Guidance notes to accompany form of application for a Headship or a Teaching post
Completing the Application Form
ALL SECTIONS OF THE APPLICATION FORM MUST BE COMPLETED. Please note that a separate curriculum vitae is not regarded as an adequate alternative to full completion of the application form and the provision of a relevant supporting letter.

In addition to these guidance notes, please read carefully the notes you will find at the various sections on the application form.

If you would like the application form in another format because you have a disability (e.g. Braille or electronically) please contact the school which sent you the application form.

We will accept applications in other formats e.g. audiotape, if you have difficulty in completing the form because of a disability or learning difficulty.

Read the job description, person specification and any other documentation you have been sent before completing the form. Tailor your responses to the post for which you are applying.

We will use the information you supply to assess how well you meet the selection criteria, as set down in the person specification. Make sure you include evidence relating to all the essential and desirable criteria that apply to you.

Include experience and achievements from any sphere of your life. You could include evidence of knowledge and skills gained through voluntary work, involvement in community activities, managing a home and family, school/college and special interests as well as previous paid employment.	Tell us about any unpaid work you do or any position of responsibility you hold, for example in a club or organisation. If you have special areas of teaching / educational interest, please give details as part of your application.

Complete all the sections where questions are asked. You may complete the form by hand (in black ink please to assist photocopying) or by typing your responses in. Include extra sheets if there is not enough room in the spaces provided and ensure that each additional sheet, including curriculum vitae, has your National Insurance number and the post for which you are applying clearly marked at the top.

Equal Opportunities
Suffolk County Council and all schools in Suffolk value the diversity of the people in our workforce and through our Equal Opportunities Policy offer full equality of opportunity. We recognise that people can face disadvantage and discrimination in employment and are therefore committed to the development and implementation of policies to counteract inequality.

Employees and prospective employees will not be unfairly discriminated against on grounds of disability, gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, belief, culture, nationality, national origin, age, sexual orientation or trade union membership / non-membership. This list is not exhaustive and there are other forms of discrimination which will not be tolerated.

Where an employee may be disadvantaged on these grounds, we will make every reasonable effort to rectify such disadvantage(s). Employment terms and conditions and decisions on recruitment, selection, training promotion and dismissal will be made solely on the basis of objective criteria.
Our aim is for our workforce to reflect the diversity of the population in Suffolk and we will achieve this by taking positive steps. As a major and highly visible employer, we aim to set a positive example of good practice to other employers in the County.

Equal Opportunities survey form

Attached to the back of the application form is the Equal Opportunities survey form. We use this information to monitor our recruitment and selection practices and our workforce profiles to see how well our workforce represents the communities that we serve. We also require this information from internal candidates to obtain a true picture of our workforce profile. Please complete the form and return it with your application.	This part of your application form will be detached before your application is considered against the selection criteria for the post.

Job Sharing

It is the policy of Suffolk County Council to consider applications for job sharing for all full time posts unless this is not practicable in the circumstances that apply. You do not need a job share partner in order to apply to job share.

Disability / Health

If you have indicated that you have a disability or long term medical condition and provide evidence that you meet all the essential criteria on the person specification (with any reasonable adjustments), you will normally be offered an interview as part of the Suffolk Council and the school’s commitment to the employment of people with disabilities.

Please tell us about any reasonable adjustments that would help you apply for this post or carry out the job., for example tell us if you would have difficulty lifting heavy objects where the job could require this. The LA or school may be able to make alternative arrangements but this cannot be guaranteed. We may also be able to provide sign language interpreters, time off for treatment, rest breaks during the day, special equipment, workplace adaptations etc.

All employees are required to complete either a health/disability declaration and/or a medical questionnaire after a conditional offer of employment has been made, depending on the nature of the work. Some employees, especially those who handle food or who work with vulnerable groups such as children, may also be required to attend a medical examination.

Definition of disability

The Equality Act 2010 defines a person as having a disability if she/he has a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on his/her ability to do normal daily activities.

This includes impairments, lasting or likely to last at least 12 months, or likely to recur, to one of the following:

Mobility
Manual dexterity
Physical co-ordination
Continence
Ability to carry, lift or otherwise move everyday objects
Speech, hearing or sight (not where sight is corrected by wearing spectacles or contact lenses)memory or ability to concentrate, learn or understand
Perception of risk or danger

The term impairment includes progressive and long term conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy and cancer.

Suffolk County Council and/or the school will make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment and selection process and to the post for successful candidates where the need for these is made known by the applicant / employee.

Present post
Status
Candidates should ensure that they have indicated clearly their teaching status, as this has an effect on the level of salary paid. Further Education Teachers who have qualifications to teach in the further education sector can work in maintained schools in England as qualified teachers if they have achieved the full professional status of qualified teacher learning and skills (QTLS) with the Institute for Learning (IfL).

Applicants whose qualifications were obtained abroad must provide written evidence from the Teaching Agency (England) that their qualified status is valid in England and Wales. The possession of a Teacher reference number does not automatically indicate qualified status.

Salary
It is most important to include details of the composition of your present salary in Section 3.

References
Applicants for Headship
The first referee should be your present (or most recent) employer. For applicants currently working or previously employed as a Headteacher, this would normally be the Director, Assistant Director or other senior officer within Children and Young People’s Services, as appropriate. Your second referee should be the Chair of Governors for your present (or most recent) employer.

For applicants currently working or previously employed as a Deputy/Assistant Headteacher your first referee should be your present (or most recent) Headteacher. Your second referee should be the Headteacher from your previous school (if this employment was within the last five years) or a relevant independent educational referee.

As necessary, further referees should be provided to cover the last five years of employment.

Applicants for other leadership or teaching posts
The first referee should be your present (or most recent) employer. For applicants currently working or previously employed in a school, this will normally be the Headteacher or Principal. The second referee should be another person who is familiar with your professional work. As necessary, further referees should be provided to cover the last five years of employment.

Any reference relating to religious commitment which may be required in connection with an application for a post in a Voluntary Aided School must be provided in addition to the two professional references.

The school and/or County Council reserves the right to approach any previous employer during the previous five year period for a reference and may specifically ask for details of any disciplinary / conduct records.

Health
The school and/or Suffolk County Council reserves the right in appropriate circumstances to require applicants to produce a certificate of fitness from an approved medical practitioner after a conditional offer of employment has been made.

Police and Criminal Records

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 1974 (Exceptions Order, 1975)

Please note that applicants for posts in schools are not entitled to withhold information about past convictions, “spent” or otherwise, under the terms of the above Act. The Act made a specific exception in respect of employees in schools or establishments for further education and any other employment which is carried out wholly or partly within the precincts of a school or further education establishment which involves access to persons under the age of 18 as part of the employee’s normal duties.

You must declare all * criminal convictions, cautions, bindovers, probation orders, community rehabilitation orders, absolute or conditional discharges, reprimands and warnings at the time of your application. You are also required to give details of any cases pending (or where you have been reported for consideration of possible prosecution). In the event of employment being offered and taken up, any failure to disclose such information is likely to result in disciplinary action by the Local Authority or school which may lead to dismissal.

* The amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected' and are not subject to disclosure to employers, and cannot be taken
into account. Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found at the Disclosure and Barring Service website, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbs- filtering-guidance

Any information may be given on a separate sheet from your application form and will be kept completely confidential. It will be considered only in relation to an application for positions to which the Exception Order applies.

In addition, the County Council or school, on Home Office advice, will require the successful candidate to agree to an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check for convictions which

may or may not be relevant to the appointment. A separate authorisation form will need to be completed after the interview and you will be required to bring in your DBS certificate for inspection by the school, as soon as you receive it, in order to verify its authenticity and record the certificate’s number on the school’s Single Central Record.

Similarly, if you already have a current DBS enhanced disclosure certificate you will be required to produce your original certificate for inspection by the school, either at interview or prior to commencement of your employment.

If you subscribe to the DBS Update Service you will be requested to give permission for the school to go online to carry out a check to find out if the information released on the DBS certificate is current and up-to-date.

If you do not subscribe to the DBS Update Service you will be required to apply for a new DBS enhanced disclosure, unless you are moving directly from a Suffolk LA maintained school, academy or free school with a break in service of less than three months.

January 2015