Inductions can make or break careers. That might sound excessive but having a supportive and authentic induction process in place is crucial for the recruitment and retention of staff.

Whether you’re a teacher, member of support staff or a leader, knowing that there is a process and that time has been taken to ensure you have a smooth start in a school is always appreciated.

Conversely, a chaotic, rushed or non-existent “welcoming” process can leave a new starter, no matter how experienced, feeling isolated and unsure of their place.

This year, with huge numbers of teachers set to move roles after pent-up demand from the pandemic can finally be unleashed, it is an area of school life that the senior leadership team (SLT) and HR need to focus on. So, where to start?

Put someone in charge

Like any project or initiative in a school, you need someone to take overall responsibility for it, along with designated roles that span all levels of leadership and aspects of school life.

The induction lead may not be a teacher, for example, it may be a member of HR, but there must be coordination and every department must have an induction champion.

Importantly, the induction lead needs to be someone able to dedicate time to designing and implementing the induction policy and programme.

If it is not a member of the SLT who leads induction, the lead must be supported by and accountable to a member of the SLT to give the required level of authority.

Find out about your new hires

One of the most important aspects of induction is to tailor it to the individual.

To do this, you need to know where the new staff member is coming from in terms of experience, expectations and preferences.

An easy way to gather this information is to ask new staff members to complete a questionnaire and follow up with an informal post-recruitment chat.

In this chat, probe their questionnaire responses and seek more information. It doesn’t have to be a subtle read-between-the-lines chat either - simply asking “how can we support you to settle at our school?” gets right to the heart of the matter.

One good idea is to ask what a team member has achieved previously and what their aspirations for the future are. Starting a new job should not mean starting from scratch, so find out what new staff members need and gently uncover areas for development, then plan and actively support them to address these.

For me, understanding the curriculum and assessment systems in a new country was challenging (I am UK trained and Australia is my fourth teaching country) but the team made it clear that this did not negate my expertise and ability in other areas.

This aspect of the induction process made me feel seen and respected.

The pros and cons of ‘buddies’

Most induction systems would encourage the use of a “buddy” for the “on boarding” staff member.

However, buddying requires careful matching. It is best to avoid a buddy being a line manager as accountability and the need to impress can get in the way. Buddies can also run the risk of being condescending or neglectful if careful matching is not made.

What I have seen work well is when schools encourage staff to volunteer as buddies and train them with the expectation that they will contribute to the induction experience in a variety of ways - but not necessarily get the chance to be a buddy.

Just because someone wants to help does not mean they are best placed to. A good buddy is someone who has been at the school for a few years, so they know how things work and can assuage any doubts a new starter may have - not least by talking about their own experiences.

It’s a good idea to get buddies to contact new teachers before they formally start, to help ease them in. This is especially important in international recruitment and can be the difference between a staff member commencing employment and not turning up at all.

Arrange a pre-start visit

If possible, have the new staff member visit before they start work at your school. Show them the facilities and showcase what is unique about your workplace.

It may also be wise to give them the option of coming to visit out of hours with a friend or family member.

Schools are communities and showing a new starter that you welcome them, and their family and friends, can have a positive impact.

Be welcoming

When the new staff member starts, make them feel welcomed. This sounds obvious but, in the hurly-burly of a new term, it could be overlooked.

It doesn’t have to mean issuing gifts or bouquets for new starters but rather just making sure they are properly introduced and that everyone on the team knows who is new so they can look out for them.

It’s also good to introduce new staff to each other so they know someone else who is new to the school. That way, they know they are not the only “new fish”.

If you have a few new starters, have a get-together, such as a morning tea.

If there’s a staff or departmental WhatsApp group or similar, point new staff members in the right direction, and ensure an established member of staff or the induction lead is on there to moderate or support.

Furthermore, make sure new staff are not left to fend for themselves at breaktime. They need to know where the nearest staff toilets are, how to operate the tea urn and where to get teabags from.

Give them time

Give new starters a period of adjustment so they don’t have to start their full role immediately. Most schools start the year with an Inset day, so this is usually a given.

But look out for those who don’t start at the beginning of the term or academic year, and give these individuals extra time.

A teacher could, for example, be given a week off-timetable or a few weeks on a reduced teaching load. It is better to have to manage for a week and cover their lessons or duties than risk losing them if they take on too much, too soon.

Alternatively, there could be an overlap period for non-teaching staff, where the outgoing staff member is available to support succession.

Let them see all aspects of the school

As well as showing staff the key parts of the school they need to know about, if you have the time, it’s a good idea to try to show them as many other areas of school life as possible.

This could be having them track a student for a day and see how the school operates from a pupil’s point of view, or they could have a day shadowing administration staff so they meet other core non-teaching staff.

The induction period should involve practical aspects, such as familiarisation with IT systems, and there should be an opportunity for the new staff member to request further training or support if needed.

Offer space to talk

Finally, create a safe space for them to ask for help. When you are new to a school, it sometimes feels like only new people have questions but good schools make it clear that anyone can have questions and it is OK to ask.

Schools should also recognise that induction is not only for someone’s first week in the job - settling into a new role and school can take a while, so make sure you keep engaged with the new starter for at least the first term, if not the first year.

Of course, some staff settle quicker than others, so you have to use your judgement but, overall, given how important a new hire is to your school, making sure you focus on settling them in at the start could reap benefits for years to come - for them and your school.

Ayisat Fashola has held school leadership positions in the UK, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. She is currently head of science at an independent school in Sydney, Australia