How our interim leadership support works

Most people who read this page are already dealing with something and are trying to work out quickly whether we are worth a phone call. So rather than describe our approach in general terms, this sets out exactly what happens at each stage of a placement, who is responsible for what, and where the parts that are easiest to get wrong actually sit.

It is understandable that the first instinct is to move fast, and sometimes that is exactly right. The question worth asking alongside it is what the setting genuinely needs somebody to hold over the next term, because the answer often changes what kind of appointment makes sense.

How does the process work, step by step?

1. The first conversation

Usually twenty to thirty minutes, and usually with Shaun. We want to understand what has happened, what the setting is like, what the staff team is carrying and what the proprietor body wants to be different by the end. We will tell you at this point if we do not think an interim is the right answer.

2. The brief

We write down what we have agreed and send it back to you. It covers the role, the days, the start date, what the interim will hold, what they are authorised to change, who they report to, and how success will be judged. This is the document that makes or breaks a placement, so we would rather spend an hour on it than fix it later.

3. The search

We approach people from our network who have genuinely led settings like yours, normally the same day. We do not advertise interim roles, because the people who do this work well are rarely looking at adverts. We tell candidates the truth about the setting, including the difficult parts, because somebody who arrives surprised leaves early.

4. The introductions

We introduce two or three people with a short written summary of each: where they have led, what they are strong at, and where they are less strong. You will get an honest view rather than a sales pitch. If we can only find one credible person we will say so rather than padding the list.

5. Meeting and deciding

You meet them, in person or online, however you prefer. Some settings run a formal panel, others have a conversation. We would encourage you to include somebody from the staff team as well as the proprietor body, because the interim has to be able to work with both.

6. Contracting and checks

The arrangements between all three of us are confirmed in writing at this point, so nobody is working on an assumption. Your setting completes its own safer recruitment before the interim starts.

7. Starting

We would always suggest a proper handover day if the outgoing leader is still available, and a written induction if they are not. The first fortnight should include confirming safeguarding arrangements, meeting placing authorities and reading the last inspection report properly.

8. During the placement

We check in with both sides, usually at two weeks, at half term and then termly. These calls are short. We are listening for the early signs that something is not working, because those are far easier to fix in week three than in week ten.

9. Handover and exit

The handover to the substantive appointment should be agreed at the start of the placement, not at the end. A good interim starts their handover document in the first fortnight and adds to it throughout, so the person who follows does not have to work everything out from scratch.

Who employs the interim leader?

That is agreed at the outset and written down before anybody starts. The two arrangements we see most often in specialist settings are a fixed term contract of employment, and a contract for services with the interim or their own limited company. We are happy to talk the options through with you.

Where an interim works through their own limited company, the off payroll working rules may apply and the responsibility for assessing status sits with the organisation engaging them. Your accountant or HR adviser should confirm the position before the engagement starts. We flag it because it is the detail that most often gets missed, not because we can advise on it.

Where does safer recruitment sit?

With you, and we would not want to suggest otherwise. Here is the split, plainly.

What we check before introducing anyone

• An enhanced DBS with children’s barred list check, ideally on the update service
• Verified references from previous settings
• No prohibition order, and no section 128 direction where the role is a management one
• Current safeguarding training appropriate to the role
• A career history we have discussed with them, including any gaps

What your school still does

• Identity, right to work and qualification checks
• Your own references, taken up directly
• Your own DBS check where you require one, rather than relying on a certificate you have not seen
• Everything else Keeping children safe in education requires of you, recorded on your single central record

It is understandable to want to compress this when a setting is under pressure, and we see it attempted fairly often. It is the one part of the process we would always encourage you to take the extra day over.

What is the interim accountable for, and what stays with us?

Once the introduction is made, the interim is accountable to your proprietor body for their work in the same way any senior leader would be. We do not manage them, direct them or supervise them. What we remain responsible for is the honesty of the introduction: that we told you what we knew, and that we told them what they were walking into.

What insurance is in place?

Where the interim is engaged by your school, they sit within your arrangements in the same way as any other member of your leadership team. Where an interim works through their own company we would expect them to hold their own professional indemnity cover, and you are entitled to ask to see it. Jarvis Education holds its own professional indemnity and public liability insurance.

What are your terms?

Our terms are set out in writing before we approach anybody, so nothing about the arrangement comes as a surprise at the point of appointment. If there is anything in them you would like to talk through, we would far rather do that at the start.

One thing worth saying now: there is no exclusivity. You are free to speak to anybody else at the same time, and we would rather you did if it helps you appoint well.

What happens if the interim is not right?

Tell us early. We will introduce an alternative. Specialist settings are hard to match and we would much rather put it right quickly than defend the first choice.

Can an interim become our permanent headteacher?

Sometimes, and it can be an excellent outcome. What we would encourage is that the board still runs a fair substantive process rather than arriving at the appointment by default, because both the staff and the appointee benefit from that.

How quickly can somebody start?

We begin approaching people as soon as we have spoken and we move as quickly as the right match allows. We will not quote a fixed number of weeks before we understand the setting, because that would be a guess dressed up as a promise. Tell us your timescale at the first call and we will give you an honest answer.

Do you place interims in mainstream schools and trusts?

Our focus is independent special schools and alternative provision, because that is where our experience is deepest. We will say honestly if a request sits outside what we can do well. For permanent appointments in any type of school, that is our executive search service rather than this one.

Good practice: what makes an interim placement work

• A written remit agreed before the start date, separating what to hold from what to change
• Authority levels written down, particularly around spend and staffing decisions
• A named person on the board who meets the interim weekly, not monthly
• Honest communication with staff about the arrangement and roughly how long it will last
• A handover document started in the first fortnight rather than the last
• Placing authorities and commissioners told early, before they hear it elsewhere

A common misconception

Many proprietors worry that appointing an interim signals to staff, parents and placing authorities that the school is in trouble. We see the opposite far more often. A credible, experienced leader in post quickly reads as a board that has acted and put the children first. What unsettles people is a long silence, or a series of temporary internal arrangements nobody has explained.

Questions for leaders and proprietors

• What does our school need held over the next term, and what does it need changed?
• Who on our board will hold the interim to account, and do they have the time?
• How long are we prepared to leave the substantive post vacant in order to appoint well?
• What do we want the handover to contain when the interim leaves?
• Have we confirmed who is completing each part of safer recruitment?

How can Jarvis Education help?

We introduce interim leaders who have already led independent special schools and alternative provision. Because Jarvis Education is led by a former His Majesty’s Inspector, we can also help you think through what the interim period should achieve for children rather than only who fills the chair. Tell us what has happened and we will give you an honest view, including if we think an interim is not what you need.