Attract and retain staff using a values-based approach: case study

What's the approach?

Attract, develop and retain staff with flexible working options, staff mentoring and values-based recruitment. 

This could work for you if …

• You make your school’s culture a priority. It’s important to create an environment that values and supports all staff, despite the pressures of the school day
• You have, or want to develop, a clear set of values that staff "live and breathe." Staff need to naturally incorporate these values, and use them to guide how they work and interact with pupils
• You’re prepared to rethink your approach to lesson observations. Focus on what observing staff don’t comment on, and explore why they pick up on certain themes during lesson observations 
• You’re happy to offer mentoring to all staff, including outside of school hours. Make sure staff are willing to take part in after-school sessions and minimise directed time after school, so mentoring can be incorporated then 
• You put clear structures and guidance in place to support staff and give them autonomy. Focus on supporting staff, alongside giving them autonomy over their workload – e.g. clearly articulating expectations while allowing for open discussions around how to achieve them
• You’re open to flexible working options. You’ll need to manage part-time staff effectively, to make sure pupils aren't negatively impacted 

Why try this?

This approach has helped Frank Wise School to:

• Build a strong sense of community. Setting consistent values, expectations and ways of working was key
• Retain great staff. A lot of the school’s staff have worked there for 5 years or more, with many of the leadership team having been at the school for 15 years or more 
• Offer flexibility where staff need it, including part-time hours to allow staff to study or to balance work and family life 
• Attract plenty of suitable candidates. Vacancies tend to attract lots of high-quality applicants and the school has many speculative applications, too 

 Consider giving this a go if:

• You feel your school culture needs more stability and consistency
• You want to build a non-judgemental environment for your staff’s professional development
• You’d like to recruit staff based on shared values, rather than just their prior experience

Put distributed leadership into place

Focus on creating a culture of collective responsibility and decision making.

Lots of people have lots of responsibilities, and we don’t tend to micromanage

At Frank Wise School, this looks like:

• Using a non status-led approach. Everyone is treated equally, regardless of their job title and role. Staff are all on first-name terms and the school operates a causal dress policy, to help set the tone of equality
• Viewing leadership as a 'custodian' relationship. School leaders see themselves as looking after the school for everyone, rather than 'owning' it
• Offering teachers the opportunity to lead on 1 aspect of the school improvement plan (SIP) in an area they’re good at, or interested in (read more on this below)
• Making decisions based on collective discussions. Staff are given time to talk together, to agree on the best way forward

Make your school’s success a shared responsibility

Focus on a ‘low ego, high impact’ culture – it’s important to create an environment where staff feel comfortable contributing their ideas and challenging current practices.

Simon Knight, joint headteacher at Frank Wise School, says: “You need experienced teachers to engage in professional discussion with those who are new to the school, and to do so willingly.”

Give staff a sense of autonomy over their work

Consider asking staff to take responsibility for a specific part of your SIP, based on their particular strengths and areas of expertise. For example, a teacher with a strong background in literacy might lead a review of your phonics programme.

Frank Wise School encourages this approach for all its teachers, regardless of how long they’ve worked at the school for – “I think it gives our teachers a sense of agency," says Simon.

Maximise the impact of lesson observations

Simon explains that at Frank Wise School, the goal of lesson observations is for teachers to personally identify what they'd like to improve upon, "rather than having a dependency culture where they need permission to make changes."

Teachers know that they'll be supported to improve, and not judged

This looks like:

• Getting multiple staff members involved in the lesson observation. Depending on availability, 2 staff will often observe 1 colleague’s teaching, followed by a discussion  
• Building a pattern of narrative observations over time. Frank Wise school looks for regularly occurring themes from lesson observations, as well as noting the themes that appear least regularly, within the context of effective teaching and learning
• Using AI to draw out common themes. Positive, neutral and negative statements are analysed by inputting discussion notes into an AI tool, then breaking the data down numerically – e.g. into pie charts
• Exploring why observing staff tend to comment on certain aspects within the classroom. Staff discuss whether their observations are centred around the school’s values, the impact upon pupil progress and development or their own professional interests (see more on this below)

Newer teachers can observe experienced colleagues

Less-experienced teachers often focus on different parts of lessons compared to more experienced staff, helping everyone to get a better understanding of teaching and learning.

What we're really interested in is what teachers don't see when they look at learning. How do we explore the bits that aren't commented on?

Staff who have been carrying out observations for a long time might have preconceived ideas about what they’ll see.

Observers benefit just as much as the teacher being observed

Observing teachers can develop critical thinking skills, without the pressure of being observed. 

Actively watching and analysing colleagues gives teachers concrete examples of effective practice, and this helps to improve their own teaching.

Simon explains that by learning how to observe others, teachers can apply those skills to themselves and reflect critically on what went well and why – after their own lesson observation, or at the end of the school day.

Explore why staff pick up on common themes during observations 

Base your discussions around your school’s values and pupil impact. For example, if staff regularly focus on formative language, decide if that's because it’s a collective school value in how your pupils effectively learn and communicate, or if it’s because of the impact on learning outcomes.

It’s important to consider whether or not staff’s observations focus on what makes the biggest difference to pupils' learning. “We ask, 'Is it an impact position?'" says Simon. "These are the things that we feel would have the greatest consequence for children's development.” 

Take professional interests into account

Consider the shared professional interests amongst your staff, and if these are influencing what they observe.

For example, if formative language is a common theme this might be because your teachers have a professional interest in language acquisition. 

Mentor all your staff

At Frank Wise School, all staff have mentors to give them ongoing professional development and support.

The support of a mentor is something that every teacher has access to, whether they're an ECT or just new to Frank Wise

Here’s how mentoring works at the school:

• Mentors are chosen based on a variety of factors  – the mentor’s capacity, the age range they teach and their experience are all considered before they’re paired up with a colleague 
• Sessions are negotiated based on individual needs. Teachers and their mentors meet for 1 hour every week. The sessions are designed to be responsive to individual needs, rather than having a 'tick box' approach (read more on this below)
• All staff have structured mentoring frameworks. This helps give staff a clear pathway for progression (outlined below)

Read more about developing peer-to-peer mentoring.

Use a flexible approach when planning mentoring sessions …

Ask your mentor and mentee to decide on areas that need work and then focus on these – e.g. having open pedagogical discussions to draw out existing knowledge, and how that can be built upon.

At Frank Wise School, flexibility is built into all staff’s mentoring sessions, regardless of their experience.

For example, all staff who are new to the school follow an induction framework that prioritises certain sessions, but the exact content is open for discussion between them and their mentor.

… But explain when processes must be followed 

Some sessions will involve 'operational mentoring' – e.g. processes that must be followed.

Topics not open for discussion at your school might include:

• Turning off classroom lights when leaving the room, to save energy
• Following school/trust polices around pupils’ personal care needs

Topics open for discussion might include:

• Strategies for evaluating the impact of learning
• Creating effective sequences of learning 

Follow a clear mentoring framework for new staff

New staff follow a 12-month induction programme, using a framework to help them find “their own way forward," says Simon. 

It’s creating a framework within which people can explore their own way forward, but also stops them from flailing around

Use a ‘need to know’ approach

Give new staff information progressively over time (when it’s most relevant and necessary), rather than overloading them with it all upfront. 

At Frank Wise School, this means structuring mentoring to address what staff need to know before they join the school, and on their first day.

Here’s what this might look like:

Avoid a ‘tick box’ mentality

It’s important for staff to take part in mentoring sessions that have a genuine impact on their professional development, rather than leaving them feeling like they’ve done things to complete a 'requirement'. 

Simon explains that mentoring has to be “responsive, and based on trying to create the greatest impact in the shortest amount of time.”  

Keep mentoring meaningful for more experienced staff 

Look at individual staff needs and existing expertise to make sure time is spent productively.

For more experienced teachers who are new to your school, you might focus on building their understanding of your specific context, for example, or in areas they might need more development and support in, such as managing pupils' complex healthcare needs.

Listen to staff feedback

Give all staff the chance to feed back at different points throughout the process, focusing on what they feel they need to know and when. 

Use these insights to improve the mentoring experience, and to make sure it meets staff needs and expectations. 

For example, Frank Wise School is currently rewriting its mentoring framework, using feedback from recently mentored staff to make it as responsive and diverse as possible, rather than too directive.

Attract high-quality candidates

Frank Wise School attracts a number of suitable candidates, including speculative candidates.

The school tries to plan ahead to make sure it's ready for any potential staffing changes – such as staff moving to part-time working – by taking on good people in plenty of time.

We can teach people to be good at the job. We can't teach them to value the children

Use a values-based recruitment process

Prioritise candidates whose beliefs and attitudes align with your school’s core ethos.

Here’s what this looks like at Frank Wise School:

• Looking at values over experience. The school believes that practical skills can be taught, and places greater emphasis on finding candidates with a genuine appreciation of its pupils
• Asking open-ended questions. For example, 1 of the school’s values is a commitment to working in a special school so at interview candidates are always asked: “Why do you want to work at a special school? Why our school in particular?” 
• Getting pupils involved in the recruitment process. Candidates visit classrooms, where they're observed interacting with pupils and staff (read more about this below)

Organise structured classroom visits

Build structured classroom visits into your recruitment process so you can observe how candidates interact with your pupils. 

At Frank Wise School, this means looking for candidates who:

• Get down to pupils’ eye level – e.g. crouching or sitting down to talk to younger pupils or those who use mobility equipment
• Actively listen to pupils– e.g. giving personalised responses to individuals 
• Use age-appropriate language– e.g. having a conversation around an activity a pupil is doing  
• Physically and actively engage with pupils – e.g. taking part in pupils’ activities

The school pays particular attention to candidates who treat their pupils as individuals.

"The classroom visits are critical in regard to determining that a candidate’s values appear to align with our school’s," says Simon.

Use a scoring system

Put together a scale-like scoring system that takes into account your views, as well as those of your pupils and other staff members. 

At Frank Wise School, staff observing candidates in the classroom comment specifically on pupil interactions, giving each candidate a grade.  

This grade, along with pupil and staff comments, are used to assess how well the candidate's values align with the school’s, and how the candidate is naturally inclined to act with pupils with complex learning disabilities.

Balance staff and pupil needs with flexible working

Frank Wise School has flexible working arrangements in place that build consistency for pupils, and help everyone know where they stand.

We have part-time arrangements across the entire school – for the teaching and support staff workforce 

Here’s what this looks like:

• The school aims for 1 part-time arrangement per class – e.g. a full-time teacher will work in a class with part-time support staff, and a part-time teacher will work in a class with full-time support staff
• Staff are supported to continue their professional education – Frank Wise School partners with a local university, which offers a degree-based course that only needs 1 day a week in-person attendance
• Contracts are adjusted to allow staff to study – the school often adjusts contracts to allow for staff to combine teaching and studying 

Read about how to respond to flexible working requests.

Look out for further education courses designed for people who work

Many further education institutions offer courses designed to allow students to work and study, whether in-person or remote. "Staff can continue to earn while we continue to benefit from their expertise and their experience,” says Simon.

Keep practical considerations in mind

When staff are studying for further qualifications, think about how you can minimise the practical considerations, such as arranging lesson cover. 

Frank Wise School puts staff in place ahead of time who can cover for teachers attending further study, or who work part-time. “We won't use supply staff,” says Simon.

This also means the school can attract and secure good candidates for roles that might not formally exist at the time of interview, helping to mitigate the risks of any staff shortage during the academic year.

Look for opportunities beyond formal studying 

Pay attention to developing your whole workforce – e.g. give lunchtime supervisors the chance to spend time in classrooms.

At Frank Wise School, lunchtime supervisors who aspire to be classroom staff are paid to cover absent teaching assistants as part of their professional development.

This helps them to develop teaching skills while simultaneously building a pool of internal staff who can provide lesson cover.

How to make this a success

Here are Simon’s top tips for making this approach successful:

• Build a strong sense of peer mentoring and learning. Create a supportive environment that gives staff a sense of belonging, shared purpose, trust and respect
• Use distributed leadership. Put a non-hierarchical leadership structure in place, and focus on collective responsibility and decision making 
• Use a values-based recruitment strategy. Prioritise hiring candidates with values that align with your school/trust values, especially their attitudes towards pupils and inclusion 
• Offer flexible working. Put flexible working arrangements in place to support staff wellbeing and their work-life balance