{"id":6816,"date":"2016-03-23T09:15:15","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T09:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/?p=6816"},"modified":"2024-02-06T15:19:11","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T15:19:11","slug":"safeguarding-interview-questions-school-teachers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/safeguarding-interview-questions-school-teachers\/","title":{"rendered":"Safeguarding Interview Questions for School Teachers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If your job role requires you to recruit new employees or volunteers for your educational setting then it\u2019s clear that you\u2019ll want to hire the best people for the job. You\u2019re aiming to source, interview and hire candidates who will make a positive difference to your children\u2019s lives and support the safeguarding values of your organisation \u2013 but how can you ensure this is the case?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Every school should follow a strict safer recruitment process to make sure that the people hired are suitable for the role and suitable to work with children.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>All professionals have a duty to keep children safe from harm, and safer recruitment practices play a significant role in your setting\u2019s safeguarding children process.<\/p>\n<p>A key part of safer recruitment is ensuring that you use the right kind of interview questions, so let\u2019s take a look at what you should ask applicants to guarantee a successful interview that keeps safeguarding at the forefront.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>What Type of Interview Questions Should I Ask?<\/h2>\n<p>Asking candidates the right type of questions is essential if you want your interviews to be a success. Not only are you looking to assess a candidate\u2019s skills and expertise, but you\u2019re also aiming to assess their suitability for the role in your school as well as their attitude towards safeguarding children.<\/p>\n<h4>The questions you ask in an interview need to be:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Relevant to the job role.<\/li>\n<li>The same for each candidate that you interview.<\/li>\n<li>\u2018Open\u2019, in order to prompt a detailed response.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u2018Open\u2019 questions<\/strong> usually feature the words &#8216;who&#8217;, &#8216;what&#8217;, &#8216;where&#8217;, &#8216;when&#8217;, &#8216;why&#8217; or &#8216;how&#8217; and prompt the candidate to give you a full, detailed answer. These are preferable over \u2018closed questions\u2019 which limit the response from the candidate and often just ask for a yes\/no answer.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20904\" src=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/interview.png\" alt=\"safeguarding interview questions\" width=\"685\" height=\"295\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you ask a question and the candidate doesn\u2019t respond with enough detail then don\u2019t be afraid to <strong>ask further questions<\/strong> to prompt them to reveal more. It\u2019s important that you leave the interview with all of the information that you need so you can make a well-informed decision.<\/p>\n<p>Towards the end of the interview you could also ask a few questions about the candidate\u2019s <strong>hobbies and interests<\/strong> to help you get a more rounded opinion of their character. You shouldn\u2019t rely on this type of question but they can aid you in developing a clearer picture of the candidate\u2019s attitudes and motivations.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Why Are Safeguarding Interview Questions Necessary?<\/h3>\n<p>Holding an interview for each candidate gives you a great opportunity to assess their attitudes, values and motivations in a face-to-face situation. You&#8217;ll be able to see whether the candidate&#8217;s words and behaviour match up to what they have previously written in their application form, and gain responses that reveal more about their suitability for the role.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Assessing a candidate\u2019s attitude towards safeguarding children is essential for anyone working in a school environment.<\/strong> Remember that you\u2019re looking to hire employees and volunteers who are suitable for both the role and the setting and who can demonstrate a positive attitude towards child welfare.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tip__box\">\n<div class=\"tip__title__container\">\n<div class=\"tip__title__text\">\n<div class=\"tip__title__icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/expert-tip-icon.png\" alt=\"expert icon\" \/><\/div>\n<h3>Need a Training Course?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/courses\/safeguarding\/safer-recruitment-in-education-training-course\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Safer Recruitment in Education Training<\/a> aims to help you understand what\u2019s involved in the process from start to finish, looking at how to create an applicant information pack, how to interview candidates, how to carry out pre-appointment checks and how to ensure you\u2019re doing all that you can to find the right person for the job role.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h4>Using suitable interview questions, your aim should be to:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Encourage the candidate to talk about their <strong>personal experiences<\/strong> in regards to working with children.<\/li>\n<li>Ask the candidate to provide <strong>real-life examples<\/strong> that prove they have always taken child protection seriously.<\/li>\n<li>Clarify any <strong>discrepancies or concerns<\/strong> you have from the candidate\u2019s application form.<\/li>\n<li>Ask the candidate if they wish to <strong>declare anything<\/strong> that they haven\u2019t already disclosed to you.<\/li>\n<li>Remind the candidate that you <strong>take safeguarding seriously<\/strong> and will be following up the interview with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/disclosure-barring-service-check\/overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Disclosure and Barring Service<\/a> (DBS) check.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Be sure to make a written record of what the candidate says, plus details of any other relevant observations or issues, so that you have something to refer back to later.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-20906 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/safer-recruitment.png\" alt=\"safeguarding children in schools interview questions\" width=\"685\" height=\"295\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Example Safeguarding Interview Questions<\/h3>\n<p><strong>To assess a candidate\u2019s attitude towards safeguarding, you should look to ask them questions which provoke a response relating to their personal experiences.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018Open\u2019 questions which prompt a detailed response or discussion are the most effective for this. You can use open questions to find out how the candidate has acted in the past or what their attitude is towards safeguarding procedures.<\/p>\n<h4>For example:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cCan you tell me about a time when you had to control a child\u2019s behaviour?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWhat is your favourite teaching method and why did you choose it?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWhat do you do to ensure that every child in your class reaches their potential?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWhen was the last time you had to discipline a child?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWhat is your opinion on doing yearly safeguarding children training?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u2018Closed\u2019 questions, on the other hand, are less useful to you as they only require a minimal answer. For example, in response to \u201cHave you ever disciplined a child?\u201d the candidate may simply say \u201cNo I haven\u2019t\u201d and provide you with no valuable information.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20908\" src=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/teaching.png\" alt=\"safeguarding children in schools\" width=\"685\" height=\"295\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You should also <strong>avoid \u2018leading\u2019 questions<\/strong> which suggest the answer you want the candidate to give.<\/p>\n<p>For example, saying \u201cWhy did you not take your safeguarding training this year?\u201d sounds like you\u2019re accusing the candidate and are trying to get them to admit to something that may or may not be true.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, phrase this question more openly so that the candidate can respond with more detail. For example: \u201cWhen did you last undertake safeguarding training?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unlike the first example, this question doesn\u2019t suggest that the candidate chose to not complete their training.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Further Resources:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/designated-school-safeguarding-officer-regulatory-requirements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Regulatory Requirements for Designated School Safeguarding Officers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/safeguarding-children-legislation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Guide to Safeguarding Children Legislation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/courses\/safeguarding\/safer-recruitment-in-education-training-course\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Safer Recruitment in Education &#8211; An Online Course<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/safeguarding-responsibilities-in-schools\/\">Safeguarding Responsibilities of School Staff<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Use our example safeguarding interview questions and guidance to comply with safer recruitment best practice when hiring school 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