Within the first few weeks of your start date

Your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute will meet with you to discuss probationary arrangements, the support available and to define appropriate objectives. These will form the basis of your probation and development review. Your objectives will be subject to approval by the Dean of your Faculty or School.

The objectives will be set and formally recorded using the Prize Fellow Objective Template Form during your first few weeks in post. They will broadly cover the first three months, six months, 12 months and 24 months of your appointment. The Prize Fellow Objective Template Form should be used at each and every review meeting to record agreed outcomes and objectives for future reference. It should be uploaded to Manager Self-Service (MSS) as part of your six-month University probation.

Your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute will assign one or more senior academic members of staff to act as your mentor, providing support and guidance in relation to your progress. Your mentor will meet with you and agree the mentoring arrangements.

When the objectives are set, The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) will approve them and forward them to the HR Administration Co-ordinator.

During your probationary period

Your University probation will last six months. During this time, your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute will arrange review meetings with you to monitor your progress. This will include a mid-probation review meeting and an end-of-probation review meeting.

The University’s Probation policy and procedure details how the probation process works in more detail.

Within three months of your start date

Your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute will arrange a mid-probation review meeting with you to monitor your progress against the objectives set over this period and provide any necessary support. Before your probation meeting, you’ll need to complete the relevant section of the Prize Fellow objective template form to demonstrate your progress against your objectives, plus any other activities. You will need to provide this to your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute, along with any supporting information.

Your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute may also make some initial comments on the form and return these to you in time for the review meeting.

Within six months of your start date

Your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute will arrange an end-of-probation review meeting with you to confirm your progress to date against the agreed objectives, in consultation with the Dean. As before, you will need to complete the relevant section of the objective template form prior to your probation meeting, to demonstrate your progress against the set objectives plus any other activities and provide this with supporting information to your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute.

Your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute may also make some initial comments on the form and return these to you in time for the review meeting.

If your performance is to the required standard, your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute will confirm this to you as part of your end of probation meeting and upload your completed form to MSS.

If your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute has identified performance and/or conduct below the required standards, they should meet confidentially with you, following consultation with the Dean. This should be done at the earliest possible opportunity, with a view to establishing the cause of the problem and how it can be resolved. If they consider that there has been insufficient improvement before your mid- and end-of-probation review dates, they should seek advice from an appropriate advisor in the Department of Human Resources. This will usually be from the relevant HR Advisor or Business Partner.

On the successful completion of your probation period, your performance management will follow the University’s Capability policy and Staff Development Performance Review.

Within 12 months of your start date

Your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute will arrange a formal review meeting with you to monitor your progress against the objectives, in consultation with the Dean, and provide additional support where necessary.

Within 18 months of your start date

Your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute will arrange a further formal review meeting with you to monitor your progress against the objectives, in consultation with the Dean, and provide additional support where necessary.

21 months after your start date

The HR Administration Co-ordinator will notify the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), Dean of your Faculty or School, Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute and HR Business Partner that you are nearing the end of your second year in post.

Your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute will recommend to the Dean of your Faculty or School whether you should transfer to a permanent academic contract at the end of your second year or remain on a research contract during your third year.

After consultation with the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), the Dean will make a decision based on your progress. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) will confirm the final decision to Human Resources.

24 months after your start date (end of year two)

If your performance meets the required standards, then you will transfer to a permanent academic contract as a probationary Lecturer and start academic probation at the start of your third year. The HR Administration Co-ordinator will write to you formally to confirm this.

You will also receive a welcome letter from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and an email from the Academic Staff Committee (ASC). The letter will contain a link to the Career Progression Portal, where you'll find an overview of your probationary arrangements, including review dates.

There would continue to be a strong research focus during your academic probation years and your teaching would focus on research-led higher-level courses and projects.

If you perform as we expect, then academic probation in years three to five would be followed by a confirmed appointment as a Lecturer or, exceptionally, as a Senior Lecturer or Reader (via Academic Staff Committee).

For those who stay on as a Prize Fellow during their third year

If your performance does not meet the required standards at the end of your second year in post, then your third year will provide an opportunity for you to reach that standard. You will remain on a fixed-term research contract during your third year and your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute will set objectives for you in consultation with the Dean and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) using the Prize Fellow objective template form. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) will approve the objectives and forward these to the HR Administration Co-ordinator.

Your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute of Institute will continue to monitor your progress against these objectives, in consultation with the Dean, and provide additional support where necessary.

28 months after your start date

32 months after your start date

The HR Administration Co-ordinator will send a notification to your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute that your fixed-term contract is due to end at the end of your third year.

The Dean of your Faculty or School will meet with your Head of Department, Division or Director of Institute. Based on your progress, they will decide whether your contract should terminate at the end of your third year or transfer to a permanent academic contract.

The Dean of your Faculty or School will confirm their final decision to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), who will in turn notify the HR Administration Co-ordinator of the decision.

33 months after your start date

Unless it has been confirmed that you will transfer to a permanent academic contract at the commencement of year four, the HR Administration Co-ordinator will issue you with formal written notice of redundancy.

36 months after your start date (end of year three)

If your performance meets the required standard at the end of your third year, then you will transfer to a permanent academic contract as a probationary Lecturer. You will begin academic probation at the start of year four. The HR Administration Co-ordinator will write to you formally to confirm this.

You will also receive a welcome letter from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and an email from the Academic Staff Committee (ASC) containing a link to the Career Progression Portal. Here you will find an overview of your probationary arrangements, including review dates.

If your performance does not meet the required standard at the end of your third year, then your fixed-term contract will end.

Prize Fellow probation and development review

Understand the key stages of the probation and development review process for Prize Fellows.