To adopt people-centric change and implement an ethos of visibility and inclusion through strong induction programmes, regular reviews, and empowering line managers to model empathetic resilience and personal responsibility.

Embedding Induction Policy 

Effective induction plays a key role in improving employee engagement. Studies have shown that retention of new hires increases by 82%, and productivity rises by 70% in schools with a thoughtful and comprehensive onboarding process. Our onboarding process begins as soon as an offer of employment is made and continues through to the successful completion of probation.

The UST Induction policy, alongside its supplementary process document, is based on best practice. By utilising this consistently across the trust, along with a localised induction programme, we are guaranteeing a unified approach to welcoming new staff.

Further work will take place to interlink the induction process into the UST probation process and will ensure further alignment of performance expectations.

Effective Line Management

We know that meaningful learning experiences are driven by support from respected colleagues. This is why, as a Trust, we are committed to equipping our managers with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to lead their teams effectively. This will guarantee that our organisation meets the needs of our students while nurturing a supportive culture where they thrive.

For this vision to succeed, our line managers must be seen as credible leaders. By focusing on modelling good practice and an environment of trust and support, our line managers grow in confidence. We aim to offer further support in the form of coaching, mentoring and one-to-one advisory meetings and training opportunities.

Managing Performance

As a Trust, we are committed to exploring alternative models for performance management that are purposeful and that challenge the perception of annual appraisals being more than just a tick-box exercise for determining pay progression.

Alongside our plans to transform our staff recognition, upskill our line managers and develop a programme for managing talent, we will look to revolutionise our current annual appraisal process and make it central to the way in which we build trust and empower our employees to excel in their role.

We aim to give employees ownership of their performance management, encouraging self-directed professional development within a collaborative environment. With personal responsibility for their CPD, employees will drive their own performance, which will be reviewed regularly by line managers, lesson observations, and 360-degree feedback.