Template contracts for schools

ISSUING A CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT

A contract of employment is an important, legally binding document and it is imperative that before one is issued, its form and terms are properly considered, and where necessary, legal and / or HR advice is taken.

The CES recommends that the following steps are taken prior to issuing a contract of employment:

Step 1 – Read The Bishops’ Memorandum on the Appointment of Staff in Catholic Schools. Have you involved your diocese in the recruitment process if that is required?

Step 2 – Read the CES Document User Guide. Consult the frequently asked questions section if you have queries in relation to the particular appointment.

Step 3 – Take legal and / or HR advice.

Step 4 – Read the Download & Amend contract template appropriate for the employment in question and read the School and Academy Model Contracts Guidance Note and any other relevant guidance on the Guidance on Contracts page. This will ensure that you are familiar with the terms and conditions of the relevant model and their implications. Reviewing the download and amend version will also ensure that you know what information you will need to have available to input into the generator if you decide to use it.

Step 5 – Once you have read the Download & Amend contract template, you can then decide whether to use the download and amend version or the Contracts Generator version and issue the contract accordingly.

Even if you have issued employment contracts in the past and are familiar with the above steps, you should follow the steps above prior to any new contract of employment being issued.

Contracts Generator

Complete our online questionnaire and then click ‘submit’. Your answers will be automatically populated into a PDF version of the relevant CES contract of employment.

Download and Amend

Choose one of the contracts and amend as appropriate.

Please note that the documents available for download from this page are copyright protected and set text should not be changed in any way without prior authorisation from your diocese.

Please note that we have made a small amendment to some of the model contracts of employment. In relation to the wording for fixed term contracts and temporary contracts, we have amended clause 16.1 or 17.1 (depending on the contract) to provide that the contract can be terminated by either party giving notice to the other. The wording for permanent contracts remains unchanged. NB the Business Manager & Support Staff contracts are unaffected by these changes. (November 2024).