The introduction of multi-academy trusts has seen the formation of organisations that are now large employers responsible for overseeing the management of thousands of staff. Even on a smaller scale, there is collective responsibility that presents challenges. Here we discuss five ways in which you can increase your effectiveness as an employer for your multi-academy trust.

Ethos

Your stated ethos should be at the heart of everything that you do. A key role of trustees and board members is to disseminate the trust’s ethos to your employees. Delivering what your trust stands for is a key challenge and your overriding mission should be to unite your school together under a single employer approach. Your ethos is your first point of reference when devising strategies. It should also hold you to account when determining how your human resources policies are put into practice.

Consistency

In overseeing a collective of schools, achieving fairness with employees is vital to secure a cohesive workforce. A consistent approach to appraisal is essential. The delicate matter of pay decisions must be managed in a fair manner and follow a detailed evidence based structure. Failure to do so can leave your trust open to accusations. Your processes should be regularly reviewed to ensure that consistency is being achieved to ensure your trust secures a reputation as a fair employer.

Patience

Please note that it will take time for your trust to become firmly established. Therefore, trustees and board members should allow some latitude in establishing your trust identity as an employer. Owing to the number of employees involved, grievances from staff will unfortunately occur from time to time. However, over time it is imperative that efficient and robust systems are developed. Processes should be regularly reviewed to promote continuous improvement.

Retention

The teaching profession contains ambitious people. They are ambitious for their students and ambitious for their own professional development. Avoiding high labour turnover is highly desirable. As capable teachers seek promotions or a new working environment, efforts should be made to retain their services within the trust. Rising stars need to be fulfilled and given the opportunity to shine further. This responsibility falls very much on individual schools; however, it is important that talented practitioners receive recognition at trust level. Therefore, time should be allocated to identifying talent and identifying ways and means to develop them further.

Appraisals

A proactive approach to appraisals will serve as a means to highlight any problems before they escalate. To promote accountability and encourage a centralised approach to staff management, software is advised. SchooliP is the simplest and most effective way to manage teacher and staff appraisal in schools. Our MAT view allows board members and executive headteachers to oversee performance management from afar. We know that our software creates a robust structure that inspires confidence amongst staff. As a result, they know that their professional development is taken very seriously. This helps to enhance your trust’s reputation as an employer.

Conclusion

The above list by no means covers every aspect of staff management. In addition to our tips, we recommend that leaders listen carefully to employees. Our technological solution offers structure to the appraisal process and includes lesson observations, CPD tracking, school improvement plans and self evaluation encourages every member of staff to take ownership of their own professional development. Implementing SchooliP in your trust will help you to monitor the performance of your staff and provide them with opportunities to develop. This will help to enhance your trust’s effectiveness as an employer.