Primary teacher-how much supply cover is your school using at the moment?

[Molehillmountain]

And has the situation got better or worse recently? Loaded question of course! Am primary teacher with seven month old and looking to do supply when dd2 is bit older. Used to get loads but that was four or so years ago and I'm guessing things are tougher now. And if your school uses supply teachers are they from agencies or regulars who introduce themselves? Sorry to be nosey and thanks!

Depends where you are I think! Our school never uses supply teachers and if a teacher is off the class is split up amongst the rest of the school.

Sorry to say that supply cover in our school (a large primary) has virtually dried up in the last year or so. We have a cover HLTA who does a lot of it, and if more teachers are off we either take up slack within the staff we have (PPA cover for instance ) or split classes for a day or so. Usually then the crisis has passed. We might have the odd one to cover courses, but then there aren't many of those happening right now either.

Short answer is 'none'.

All teacher absence is covered by a) jobshare partners stepping up their hours temporarily to cover their own or another class, b) the head [small school] or c) HLTAs, often supported by a 'normal' TA from elsewhere in the school. We are lucky becuase one of our HLTAs (part time) is a qualified teacher so can act as 'internal supply' outside her normal TA hours. If all the above fail for a planned absence (or for example to cover a half day during a longer absence otherwise covered as above) then we usually bring in an outside 'expert' to give the children an experience they don't normally get (e.g. a modern language, Forest school, a sports coach) rather than a 'general' supply teacher.

Heads IME seem to be looking for someone they know and trust, and someone who already knows the children. As a just-qualified NQT, I got half a term's supply just because I had been a student in the same class the previous term!

I am in Sheffield and we are still using supply. Where possible we use ones we know, else we phone the agencies. We seem to be having a fair bit of teacher absence at the moment - lots of horrid bugs going round - and have needed it.

First day sickness cover is covered by TAs, then covered by supply (none or agency)

We never split classes and out in other rooms. Our school is too big to do so.

Our PPA cover is never used either.

Thought that might be the case. I wonder if there are any creative solutions to get my foot in the door of some schools? Happy to give some time for free. Might try back at the last school I worked full time at-they may still remember me...

Illness/courses are covered by supply ( usually ex members of staff who know the school /children but not longer want to work full time )

Not a teacher - but our school seems to use the same two teachers every time one of the regular ones is off (which does seem to have been quite often this year). I wouldn't be surprised if they are former members of staff as they are towards the upper end of the age range but they seem to know the school well! The TAs seem to cover each other - for example dd2's TA who normally does Mon, Tues, Weds is off sick so the one who normally does Thurs, Fri has done all week instead.

A friend of mine in a similar situation was finding it hard to break into local schools , so did a drop of her cv with a covering letter to all schools and then phoned about a week later to follow up. She got three jobs that week and was then able to get regular supply from 2 of the schools. A similar plan may help.