ACRONYMS

EE

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY

HOD

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

IC

INTERVIEW COMMITTEE

PA

PERSONAL ASSISTANT

SACE

SOUTH AFRICAN COUNCIL OF EDUCATORS

SASA

SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS ACT

SGB

SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY

SKAA

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES and ATTRIBUTES

SMT

SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM

INTRODUCTION & PURPOSE

The School recognizes The Bill of Rights as declared in the SA. Constitution1 and in line with labour law, specifically LRA, BCEA EEA, SDA OHSA, UIA, SASA, EEA, ELA and the PAM document with all their amendments.

All Governing Body appointments will follow the protocol as set by THE GOVERNING BODY according to the EEA and directives of the Vacancy List. This Employment Policy, keeping as close as possible to THE GOVERNING BODY framework, has been developed to support the SGB, SMT and employees by giving clear guidelines for recruitment and by ensuring fair and appropriate employment protocol for the appointment and placement of quality staff, thus ensuring excellent delivery of service in line with the Vision, Mission and Strategic Plan and the school’s current Employment Equity Plan and/or Employment Equity guidelines communicated by the THE GOVERNING BODY where applicable.

This policy applies to all employees while they are on the school premises or when they are away from the school representing it or attending a school function. This policy will enable stakeholders to create a supportive, open and trusting community that facilitates the exercising and protection of the rights of all.

The implementation of this policy should ensure the correct handling of employment issues, good governance within the school and at the same time foster a culture of accountability and transparency. The outcome would result in nurturing respectfully open and trusting relationships between stakeholders, promoting confidence in the establishment.

The administration of this policy is the responsibility of the School Governing Body (SGB) and Senior Management Team (SMT).

2. EMPLOYMENT EQUITY

The Grove’s Employment Policy is drawn up in line with our Employment Equity Policy.

3. POLICY STATEMENT

The School commits to the following:

• Following the employment equity guidelines as communicated by THE GOVERNING BODY.
• Regularly reviewing job roles and preparing or updating job descriptions to accurately reflect the tasks and responsibilities involved in the fulfilment of functions of the role.
• Remaining up to date with employment legislation and contractual obligations to employees and all legislation will be taken into account in recruitment processes.
• Establishing appropriate and accurate selection criteria that accurately reflect the SKAA (Skills Knowledge Attitude Attributes) we are seeking for the role and to meet the needs and context of the school at the time.
• Planning selection processes that ensure the involvement of appropriate persons (e.g.: line manager / grade head / head of department; Principal; EE Committee member; SGB rep etc.), following effective procedures, setting achievable time frames and ensuring that fair, appropriate and consistent decisions are made.
• Publicly advertising open posts in a way that maximizes the opportunity to find the right person for the job.
• Selection processes that treat all applicants fairly and clearly identify who meets the selection criteria.
• Mentoring and induction for new staff in line with school policy.

4. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS FOR FILLING AN EXISTING OR ESTABLISHING A NEW POSITION

The motivation and approval to replace staff and adjust the staff complement lies with senior management. New positions must be approved by Senior Management and the SGB. All new positions should ideally come out of the strategic vision and planning of the school and be in line with budget.

Steps for dealing with a job vacancy. Step 1:

• Review job role and update or create job descriptions with employees/ section heads/ SMT/ strategic plan or basic operational needs of the school and address these accordingly.
• If a new position, use the strategic plan and/or a staff audit to develop a full Job Description and establish Key Performance Areas (KPA’s) by considering all the duties for which an employee will be responsible to set up a new role. Provide a motivation to the SGB for the new position.
• All job descriptions should be signed off by the Principal, or other designated personnel as delegated by the SGB, in conjunction with the relevant departmental head.

Step 2:

• Establish appropriate selection criteria based on skills, knowledge, attitudes and attributes (SKAA) necessary for the job. The above are used to create the advertisement.

5. THE ADVERTISING OR PROMOTION OF POSITIONS

As a general rule, all full-time permanent posts are publicly advertised. The platform/s used for this will be determined in consultation with the relevant departments, including the EE committee. Adverts will be circulated to the SGB and EE Committee for approval. The advert for a position will be drawn up by the Interview Committee (see section 6 below). All advertisements must be signed off by the SGB prior to submission, detailing where they will be shared.

6. THE SELECTION PANEL AND CONDUCTING OF SELECTION PROCESS

Staff appointed must be able to fulfill the expectations, current context, and needs of the school and its community.

Step 1:

• Establish an Interview Committee and designate a committee chair. The committee chair is the one who will report back to the SGB.
• SGB must approve the Interview Committee and mandate it to proceed with the interview and appointment processes. This may be done electronically via a round-robin email.
• SGB members will be invited to serve on interview committees and should make every effort to be present. The SGB may elect to co-opt a non-SGB parent or other member of The School community onto an interview committee.
• Should neither of these options be possible, the Interview Committee has a mandate to proceed without an SGB member present.
• The EE Committee and Union Representatives will also be asked to send a member, to ensure that fair and equitable processes are adhered to.

Step 2:

• The Interview Committee sets the job advert for the position based on the job description.
• SGB must approve the job advert. The proposed job advert can be circulated electronically to the SGB and approved electronically via a round-robin email.

Step 3:

• The Interview Committee sets criteria for sifting applications and shortlisting for positions based on the minimum requirement(s) as determined by the advert and Job Description. For positions that are based on soft skills and personal attributes, discussion and consensus of who is applicable for an interview is allowed. Records of how decisions were made must be kept.

Step 4:

• The Interview Committee agrees on interview questions based on the job description and advert.
• The interview process allows the interview panel to explore and test the competencies of the applicant. It also provides an opportunity to get a better idea of the attitudes and attributes that the candidate could bring not only to the job but to the school as a whole. Questions should be open-ended and based on the KPA’s of the JD and the current context and needs of the school. There can be extra optional questions which allow the committee to further probe CV related questions or interview responses of candidates.
• Candidates can also be evaluated on the committee’s general observations.
• Scores/weightings can be allocated based on the importance of the KPA’s and expectations of the position. Should scores be used, a rubric is created to rank the suitability of the candidates for appointment.
• Final decisions will be made through ranking, discussion and consensus.

7. INTERVIEW PROTOCOL

Once applications have been sifted by the Interview Committee, a shortlist can be created and potential candidates selected and called for an interview. All interviewees must be given the same questions. Each member of the interview panel must note responses and observations on the interview sheet and these must be kept for 3 months. Should a candidate misinterpret a question, the candidate should not be probed. The answer given by the candidate and the question can be repeated. It is then up to the candidate to choose to remediate or not. The Interview Committee may elect to choose for the candidate to perform a practical task.

After the completion of all the interviews, the rankings should be presented, defended and debated. Minutes must be kept of these discussions and the reasons why a candidate was included or excluded. EE must be considered at this point. The most successful candidates should be ranked in order of suitability.

Staff appointed must be able to fulfill the current expectations, context, and needs of the school and its community. The SGB will be informed of the process, and provided with a summary of the candidates, their ranking and suitability and the discussions around EE. Minutes of the selection committee should also be made available to the SGB.

8. DUE DILIGENCE

The Principal, or other designated personnel as delegated by the SGB, is responsible to ensure that the following checks are made for all prospective employees. Our letter of offer states that the offer is subject to the following:

1. Telephonic/electronic follow-ups of at least two referees.
2. SACE online
3. Acknowledgment that The School will undertake a Criminal Record Check and any others that may be required.
4. Satisfactory credit checks, where these are deemed necessary.
5. Authentication of service via Certification of Service and level at which employed from previous schools.
6. Willingness to obtain a driver’s license and PDP.

9. NOMINATION and APPOINTMENT

1. 9.1 The interview committee shall rank the applicants in accordance with criteria agreed.
2. 9.2 The chair of the interview committee shall communicate the ranking and feedback on candidates who meet the minimum requirements to the SGB electronically.
3. 9.3 In addition, the Finance Manager presents the SGB with the total cost to the company of the preferred candidate who is selected and the committee recommends as able to do the job.
4. 9.4 The SGB shall authorize the School to make an offer of employment to the SGB’s preferred successful candidate.
5. 9.5 The SGB Chair, together with the Finance Manager, will complete an offer of employment for the successful candidate, together with a breakdown of the cost to company salary being offered (signed by the SGB Chair and the Principal). The successful candidate should be contacted and informed of their success. Should they indicate they intend to accept the offer, the next step in this process can continue. Alternatively, should the preferred candidate indicate they intend to decline then the SGB should be informed. If no other candidate meets the minimum criteria or should the SGB decide not to make an offer to any other candidate the post shall be readvertised in accordance with this employment policy.
6. 9.6 A written letter of offer, signed by the Principal and SGB Chair, will be presented to the successful candidate, subject to completion of required due diligence on the suitability of the candidate in accordance with the above.
7. 9.7 Once the offer has been accepted and all checks have been completed the final written contract of employment, signed by the Principal and SGB chair, will be drafted and presented to the successful candidate for signature.

10. SALARY

Salaries are calculated based on qualification and work experience, as per THE GOVERNING BODY scales; one-notch progression for every full year’s service. Experience in acting positions at the same post level is recognized. Employees are paid within their salary range for the position they are employed in. All staff salaries are based on The School’s entry level per post.

Remuneration is also determined by the contract signed: permanent, fixed-term, contracts for people 65 years and older, interns, and non-full-time staff.

11. BENEFITS

In addition to the salary in accordance with THE GOVERNING BODY scales, employment packages at The School include a number of benefits. These include:

• Please refer to an addendum by the school which will for each year clearly specify the benefit structure for new positions and appointments;

12. APPOINTMENT OF NON-PERMANENT STAFF

• Should the need for a temporary/non-permanent appointment (more than 12 months) be necessary, the following must be noted:
  • All of the steps (advertising; interviewing and appointment thereof) listed in sections 4-10 of this policy are to be adhered to.
• Should the need for a temporary/non-permanent appointment (between one and 12 months) be necessary, the following must be noted:
  • SGB to be informed of why this opportunity exists (special leave; sick leave; maternity leave of permanent staff etc.).
  • A substitute staff may be appointed by the Principal, with the support of the School Management Team.
  • In most instances, no advertising for these positions is required, as the school has a database of eligible candidates with a proven track record.

• Should the need for a temporary/non-permanent appointment (one month or less) be necessary, the following must be noted:

  • Substitute staff may be appointed by the Principal, with the support of the School Management Team, and without the SGB’s approval. No advertising for these positions is required, as the school has a database of eligible candidates with a proven track record.

12.1. INDUCTION:

Induction at The School is based on the following three steps:

1. Step 1:New staff are invited to attend a session that covers, amongst other things: administration requirements of the school; operational needs of a class teacher; code of conduct; understanding of The School staff structure; information around the running of the school and the systems we follow.
2. Step 2: Academic induction details information such as: appraisals and DSG; LSEN; Habits of Mind; Thinking Strategies; IQMS procedures; budgets and stationery for teachers; mediation and remedial support. Attend new parents meeting.
3. Step 3: New staff are allocated a mentor who supports them through their first six months at The School’s. Regular meetings take place as a group to allow for the sharing of concerns and information.

13. LEAVE

All staff, teachers and non-teaching staff, are expected to take leave during the allocated school holidays. This form details scenarios outside of this time.

A full Leave Policy is available for employees to read and sign, whereas the following special provisions are to be read into the leave policy as if repeated mutatis mutandis:

Special Leave:

• A maximum of three days per year may be granted for Professional and Personal Development and Religious Observances.

• Personal Development must be in the interest of The School may be granted for Study purposes; as per The School’s Study Policy. If approved, this leave may be paid or unpaid.

• May be granted for Examination purposes: you will be granted 1 day prior + 1 day of the exam at full pay; as per The School’s Study Policy.

• May be granted for Sporting, Cultural and other relevant activities. Application needs to be applied for timeously, allowing time for the school to make an alternative / operational arrangement.

• May be granted for Extraordinary Circumstances. If approved this leave may be paid or unpaid.

• May be granted if Unpaid Leave is applied for; where purposes justify it.

• An extended leave of absence may be applied for in exceptional circumstances, such as to supplement maternity, paternity or study leave. Application is to be made in writing to the SGB and may or may not be approved, at their discretion. The factors that will guide the decision of the SGB include, but are not limited to:

  • The current needs and context of the school
  • The impact that the granting of this application may have on the children

14. EXITING EMPLOYMENT

When staff leave the employ of the SGB through resignation, retirement, redundancy, or termination, written notification in terms of the contract or law apply.

Reasons for exit are acknowledged and accepted in writing by the Principal. Reasons for exit are tabled at the next SGB meeting.

• Provident Fund withdrawal form to be completed. (if applicable)
• If on Medical Aid – medical scheme to be notified at resignation.
• Terminate on Payroll.
• Undertake an Exit Interview with the Principal, or other designated personnel as delegated by the SGB, and a designated Deputy, as determined by the Executive Committee.

All staff will be issued with a certificate of service

Acceptance of policy:

Adopted at _____________________ on this ________________ day of 20____