With gender pay gap reporting now firmly embedded across education, the conversation is rightly shifting. The question many of us are now grappling with is not whether inequality exists, but what we can do, day to day, to reduce it in practice.
Recruitment is one of the earliest points at which inequality can take hold, from how roles are advertised, to what information is shared, to how candidates are shortlisted. For trusts recruiting at scale, small changes in approach can have a meaningful impact over time.
Recent national polling of senior leaders and headteachers in England by Teaching Vacancies offers a timely snapshot of how schools are responding, and where further progress can be made.
What schools are already doing
The research shows growing awareness of the levers available to schools to make recruitment fairer and more transparent:
- 40% of schools now include pay, salary scale or progression details in their recruitment materials
- 35% highlight wellbeing or workload support in job adverts
- 21% use blind recruitment methods to shortlist candidates anonymously
From my perspective, this points to real momentum, particularly around transparency at the very first interaction candidates have with a role. At the same time, it’s clear that many of these approaches are still not consistently applied and that’s where trusts have an important role to play in setting expectations and modelling good practice.
Why job adverts matter more than we think
For many candidates, a job advert is their first interaction with a school or trust. Research consistently shows that unclear pay information, vague expectations and overly generic role descriptions can disproportionately deter certain groups from applying, particularly women and those balancing caring responsibilities.
In my experience, simple adjustments can make a difference, such as:
- Being clear about salary ranges, progression and contract type
- Highlighting flexibility, part time options or job sharing where possible
- Using inclusive, jargon free language that reflects the realities of the role
For trusts, consistency is key. Agreeing shared principles across schools helps ensure candidates receive the same level of clarity regardless of which setting they apply to. That consistency builds trust and trust is fundamental to fair recruitment.
Reducing bias in shortlisting
Some trusts are also beginning to explore blind recruitment, removing identifying information such as names, age or gender at shortlisting stage. While not suitable for every role or context, it can help focus decision making on skills, experience and potential rather than unconscious assumptions.
Clear criteria and structured scoring frameworks are just as important. They support panels to make more objective decisions and ensure appointments can be explained and justified, something that is essential both for fairness and for confidence in the process.
Supporting schools with practical tools
Alongside organisational policies, practical systems and standards can support greater consistency in how roles are advertised. Many school trusts, including my own, use centralised recruitment platforms, such as Teaching Vacancies, the Department for Education’s official service, to support more standardised recruitment activity.
Used effectively, these tools can help schools to:
- Provide clear and consistent information about pay, contract type and working patterns
- Use common advert structures across roles and settings
- Make flexibility and support visible at an early stage of recruitment
- Apply shortlisting processes that support objective assessment, including anonymisation where appropriate
Clear and consistent information at the outset can benefit both employers and candidates. Applicants are better able to assess whether a role is suitable, while trusts recruiting across multiple schools can reduce variation in how opportunities are presented, supporting more equitable recruitment experiences.
A trust wide conversation
For trust leaders, fair and transparent recruitment is not just about compliance or reporting, it’s about attracting and retaining the widest possible pool of talent in a highly competitive market.
Opening up trust wide conversations about pay transparency, flexibility and inclusive practice helps build confidence, both internally and among prospective candidates. As trusts continue to refine their approaches, sharing learning and practical examples across the sector will be essential if we are to sustain progress and strengthen the profession for the long term.
- Antonia Spinks is CEO of Pioneer Educational Trust
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