Bucks CC uses drama to help schools interview and recruit teachers, using safeguarding checks

Buckinghamshire County Council is running a training workshop to help head teachers and governors, of primary and secondary schools throughout the county, to interview and recruit new teachers and volunteers, in line with the governmentís Safeguarding Agenda.

The workshop, co-developed by drama-based training specialist Steps Drama, highlights a best practice approach to recruitment in schools and gives the delegates an opportunity to practise their interview skills in live role plays, with professional actors posing as
job candidates.

Schools need rigorous and robust recruitment methods, to verify as far as they can that people are fit to work with children, said Jenny OíNeill, Senior HR Officer at Buckinghamshire County Council. Many head teachers and governors have never been trained in how to conduct interviews. We developed the content for this workshop and Steps helped us to package it in an interesting and fun way, to make it attractive to the target audience.

Called Safe Recruitment and Selection in Schools, the workshop has run eight times, with around 20 head teachers and governors attending each session. It emphasises the importance of the Safeguarding Agenda, which aims to ensure checks are in place to safeguard the welfare of children, and it highlights all aspects of the recruitment process, including planning for interviews, shortlisting
and taking up references.

We encourage head teachers and governors to cross examine
candidates by asking probing questions and to pursue any aspect of the candidateís application that isnít clear, said Jenny OíNeill. This is not addressed by other national training initiatives. There is nothing to help people look candidates in the eye and ask sensitive questions such as whether theyíve ever had an allegation made against them.

The issue of recruiting in line with the Safeguarding Agenda has grown in prominence as a result of legislation and inquiries, such as the Bichard Inquiry after the murders of two children in Soham. It has also been fanned by media coverage of List 99, a blacklist of people convicted of child molesting and pornography offences.

In the workshop, the actor-facilitators from Steps run a 30-minute interactive drama, showing a head teacher and department head discussing two interviews they have just completed. The drama emphasises the value of having a structured approach to interviews, with clear criteria for success, and it illustrates the need for interviewers to ask open questions and to drill down into any area of a personís application that they donít feel comfortable with, challenging issues such as vague language or gaps in employment.

The Steps team get the audience to contribute ideas and suggestions, said Jenny OíNeill. They draw out lessons and best practice, using the experience of the audience members. This is a much more effective learning experience than having someone stand at the front and give a lecture.

The Councilís senior HR officers provide tips and guidelines on reviewing application forms against job descriptions, specifying the person required, planning questions and running a structured interview.

Steps then run a live simulation to enable the delegates to put the learning into practice. The delegates are split into four groups and they review applications from five candidates who are applying for a job as a primary school teacher. The delegates shortlist three individuals and they conduct a 15-minute panel interview with each
of the three candidates.

The Steps actors are very well-briefed and they create realistic candidates, each of whom has pluses and minuses, said Jenny OíNeill. The aim is to allow the delegates to practise asking non- technical questions on issues such as team working, planning and their motivations for wanting to work with children. The delegates have to use their interview skills to get the whole story from each character.

At the end of the simulation, the delegates give each other feedback and they also receive feedback from the actors who play the candidates.

The delegates gain an opportunity to practise and reflect on their interviewing skills in a safe environment, said Jenny OíNeill. By conducting more robust interviews, schools can address Safeguarding issues and ensure they make even better choices in recruitment that will raise the standard of education.

The Council intends to run the workshop three more times. It also plans to apply this training approach to help meet other recruitment needs, such as for care workers in homes for elderly people.

This style of training could be just as relevant to help those who interview and recruit workers who look after the welfare of vulnerable adults, said Jenny OíNeill.

For more information about drama-based training, please call Steps Drama on 020 7403 9000. www.stepsdrama.com

Editorís notes - Buckinghamshire County Councilís services are designed to provide support, opportunity and a high quality of life for all in Buckinghamshire. www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc

Case studies of Steps Drama in action are available online at: www.stepsdrama.com. For further information, contact
Michael Dawson on 020 8953 8863 or e-mail michael@daws.com.