Recruitment in the education sector can be a challenge, particularly in the current economic climate. Retaining talent and attracting quality candidates to your setting shouldn't just start when you have vacancies; it's part of a long-term strategy. Your strategic thinking around recruitment should include: What will your team look like in a year's...

With today's difficult recruitment climate, retaining talented staff is more important than ever. Effective policies around wellbeing, workload and flexible working all help to improve staff morale and help retention, but at what point does staff engagement really start? The onboarding process? The interview process? Or even before candidates have ...

Teachers' pay award

So, the long-awaited announcement is finally here! After painful strikes and heated debates, the government has given its full consent to the STRB's recommendations. What's in it for the teachers? A solid 6.5% pay hike. And the best part? It's not just a reshuffling of old funds but an infusion of fresh money that's fully backed. This is defin...

The latest version of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) has been published and comes into force on 1 September 2023. The changes made in KCSIE 2023 are mainly clarifications on existing guidance – the key change that jumps out is around the implementation of the DfE's 'Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges' (the ...

Cost savings with effective HR

With today's ever-tightening budgets, schools face the challenging task of delivering exceptional education without stretching resources too thin. HR isn't something that automatically springs to mind when looking for cost savings, but effective practices can save both time and money. Let's explore how strategic HR practices can help save costs. Re...

HR supporting trust growth

The role of HR in the expansion of MATs is multifaceted and central to long-term success. As MATs look to expand, strategic and operational HR practices can help or hinder both the attraction of schools to the trust and the ease with which they convert and are assimilated into trust practices. What is strategic HR, and why should expanding MATs car...

Safer recruitment online checks

Checking social media and online presence as part of safer recruitment practices was introduced as a 'should' in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022, and as we all know, with KCSIE, a 'should' is really an instruction to 'go and do'. The process itself is quite simple, but it can be difficult to know where to start when 'online' is such a broad...

The growth of a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) is an exciting yet challenging journey. As more schools join the trust, the complexity of operations increases, presenting new risks and challenges.  Risks, Rewards & Realism Adding more schools to a trust brings practical and cultural challenges. The volume of routine 'day to day' activities goes ...

Keystone is a company focused on people.  Our approach has always been about creating a culture that genuinely values our team members, as well as being proud of their unique qualities, passion, insider experience and knowledge within the industry. For the first in our 'Meet the Team' series, we start with our Director...

The UK government recently published draft regulations around changes to paternity leave policy, due to go live this week on Friday 8th March. The main change to the policy is that it allows fathers or partners to split their statutory paternity leave into single week blocks rather than having to take it all at once, as per previous regulations. Th...

A reliable HR department is instrumental to the success of any organisation, no matter the size. From hiring staff to absence management and grievances, the human resource department is key to maintaining employee relations within any organisation. Likewise, the department of human resources for schools and Multi Academy Trusts plays an integral ro...

An ever-evolving financial climate in the education sector poses certain challenges to schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs). The demanding nature of the education finance sector continually tests the abilities and resilience of management, teaching and non-teaching staff in MATs. Introducing actionable measures to mitigate financial difficulties...

As your school grows, you'll realise that scaling education and operations is necessary to stay competitive. However, scaling and upgrading school operations within the education sector can be a challenge as education costs continue to rise. Becoming more cost-efficient is a common challenge that almost every school or MAT faces when upgrading oper...

A school can be like a second home for students, spending a considerable amount of time learning and absorbing information, developing thinking capabilities, and picking up valuable skills. With teachers and academics to guide them, schools need to be an inclusive environment where holistic learning and personality development are encouraged. The c...

Like any corporate organisation, an academy needs to be in the pink of its financial health. However, in an era of rising costs, staff salary demands, and an evolving economic climate, the pressure to sustain and maintain finances in the education sector has become more intense than ever. Like every year, academies and multi-academy trusts (MATs) h...

Like business organisations, schools and academies are people places. Managing and communicating with your staff, teachers, students, and other stakeholders is a key function of human resource management (HRM). Effective HR practices are important in designing education quality and learning outcomes in schools and MATs. Common HR practices in schoo...

Effective internal scrutiny is critical for ensuring compliance, financial integrity, and strong governance within academy trusts. Whether your trust is new to internal scrutiny or seeking to enhance its current approach, working effectively with your internal scrutiny partner can deliver real value. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you maximise...

As employment law continues to evolve, employers in the education sector need to stay updated on legislative changes to ensure compliance and maintain a safe working environment. A key area undergoing significant reform is harassment legislation, which introduces new preventative responsibilities for employers. The Employment Rights Bill was introd...

Schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts (MATs) can expect a busy period of legislative change that will affect policies, budgeting, and staff welfare. While 2024 brought several important adjustments, the bigger reforms could land in 2025 if the government's proposals become law. One such key UK government reform is changes to the employment l...

As an academy trust, the safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors are paramount. But navigating the world of health and safety compliance can feel like a daunting task, especially with all the regulations and rules to follow. The good news? Getting it right doesn't have to be complicated! In this blog, we'll walk through the basics of ...