What is HR in schools and how can software help?

What is HR in schools?

How HR in schools is managed may differ from school to school and from larger Multi-Academy Trusts. Larger MATs tend to have a dedicated HR person or in some cases a department, whereas within a smaller maintained school the School Business Manager could be responsible for all HR related aspects.  

HR can include the below:

Recruitment and selection

HR is responsible for finding and hiring qualified and diverse educators and staff.

Onboarding

School HR software provides support and guidance to new hires as they begin their employment, including orientation to school policies, procedures, and culture.

Employee relations

HR helps to create positive relationships between employees and provides support and guidance on workplace issues.

Performance management

HR assists in setting goals, providing feedback, and developing professional development for educators and staff.

Professional development

HR provides opportunities for ongoing learning and development for educators and staff, including workshops and training sessions.

Compensation and benefits

HR is responsible for managing employee compensation and benefits packages, including salaries, health care benefits, pensions, and other forms of compensation.

Compliance

Compliance in schools is essential to ensure the safety, well-being, and education of students and staff.

Does HR also cover payroll?

HR and payroll can go hand in hand in some school settings and utilising software that allows both functions to work together giving a seamless approach to ensuring staffing needs are met, salaries are paid in line with sickness or leave of absence without the manual input is always a great option.

Payroll within a school setting can be complex due to the different types of employment contracts, from teachers to support staff. Working with an educational-specific software provider benefits this as their systems are able to accommodate the requirements.

Learn about payroll software

Download our Payroll brochure

What are the biggest challenges in schools?

To ensure effective and efficient HR in schools it is essential to have seamless policies and procedures, good communication and strong leadership. Even with the above in place there are still some challenges schools can face and they do vary depending on location and size of school:

1. Recruiting and retaining good quality staff

With a shortfall of teaching staff in some areas, recruiting the best can be difficult. Retaining them can also be difficult for several reasons.

2. Budget constraints

For most schools, budget constraints can be a challenge when it comes to salaries and around training and development opportunities that are available.

3. Communication and employee engagement

Ensuring staff are kept informed and engaged is key to maintaining a positive workplace.

Three 3 strategies to improve HR in your school

1. Choosing an external software provider

HR software for schools can bring a host of benefits to schools including costs savings, better time management and expertise. Adding an external Payroll supplier also allows you to become super-efficient.

2. Streamline your HR processes

Utilising education specific software in schools can streamline and give you the flexibility to automate processes. It also allows day-to-day tasks such as recruitment, payroll and sickness management to be streamlined.

3. Tracking employee attendance

By tracking attendance, time off or any other general absences, HR software can then assist in managing the staffing levels within a school – ensuring the needs to other staff and students are met.

How can software help with HR in schools

HR software in schools can bring many benefits to schools by ensuring compliance, monitoring and tracking attendance and automating routine tasks.

Ways HR software can help schools:

Manage employee information

Employee self-service empowers staff to access their own payslips and update their personal information, while also giving them the freedom to view and confirm policies and documents, request leave, report expenses and overtime, and track their training and timesheets, all from their desktop or mobile device. This reduces the need for centralised staff administration and puts more control in the hands of the employees.

Effective reporting

By offering a suite of reports that includes data on absence, turnover, headcount, and establishment, schools can easily access and analyse important staffing information. These reports can be customised and scheduled to be automatically emailed to specific individuals, while bespoke dashboards provide a quick snapshot overview of the key data impacting the school.

Sickness and leave tracking

With school HR software, managing sickness and leave becomes a breeze. Choose a software that comes equipped with measurable factors like the Bradford Factor or other sickness triggers, which are automatically calculated for you. This helps you to closely monitor and ultimately reduce absence in your school or trust.

What next?

With everything we’ve discussed and been through about HR in your school, it’s clear that having a streamlined approach to your HR activities needs to be streamlined and work efficiently for you. Choosing a solution that works for you will require considerable thought about your school's unique needs, plans, and growth.