supply teachers | Schools Week

Record rate of teacher departures as 40,000 quit sector last year

New workforce data for 2022 shows 7,800 more teachers quit the profession for reasons other than retirement

In short supply: Cover costs soar as teacher shortages and illness bite

Investigation: Schools sound the alarm as finances hit by education’s shrinking workforce

DfE pledges staff absence funding to keep schools open, but only after reserves are raided

The government has said it will help cover the costs of staff absences to keep schools open this term, but leaders will have to deplete their reserves before becoming eligible. The Department for Education has today announced the creation of a short-term “Covid workforce fund”, which will be backdated to November 1 and will cover […]

School budgets ‘on a knife edge’ due to soaring supply staff costs

Schools are “on a knife edge” as the mounting costs of supply staff parachuted in to replace isolating teachers could leave them out of cash “by Christmas”. A survey from the NAHT school leaders’ union, based on more than 2,000 responses, has found schools are spending on average £2,454 more on supply staff than they […]

Teacher supply agency fees are justified

Teacher recruitment agencies play a vital role in short-notice school staffing, argues Samantha Hurley, who says they deserve to charge for the service Headteachers have the freedom to recruit directly should they wish to. However, the reality is that many rely on the skills, experience and networks of professional recruiters to ensure that classes have […]

It’s time to end exploitative supply agency fees

The fees charged by agencies that provide schools with supply teachers are becoming untenable. Stephen Tierney has some simple, practical advice which could save heads a packet Squeezed budgets combined with a tight labour market means that teacher supply agencies are having a field day at schools’ expense right now. The ethical problem here is […]

National supply teacher agency database open from September

A new government project will help schools get value for money when hiring agency supply teachers. Developed with the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), schools will get access to a new national list of preferred suppliers when recruiting supply teachers and other temporary staff. The list is expected to be available from September and will cover […]

Do schools have to pay agency buy-out fees for supply teachers?

Schools are complaining that staffing agencies can levy thousands of pounds whenever a supply teacher is offered a permanent contract, even if the full recruitment process is followed. Ramona Derbyshire looks at what the law says Like any commercial entity, a school is subject to public procurement rules and at liberty to contract with other […]

Government to step in over supply teacher costs

The government is planning to step in and establish a national pool of ‘trusted’ supply teacher agencies in a bid to help schools cut down on spiralling agency bills. The government’s buying arm, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), is developing the pool alongside the Department for Education (DfE) to get a better deal for schools […]