It is nationally accepted that teacher recruitment and retention is very difficult across England.

The negative impact of pay and conditions on workload and wellbeing is frequently cited as a contributing factor to the decline in the number of teachers entering the profession, and the increase in the number of those leaving.

What often gets overlooked, though, is the equally difficult recruitment and retention of non-teaching staff, be they admin; learning support or other operational functions across a school; or central services within multi-academy trusts.

However, without administrators, catering teams, cleaners, estate teams, learning support, technicians and all the other non-teaching roles within schools, the role of a teacher would be much harder. In fact, it would be impossible.

A commitment to education’s purpose

This is why the recruitment of support staff needs to have a stronger focus based on the recognition that hiring the right people who are committed to the purpose of education is vital.

It’s something I have been trying to do in my role over the past four years as school business manager at St Joseph’s Catholic Academy, Hebburn, which is part of the Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust (BCCET).

The focus is on understanding that such roles need to have the same values-driven commitment to education and great pupil outcomes as teachers. It’s something I understand well, as I was formerly a German teacher.

Learning from other sectors

However, dwindling student numbers led me to leave the sector and spend 12 years working in the world of recruitment and talent management across a number of diverse sectors, including education, finance, oil and gas.

While the roles and the sectors were very different, directors and managers all wanted the same thing: individuals who shared a common set of values, but who would also provide opportunities for the organisation to grow and expand as the shifting commercial requirement needed.

As such, if we harness the power of values-driven recruitment - which is not just about technical skills and competency, but also about emotional intelligence and the drive to make a difference within your particular school - we can improve retention.

After all, people don’t work in schools to make lots of money; they work in schools to make a difference to our pupils and the wider community. Through forging positive working relationships and understanding why our colleagues want to work in our schools, we will naturally recruit a higher calibre of individual.

Hard work, long hours - but huge rewards

I know that many people think working in a school is easy and it’s a “fluffy” job, but it’s hard work. It requires resilience and a high level of customer service and empathy. 

When I told my friends I was going to be starting as a school business manager, they thought my job was 9am-3pm and termtime only. This is not the case: areas of responsibility such as finance, staffing and health and safety are not termtime only, so neither is my role - it is all year round.

We need to be honest about what it is like working in our schools. Our schools are fantastic: they are loving and friendly communities; we genuinely care for all our pupils and colleagues; we are inclusive regardless of demographic or personal circumstances.

A wider purpose

But it is also hard work for all these reasons. Every single member of staff contributes directly to providing those improved outcomes for every single child that passes through our school gates.

This is why finding new recruits through a values-led recruitment process ensures we identify people who align with the wider purpose of being part of a school community; people who care, people who want to make a difference and people who recognise that every minute counts.

People with these values are at the core of running great schools. As such, it’s time to change the focus of the conversation from only teachers to everyone who works in education, regardless of remit and role; to understand that we are all one team striving to ensure the best opportunities for our pupils and our staff, so everyone can be the best version of themselves.

Vickie Henry is the school business manager at St Joseph’s Catholic Academy, part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust. She will be speaking at the Schools North East Education Business Conference in Newcastle on 12 June as part of an agenda looking at school strategies for financial planning, staff wellbeing, resource management and compliance. You can book tickets here