The half-term in review (March-April ‘24)
We’re often asked what our members - over 13,500 school leaders - search for on The Key. With over 600,000 reads of our guidance every month, you could say that we’re a barometer for what’s really going on in the sector.
Summer term has arrived and the challenges of staff retention and recruitment typically peak at this time of the school year.
With 70% of academies in England now using a service from The Key, we are in a unique position to observe how central teams and school leaders are seeking support on this theme.
📊 Retention
Flexi-working is the trending topic when it comes to retention. We can see some trusts launching bold new working patterns, schools are seeking advice on how to navigate flexible working requests, apply the rules around PPA time, plus getting ahead of the new legislation that came into force on April 6th. This points to a sector that is adapting to the changing face of the labour market.
We’re also seeing a spike in searches around notice periods, annual leave entitlements, and the calculation of unpaid leave, which may speak to a higher number of staff restructures and the volume of school staff who either want to leave, or want a break, or both.
📣 Recruitment
Interview questions remain one of our go-to resources, the roles of assistant and deputy heads top the list - perhaps speaking to both aspirational middle leaders as well as those tasked with doing the interviewing! The biggest climber is the role of attendance officer, another signal to a pervasive sector challenge.
Our KeyGPT brings trusted and secure AI to all our member schools and will help save precious time with bespoke job descriptions, adverts and interview packs based on AI that understands the context of your school.
And one last thing to note is the rise in recruiting staff from overseas. Search terms around the checks and logistics of hiring staff who have lived or worked abroad is getting increasingly high on school agendas, and an area where we will continue to support in greater depth.
