff absenteeism and poor timekeeping can cause problems to
your organisation. Staff who fail to show up can mean your
organisation exceeds statutory carer / child ratios, resulting in
strain on resources elsewhere or possible capacity reductions.
You should:
- Have robust absence policies and management procedures in
place
- Understand when it is appropriate to take disciplinary action
against staff who repeatedly cause problems
Mentor can provide:
- An Employee Handbook with appropriate absence policies and
procedures
- Online management tools to record and monitor staff absence,
and highlight any triggers for further action
- 24/7 telephone advice to guide you through any disciplinary
proceedings.
Staff terms and conditions can be complex
You’ll have a range of staff. But due to the nature of the
academic year and because some employment rights may be governed by
external agreements, employment arrangements can be particularly
complex in the education sector.
Staff may be protected by Transfer of Undertakings obligations,
for example, if they have been transferred from other employers;
some staff may require term-time-only contracts; others may be
part-time or job sharers.
It’s important you understand the legal rights of all of your
employees, not only to avoid costly employment tribunal claims, but
also so that you can consider what changes you might implement to
suit the future needs of your organisation.
You should:
- Ensure all staff have appropriate written contracts of
employment
- Ensure you understand your legal obligations to any staff who
have transferred-in to your organisation, for example from local
authority employment
- Set up procedures, such as disciplinary and grievance
procedures, that are appropriate to your organisation.
Mentor can provide:
- Appropriate terms and conditions of employment and contract
documentation
- An Employee Handbook containing procedures appropriate to your
organisation
- 24 / 7 telephone advice to help you deal with things such as
disciplinary issues and staff grievances.