As we approach the end of the academic year, some of us will be heading off on summer holidays, but many will continue to work through the school closure period.
Here at EPM, the summer holidays tend to be a fantastic opportunity to complete all those jobs that haven't quite reached the top of the priority list during term time.
If, like us, you'll be working over the summer - or have some time before you go - here are some key considerations!
Policy and procedure review
All of EPM’s model policies have been reviewed and updated to reflect the latest legislation and best practice. If you already use our model policies, browse our list of substantial changes to help you update your own.
If you don’t already use them, take a look – they're all available on our customer hub! You might find something that inspires you, gives you food for thought, or just saves you time!
From a safer recruitment perspective, you will also be thinking about safeguarding training for staff, and the new iteration of the statutory 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' document.
The 2023 version remains in force until September, however our very own safer recruitment expert, Beth Alberga, talks you through the main changes for the 2024 version. Watch our short video with Beth below for one of our new EPM HIT (High Intensity Training) sessions or read EPM's summary of the changes here.
Following the introduction of our new customer communication platform, we've identified some key themes that have recently been of interest to you, along with some of the hot topics that you have been grappling with.
Welcoming new employees
Recruitment
You may still be putting the finishing touches to your staffing line up for September; if so, take a look at our series of recruitment webinars, filled with hints and tips to help you navigate the full employment life cycle.
Once you've made your recruitment decisions, we can help you think about how best to support new staff in your School or Trust through onboarding.
When executed thoughtfully and thoroughly, onboarding can lead to greater productivity, engagement and, ultimately, staff retention.
Start early with “preboarding” to ensure new employees feel welcome even before they officially commence their employment with you. Our webinar on employee onboarding, induction and probation has handy tips for getting started.
Supporting your existing employees
Directed time
We've recently seen a rise in queries around the calculation of directed time and PPA. If you have questions or queries about this, our FAQs document is here to help!
When used creatively, PPA can be a powerful tool to reduce workload, improve work-life balance, and enable teaching staff to work more flexibly – something that we're all trying to achieve more of in the education sector.
Flexible working
On the subject of flexible working, our webinar explains the recent changes to the legislative position on making and considering applications to work flexibly. It also shares examples of how some schools are adapting to and embracing the flexible working culture in education.
This area is still high on everyone’s agenda, so expect more from us on this in the near future. But while you wait, get ahead of the curve and watch the webinar!
Fraud
Sadly, summer isn’t all ice cream and sandcastles. It's also a good time for cyber criminals to attempt to fraudulently change bank details while colleagues are not at work.
To help you remain vigilant against this kind of crime, our finance blog covers the key tactics of fraudsters during this busy period, and how you can help your team bolster defences against them.
Maternity guidance
Finally, you asked, and we listened! With a raft of recent changes to family-friendly legislation, navigating both your legal obligations and employer best practices when an individual discloses a pregnancy can feel daunting.
We've seen a huge rise in queries relating to both the period of maternity and maternity pay, so we've created this handyguide to maternity leave and payto walk you through the process from start to finish.
Staying connected
You will have received an email about our new customer communication platform, which makes it even easier for you to get in touch with us and have a complete overview of all your enquiries along with their responses. Do ensure that you're signed up for this – if you haven’t already, you can click hereto do so.
All that remains is to remind you that the EPM offices remain open throughout this school summer closure period, so please get in touch with us if we can help with anything at all.
Wishing you a fantastic summer,
Your EPM Team
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