Recruitment Policy

Introduction

The policy applies to Harbour Learning Trust, the legal entity that operates the SCITT – East of England Teacher Training. This document outlines the policy and procedure for recruiting trainee teachers on to a course leading to the award of QTS. As Harbour Learning Trust is the legal entity that operates the SCITT, they will enforce the policy below.

East of England Teacher Training recognises the importance of a rigorous recruitment process to secure sufficient high quality applicants to enrol as trainees on our teacher training programme. We are committed to ensuring that the recruitment and selection of trainees is a fair and effective process. Each procedure will meet the requirements of the Secretary of State’s ITT criteria and shall align with safer recruiting/safeguarding best practice.

This policy & procedure relates to applications for SCITT or School Direct vacancies and does not apply to Assessment Only. Please see separate guidance for Assessment Only Route into teaching.

Recruitment Procedure

Application Stage

Advertising of vacancies

All EoETT courses are advertised externally on https://www.gov.uk/find-postgraduate-teacher-training-courses
Further details can found on the website: www.eoettc.com by clicking the partnership section and viewing where we have placement schools

Applications

All applications for a trainee teacher position must be made through DfE Apply using their proforma.
Applications should be made on the Get into Teaching website (DfE Apply): https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-teacher-training
CVs will not be accepted.

References

One of the references should be from the applicant’s current or most recent employer and will come from a professional email account, for safer recruitment purposes
If the applicant is a recent graduate EoETT would expect that one of the references should be from the applicant’s University via a professional email account.
If the applicant is working or volunteering in a school, a school reference would be a requirement, via a school email account
- If an applicant is volunteering in a school the reference would be from the headteacher
- If the applicant is employed within a school a headteacher reference is required
The SCITT does not accept open references, testimonials or references from friends or relatives.
References must be provided on DfE forms via work/professional email addresses. Personal email accounts will not be accepted.
Where references are provided via personal accounts for Apply, EoETT will follow up directly to confirm the legitimacy of the reference and relation to the applicant.
If unsuitable references are provided on the Apply form EoETT will ask for further references to be provided as part of a conditional offer, due to safer recruitment practices.

Selection Stage

All applicants will initially be screened by a member of the EoETT team to check they meet or will have the capacity to meet the entry criteria of GCSE’s and degree. Notes are made if an applicant will need a specific equivalency test so this can be discussed and explored with them at interview.
Work history will be examined and interviewers informed (via the selection form) of any ‘gaps’ in work history, so this can be discussed with the candidate
We will also undertake safer recruitment checks, so further questions can be asked about any previous convictions that have been declared and any references from personal email accounts, that can’t be verified
Any reasons for rejecting an applicant will be clearly identified at this stage.

Interviews

The interview process will explore the applicant’s ability to train to teach and EoETT are looking for ‘personality and potential’ to become a good trainee.
Applicants that have been selected for a ‘Phase 1’ interview, will be asked to identify their preferred training age range and their preferred ‘top 3’ schools from within the partnership that they would like to train in. Some partnerships have a single application code per school and this isn’t a necessary step (Josie Thirkell specifically)
EoETT will then contact these partnership Head teachers and seek their availability to interview with a member of the SCITT team, so Heads can see first hand the quality of the applicant as a member of the interview panel, with a view to them offering them a place to train in their school
All fee funded interviews will be online via zoom
Applicants will be asked to prepare an English or Maths lesson for the year group of their choosing; they have to send planning/resources/slides to the panel before the interview, so they have chance to look at these
During the first stage of the interview, applicants will be asked to discuss and describe their lesson and the panel may ask them questions about the lesson
The panel will assess the trainees persona/personality and also the lesson content/suitability on a sliding scale from 0-6 in the EoETT interview booklet
Following the lesson discussion, applicants will be asked a series of pre-planned questions using the EoETT interview booklet. All answers will be recorded on a scale from 0-3
Please note that no questions will be asked about health or medical fitness prior to any offer being made. Any discrepancies or anomalies will be followed up.
After the online interview the interview panel will discuss if it is felt that the applicant has the potential to be a good trainee and the applicant will move onto ‘Phase 2’ or be rejected
All applicants will be contacted by phone and given verbal feedback, in order to support them and answer any questions they may have. They are also sent a support letter with targets
If an applicant is successful a conditional offer will be placed on the DfE Apply system, however they must complete ‘Phase 2’ of the interview process and visit a partnership school for the day, to secure a training placement. During the day the school will look at: the persona and professionalism of the applicant, their ability to build effective relationships with the children, their ability to be proactive and use their own initiative.
If the placement school is happy to offer the applicant a place and they have passed phase 2, the condition is confirmed on the DfE Apply system.
If an applicant is not a ‘fit’ for a school they will be given a second opportunity to visit another partnership school in order to secure a placement. Any constructive feedback will be passed onto the applicant
If after two visits to partnership schools, the applicant still hasn’t been offered a training placement, EoETT will investigate reasons why and the Head of SCITT will make a decision on a case by case basis, as to whether the applicant is rejected or if they can explore a third training school
If applicants attend an online interview, they will be asked to provide details about their qualifications and prove their identity at a later date, before the start of the course.
Copies of applicants documents will be retained as per the EoETT retention policy.

Salaried Applicants

All salaried applicants will need to have an employing school prepared to employ them on the unqualified teacher scale point 1, as a minimum
All salaried interviews will be undertaken face to face in the supporting school (as it is an employed position), using the EoETT interview booklet
Applicants will be asked to teach a group of children for 30 minutes with an English or mathematics focus.
Applicants will be assessed on personality/persona and lesson content/suitability, as they would in an online lesson, scored on a sliding scale of 0-6
Applicants will be asked the same questions face to face, as they would be in an online interview and scored on a sliding scale of 0-3
All applicants who are invited to an interview in a school will be required to bring evidence of their identity, address and qualifications. Original documents will only be accepted and photocopies will be taken.
Copies of applicants documents will be retained as per the EoETT retention policy.

Offers

Immediately following a successful ‘Phase 1’ interview, applicants will be issued with a conditional offer on DfE Apply and sent a letter outlining these conditions
Finding a training school – Phase 2
- EoETT helps applicants to find a training school within their partnership of schools and every applicant will identify their ‘top 3’ training schools from those with availability, within their desired training phase
- As part of ‘Phase 2’ applicants must visit a potential placement school to check that they feel the school is a ‘fit’ for them
- EoETT will guarantee local placements (host school and second school) to applicants living in Lincoln, Newark, Grantham or Grimsby.
- Second school placements are organised by EoETT to ensure that the appropriate guidance is adhered to
  - Personal circumstances will be taken into consideration whilst organising these, where possible
All applicants will be subject to safeguarding and health checks within their offer
Applicants offers will become unconditional on the DfE Apply system once they have satisfied all conditions as outlined in their offer letter

Health and physical capacity to teach

The SCITT has a responsibility to ensure that trainees have the health and physical capacity to teach and will not put children and young people at risk of harm.
Successful applicants will be asked to complete a health questionnaire once an offer is accepted.
Successful applicants will be asked to complete a screening assessment with the SCITT Occupational Health Provider once an offer is accepted.
Only targeted and relevant health- related questions which are necessary to ensure that a person is able to teach will be asked.
The SCITT will provide support and guidance to trainees who provide further information about identified needs. This may be following a DSA (Disabled Students Allowance) request via Student Finance England.
If appropriate, the fitness to practise policy will be followed.

School Placements

East of England Teacher Training will be responsible for securing appropriate placements of quality for trainees’ school experiences.
School placement availability will be discussed during the interview process, as outlined above
The SCITT criteria for selecting schools is based on evidence of the school providing good and effective placements in primary education, together with a capacity and desire to offer high quality school based training to trainee teachers.

Trainees placements will take place in schools which:

have shared values and beliefs in the effectiveness of the school based ITT route;
have had successful experiences of supporting a range of different routes into ITT;
recognise that the trainee needs appropriate supervision and support during their training year;
recognise that the trainee needs time within school to complete their studies as part of their training course;
have been involved in the selection of the trainee, including being given the opportunity to use their own selection procedures during an orientation visit (part 2 of the interview process) and could have even asked the trainee to teach or undertake their own interview;
provide a suitable setting and model of best practice for trainees;
provide models of good practice and suitably experienced school-based Senior Mentor and Mentor
are committed to continuing professional development and improvement in the provision of ITT

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