NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way SELECTION PANEL PROCEDURES FOR SCHOOL TEACHERS 2009 Procedural training for panel conveners and members of selection panels January 2009

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Staffing of Schools 2009 Filling a position through Advertisement –Slides 3 – 27 Filling a classroom teacher position through the pool of interested applicants –Slides

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Advertised Positions Stages in the Process Selection panel formed. Selection criteria determined, advertisement written and published. Short listing undertaken (including two referee checks).* Interviews conducted. Decision making including the third referee check. Recommendations and report writing. Feedback provided. 3

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Panel Composition Classroom teacher positions –Principal of the school or nominee (panel convener) –Teacher representative elected by and from the Teaching Service staff at the school (See slide 5 if a teacher representative has not been elected or is not available) –School Parents & Citizens Association will be given the option to participate (representative to be nominated within 10 working days) –Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group and/or local ethnic community, where applicable, will be given the option to participate (representative to be nominated within 10 working days) –There should be a gender balance where possible. 4

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Panel Composition (cont.) Where teachers at the school have decided not to elect a teacher representative, or where a teacher representative is not available for any reason, the panel composition is Classroom teacher positions There must be at least a two person panel. –Principal of the school or nominee (panel convener) –School Parents & Citizens Association representative will be given the option to participate If the School Parents and Citizens Association is not able to participate, the School Education Director, or their nominee who will be a member of the Teaching Service, will be a member of the panel –Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group and /or local ethnic community, where applicable, will be given the option to participate –There should be a gender balance where possible. Note: P&C and AECG representative to be nominated within 10 working days 5

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Panel Composition (cont.) Executive positions – Principal of the school or nominee (panel convener) –Teacher representative elected by and from the Teaching Service staff at the school (See slide 7 if a teacher representative has not been elected or is not available) – School Parents & Citizens Association representative – Panel member nominated by the school education director at the same or higher level as the vacant position – Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group and /or local ethnic community representative, where applicable – There must be at least one male and one female on the panel. 6

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Panel Composition (cont.) Where teachers at the school have decided not to elect a teacher representative, or where a teacher representative is not available for any reason, the panel composition is Executive positions – Principal of the school or nominee (panel convener) – School Parents & Citizens Association representative – Panel member nominated by the school education director at the same or higher level as the vacant position – Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group and /or local ethnic community representative, where applicable – There must be at least one male and one female on the panel. 7

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Panel Composition (cont.) Principal positions – School education director or nominee (selection panel convener) –Teacher representative elected by and from the Teaching Service staff at the school (See slide 9 if a teacher representative has not been elected or is not available) – School Parents & Citizens Association representative – Another principal (same or higher level) nominated by Director, Staffing Services in consultation with the NSW Secondary Principals’ Council or the NSW Primary Principals’ Association – Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group and /or local ethnic community representative, where applicable – There must be at least one male and one female on the panel. 8

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Panel Composition (cont.) Where teachers at the school have decided not to elect a teacher representative, or where a teacher representative is not available for any reason, the panel composition is Principal positions – School education director or nominee (selection panel convener) – School Parents & Citizens Association representative – Another principal (same or higher level) nominated by Director, Staffing Services in consultation with the NSW Secondary Principals’ Council or the NSW Primary Principals’ Association – Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group and /or local ethnic community representative, where applicable – There must be at least one male and one female on the panel. 9

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Panel Composition (cont.) Additional Selection Panel Members The Director, Staffing Services (or nominee) may approve the inclusion of an additional panel member where there are specific needs pertaining to the position or where the position is for a special education teacher or school counsellor. The Director, Staffing Services (or nominee) will approve the inclusion of an additional panel member in schools with significant Aboriginal enrolments (20% or 20 or more students) or in schools with significant enrolments with a language background other than English (60%). 10

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way The Role of the Selection Panel to weigh up the evidence supporting each applicant’s claim for the position against the selection criteria to make recommendations as to the most suitable applicant against the selection criteria to fill the vacant position after assessing information from all stages of the selection process: - application - referees’ comments - interview. 11

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Responsibilities of Panel Members Panel members should be well informed about the department’s selection procedures and be an equal participant in all stages of the process. In order to support this, panel members need to: - have access to the Selection Panel Procedures for School Teachers 2009, and as a minimum be provided with a copy of their responsibilities as outlined in the procedures, and - be trained in selection procedures. 12

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Responsibilities of Panel Members (cont.) Respect the confidentiality of all stages of the selection process Declare any conflict of interest Treat all applicants equally and with respect Select applicants based on how well their skills, knowledge and experience match the selection criteria Submit a minority report where required Understand that they cannot provide feedback or comment to anyone outside the panel. 13

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Preparing the advertisement Classroom teacher positions - selection panels will prepare advertisements by determining specific selection criteria based on the particular needs/focus of the position. Executive and principal positions - selection panels will prepare advertisements by determining specific selection criteria based on the particular needs/focus of the position, in addition to the general selection criteria. The advertisement will be reviewed by a senior person in Staffing Services. Note: Applicants for executive and principal positions will be required to address the new general selection criteria for all advertisements prepared by selection panels on or after Tuesday 27 January For advertisements prepared prior to Tuesday 27 January 2009, applicants will continue to address the previous general selection criteria. 14

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way The Short Listing Process The purpose of short listing is to determine which applicants will be: invited to interview because they meet all the criteria for the position excluded because they do not meet all the selection criteria for the position excluded because they are clearly not competitive when compared with other applicants against the selection criteria. For classroom teacher positions, where the teacher on the service transfer list who matched the position and has the highest transfer points has submitted an application, the teacher must be invited to interview. 15

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Consulting Referees The function of a referee is to provide advice to the selection panel on the applicant’s professional competence for specific positions All questions of referees are based on the selection criteria Referees may be asked different questions as it is necessary to verify, test and explore different issues with regard to the selection criteria for each applicant. 16

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Referees For applicants in classroom teacher and executive positions - one referee must be their current principal For applicants in principal positions - one referee must be their current school education director For applicants in non school based positions - one referee must be their current school education director, state office director or senior regional manager For external applicants applying for advertised positions - one of the referees should be the applicant’s current (or most recent) supervisor Note: for teachers who are not currently permanently employed by the Department, it will not always be possible for them to have a principal as referee. 17

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way The Interview Interviews should be held outside school hours wherever possible and should minimise disruption to students. It is expected that, where it is available, videoconferencing will be used. The use of teleconferencing will also assist to minimise disruption. One of the key matters for consideration in determining the method of interviews is ensuring that no applicant is disadvantaged. 18

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way The Interview Prior to the interview the selection panel convener must contact eligible short listed applicants and provide them with at least three working days’ notice of the interview. If the top service transfer applicant has applied, the teacher must be invited to interview. When contacting the eligible applicants the selection panel convener should provide advice as to the position title and school; method/type of interview to be held; date, time and location of interview and the composition and names of the panel members. The purpose of the interview is to elicit, analyse and verify evidence of the applicants’ relative suitability for the position in terms of the selection criteria. 19

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Interview Questions Good interview questions allow the panel to: – identify applicants’ strengths and weaknesses in terms of the selection criteria – provide applicants with an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and aptitudes in terms of the position applied for – explore, test and verify the applicants’ knowledge and skills in terms of the position applied for – distinguish between applicants in terms of the selection criteria for the position. 20

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Reaching a Decision At the conclusion of the interview the selection panel deliberates on all the evidence it has before it and reaches a decision. The third referee must be contacted as part of the decision making process for the proposed recommended applicant and those being actively considered for inclusion on the eligibility list. Sufficient time must be provided to deliberate on the interviews held, referees’ comments and the written applications, make recommendations and to write the Selection Panel Report. 21

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Selection Panel Documentation Monitoring Report Selection Panel Report - Recommended Applicant Report - Eligibility List - Applicants not Recommended for Appointment. Recommended applicant’s application. 22

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Submission of Selection Panel Documentation For executive and classroom teacher positions all selection panel documentation should be submitted online to Staffing Services. For principal positions all selection panel documentation and the recommended applicant’s application should be provided by the selection panel convener to the Regional Director for authorisation to submit the documentation to Staffing Services. After consideration of the documentation provided, Staffing Services will advise the selection panel convener to inform applicants of the outcome. 23

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Providing Feedback The panel convener is the only person able to provide feedback to applicants. Following Staffing Services’ approval and recommended applicant’s acceptance, feedback can occur. Feedback should be made available to all those applicants who request it, including those applicants who were interviewed and those who were not interviewed. The Selection Panel Report is an important source of information for feedback. 24

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Processes to ensure procedural fairness The enquiry officer, when contacted, provides the same documentation to all applicants The short listing process, referees’ checks, interviews, decision making, selection panel report and feedback are all based only on the criteria for the position. The interview processes (scheduling, location, questions and conduct) are fair to all applicants. The panel convener is the only spokesperson on behalf of the selection panel. All panel members have equal opportunity to contribute to deliberations and decision making. 25

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Appeals Executive and principal positions Applicants may appeal the recommendation of a selection panel on the basis that the process was irregular or improper. An applicant external to the NSW Teaching Service is unable to appeal against the appointment of an internal (existing permanent teacher) or external applicant. 26

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Appeals contd Appeals must be submitted to the Director, Staffing Services within 10 calendar days of the applicants being informed verbally or in writing that they were unsuccessful. Appeals will be considered by an appeals panel chaired by an independent convener, with representation from the Department and the NSW Teachers Federation. 27

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Selecting from the Pool of Interested Applicants from either Service Transfer, Graduate Recruitment or Employment Lists Once advice has been received from Staffing Services to form a selection panel, the principal or nominee forms a selection panel according to the selection panel guidelines outlined previously. The panel convener informs the selection panel of the specific selection criteria for the position as previously forwarded to Staffing Services. 28

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Selecting from the Pool of Applicants from either Service Transfer, Graduate Recruitment or Employment Lists contd Staffing Services s all suitably qualified teachers on the appropriate list who match the specific selection criteria for the position and have indicated an interest in a position at the school with the vacancy. Where the pool of interested service transfer or employment applicants is requested, the teacher on the service transfer list who matches the position and has the highest transfer points will be contacted and invited to apply. If an application is submitted, the teacher is guaranteed an interview for the position Teachers on the appropriate list submit information online including a two page resume addressing the specific selection criteria and contact details of two referees. The online information submitted by interested applicants is provided to the principal. 29

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Selecting from the Pool of Interested Applicants from either Service Transfer, Graduate Recruitment or Employment Lists (cont.) The two referees of applicants being actively considered by the selection panel for interview are contacted as part of the short listing process. The short listing, interview, post interview decision making and feedback processes are conducted as for the advertisement process. 30

NSW Department of Education & Training NSW Public Schools – Leading the Way Staffing of Schools Contact: (regions to complete) Support documentation: Selection Panel Procedures for School Teachers 2009 ( Promotion and Transfer Procedures for School Teachers