Staff Handbook

Employment terms, expectations, and procedures

Academic Year 2026 / 27

“Christ is the key”

CONFIDENTIAL · FOR ALL STAFF

I.B.S Educational Complex
Asankrangwa · Amenfi West · Western Region

1. Welcome and about this handbook

Welcome to I.B.S Educational Complex. You are joining a school with a clear identity, a strong faith foundation, and high expectations of every adult in the building.

This handbook sets out our employment terms, professional expectations and the procedures we all follow. It is issued alongside your written contract and forms part of your terms of employment. Read it, sign the acknowledgement page, and keep a copy.

2. Employment terms

Types of employment

• Permanent — open-ended contract, subject to satisfactory 6-month probation
• Fixed-term — typically one academic year, renewable
• Part-time / hourly — for specialist teachers and occasional cover

Recruitment standards

• Only licensed teachers (or licensable graduates) are hired for teaching roles
• Two independent references verified
• Demo lesson with the relevant HOD
• Criminal-background check where applicable
• Signed contract before start date

Probation

All new staff serve a 6-month probation. A formal review at month 5 confirms your permanence, extends probation, or ends employment. You have a mentor throughout probation.

3. Working hours, leave & absence

Working hours

Standard staff hours are Monday to Friday, 7:15 AM to 4:00 PM. Duty rotas may require later attendance. Class teachers arrive by 7:15 AM to prepare for morning duty and assembly.

Leave

• Statutory annual leave taken outside term time
• Sick leave — up to 7 days paid; medical certificate required for extended
• Compassionate leave: 3 days for immediate-family bereavement
• Maternity leave in line with Labour Act 651

Reporting absence

Notify the HR Officer before 6:30 AM on the day, and copy your HOD. Cover will be arranged. Unnotified absence is a disciplinary matter.

4. Pay, payroll & statutory contributions

• Salary is paid monthly by MoMo or bank transfer, on the 27th (or previous working day)
• Payslip issued via SchoolOS on payday
• SSNIT contributions deducted and remitted monthly
• PAYE deducted and remitted to GRA monthly
• Payroll queries: send to bursar@ibs-edu.org within 14 days of payslip

5. Duties & performance expectations

Teaching staff

• Prepare a written weekly lesson plan filed with HOD
• Mark within one week of receipt; return with actionable feedback
• Enter attendance in SchoolOS by 9:00 AM daily
• Enter marks in SchoolOS gradebook by the term deadline
• Contribute to at least one duty per week (break, chapel, event, marking)
• Attend weekly staff meeting & Friday CPD hour
• Complete termly wellbeing check-in with line manager

Support staff

• Follow the daily / weekly rota published by your line manager
• Complete safety and safeguarding training
• Contribute to termly all-staff briefing

Annual review

Every staff member has an annual performance review with their line manager in May/June, producing a written development plan.

6. CPD & training

Every teacher completes a minimum of 30 CPD hours per year. Support staff complete the mandatory core.

Mandatory training

• Safeguarding Level 2 — annually
• Data protection & pupil-record confidentiality — annually
• SchoolOS proficiency — on joining + refresh at major upgrades
• Fire safety & first-aid awareness — annually

Optional CPD

Subject-specific workshops, weekend certifications, and external conferences with prior HOD approval. Budget available on request.

7. Safeguarding responsibilities

Every adult on the compound is a safeguarding officer. This is not delegable.

1. If a pupil discloses harm: listen, do not lead. Reassure. Record within one hour.
2. Submit the Safeguarding Report form to the Guidance Counsellor the same day.
3. Do not investigate. Do not confront. Do not discuss outside authorised channels.
4. Do not promise confidentiality — you may need to escalate.

Failure to report a concern is a serious disciplinary matter.

8. Staff Code of Conduct

1. Put the child first in every decision.
2. Follow the two-adult rule at all times.
3. Prepare thoroughly — every lesson has a written plan.
4. Mark within one week; feedback that helps the child improve.
5. Speak to parents courteously; document substantial conversations.
6. Handle pupil data as if it were your own child’s.
7. Never accept gifts of value from parents or vendors.
8. Report concerns about a colleague through the correct channel, in confidence.
9. Dress and speak professionally on the compound and online.
10. Attend CPD and safeguarding training — both mandatory.
11. Never smoke, drink alcohol, or use inappropriate language on the compound.
12. Never accept private tutoring fees from a pupil you teach at IBS.

9. SchoolOS & ICT use policy

• Your SchoolOS account is personal. Never share credentials.
• Two-factor authentication is mandatory.
• Lock your screen every time you step away (Ctrl+L or the 🔒 button).
• Report suspicious emails via Report phishing; never click unfamiliar links.
• School laptops must be full-disk encrypted and returned on exit.
• Bursary & Registry: no USB / removable media without ICT approval.
• Access is reviewed quarterly; unused accounts are disabled.

10. Disciplinary procedure

Where a concern is raised about staff conduct or performance, the following steps apply. Every step is documented and the staff member has the right to a written response.

1. Informal conversation with line manager — log kept
2. First written warning — on file for 6 months
3. Final written warning — on file for 12 months
4. Formal hearing chaired by the Headmaster + HR Officer
5. Outcome: action plan, demotion, or dismissal
6. Appeal to the Board of Governors within 14 days

Gross misconduct — e.g. safeguarding breach, theft, violence, fraud — may result in summary dismissal without prior warnings.

11. Grievance procedure

If you have a grievance:

1. Raise it informally with your line manager within 14 days of the issue
2. If unresolved, submit a written grievance to the HR Officer
3. HR meets with you within 10 working days
4. Outcome given in writing within 10 working days of the meeting
5. Appeal to the Headmaster; final appeal to the Board of Governors

You will not be penalised for raising a legitimate grievance in good faith.

12. Confidentiality & data protection

• Pupil records, health data, safeguarding notes, and staff records are strictly confidential
• You may only access data required for your role (need-to-know)
• Never discuss identifiable pupils outside the staff room or with people not authorised
• Never take pupil data off the compound unless approved and encrypted
• Confidentiality obligations survive your employment

13. Health & safety at work

• Report any hazard immediately to the Facilities Manager
• Follow the evacuation procedure for fire drills — every term, every block
• Wear appropriate PPE (sanitation, kitchen, workshop staff)
• Free access to the School Nurse for any workplace injury
• Report near-misses — not just accidents

14. Resignation & offboarding

Notice periods:

• Teaching staff: end of an academic term, with two months’ notice
• Non-teaching staff: one month’s notice

On the last day:

1. Return laptop, keys, ID card, uniform
2. Hand over all pupil files, marks, work-in-progress
3. Attend exit interview with HR
4. SchoolOS access revoked within 1 hour of exit
5. Final salary + accrued leave paid on the next payroll cycle

Acknowledgement

I confirm I have received, read, and understood this Staff Handbook (2026/27) and agree to be bound by its terms as part of my employment at I.B.S Educational Complex.