Case Study
Recruitment, Appointment and Selection Services
Setting up a new 6th Form Centre
This local authority project to establish a new Post 16 Centre, with an ambitious range of courses to be housed within a purpose built campus, involved a particularly tight timescale for building completion and staff recruitment. A senior Education London consultant supported the interim governing body and LA with the start-up process.
For the Principal's appointment, the consultant took governors through legal requirements, timelines, options for a rigorous process, and ways of maximising application quality. With a framework agreed, the consultant drew up timelines, and selection tasks (in-tray exercises, questions with model answers, sessions with potential students). He then worked with the authority Human Resources team to run a process where everyone was clear who did what, with governors given a dossier of (publicly available) information on applicants and their workplaces. The consultant acted as the governors' professional educational adviser, subsequently debriefing unsuccessful candidates.
The consultant played a similar role for Vice Principal and middle leader recruitment, with additional duties such as drafting advertisements, job descriptions and person specifications. He also worked with the senior team on the Centre's project plan, to align educational, HR and premises strands.
