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Original poster

Anyone use supply teachers anymore?

42 replies

Imsosorryalan75 · 08/05/2019 21:44

I'm thinking of joining an agency as I need to get back into teaching (for financial reasons) as I'm currently working as a TA. I wondered if schools use supply anymore though due to budget cuts. We only use hlta's.
I don't really want to approach my sch to ask to work 4 days only to find I don't get any work!

OP posts:
TreadingThePrimrosePath · 08/05/2019 22:03

Depends where you are, what you teach and how flexible you are. I’ve made a living out of supply for the last 6 years.

careerchange456 · 08/05/2019 23:11

In my school there's now a no supply rule unless the cost is covered by the course/meeting. Definitely no supply for illness cover (obviously long term might be different) but no short term at all. I can only think of about 5 days of supply cover by a teacher this year and even then it's been covered by our part time staff rather than agency supply.

Theworldisfullofgs · 08/05/2019 23:15

Hardly ever. (School Gov here). Budget just can't do it.

ElephantBreath · 08/05/2019 23:16

Almost never at my school either. We have two HLAs who cover almost all of the absence/course cover. If someone was off on longer term sick/maternity/paternity leave, that's the only time we would use a supply or short term contract teacher.

reefedsail · 09/05/2019 06:27

No, I can't remember the last time I saw a supply teacher for day-to-day cover. All done by HLTAs.

user1474894224 · 09/05/2019 06:33

Yes. Both long term supply (a teacher failed to return in September), and also for sickness cover where it's more than a couple of days.

Yellowcar2 · 09/05/2019 06:34

I'm in London and yes we use supply teachers whenever it's needed

ClownsAndJokers · 09/05/2019 06:35

Yes we do. West Yorks

concernedforthefuture · 09/05/2019 06:37

My SiL gets a fair amount of supply work (secondary). We're in the SW of England.

PantsyMcPantsface · 09/05/2019 06:43

Very very little in primary around here. I've had about 6 days this year.

waltersdog · 09/05/2019 07:01

Secondary here and we use them all the time, our school has a bank of regulars though and we rarely see anyone else

Dermymc · 09/05/2019 07:04

I think it depends primary or secondary. Secondary do use more supply.

fedup21 · 09/05/2019 07:09

We use them rarely (mostly use TAs) but if we do, it’s only through a certain agency as that is so much cheaper than paying existing part time teachers who would like extra pay Sad.

hargen · 09/05/2019 07:15

We use them occasionally. A few years ago we hardly ever had any supply teachers and used TAs. However, we have fewer TAs now, meaning supply teachers have to be used to cover absences. We have an unofficial policy of not replacing class TAs when they leave (or moving them to 1:1 support if required) so I expect to see more supply teachers in school in the coming years.

ballsdeep · 09/05/2019 07:18

Only for long term sick. We use tas to cover courses and sickness. We certainly haven't had day to day supply this year.

Girasole02 · 09/05/2019 07:58

I do secondary supply and have had to turn work away as there's so much. I only do casual supply not long term. Tend to go to the same few schools.

fedup21 · 09/05/2019 08:15

Another thing my head does is split classes due to absence so you end up with 15 extra children!

Rubberduckies · 09/05/2019 08:20

My Dad in South West often has work through supply. It's not full time but as he's retired it works great for him.

thebookeatinggirl · 09/05/2019 12:53

We use supply for nearly all cover/absences. Small primary, so only one HLTA, and she's SEND specialist with v full timetable and only used to cover whole class occasionally.

sohypnotic · 09/05/2019 20:53

As others have said it can depend on how flexible you are - sign on with multiple agencies, set the largest maximum travel distance you can cope with, be willing to cover any subject, any age and in any type of school, be prepared to take supply teacher jobs and cover supervisor jobs (lower paid) if necessary. Be open to longer term posts (anything over 4 weeks is considered long term).

I started supply in January and was given daily supply work immediately. In my second week I took a long term post, where i have been ever since, but have had multiple enquiries about my availability from the other agency I'm registered with.

StrongerThanIThought76 · 10/05/2019 20:52

Large secondary - we've had on average 6 supply teachers in every day for the last 6 weeks, bonkers!

skunkatanka · 10/05/2019 20:58

On a similar note, how much cover are teachers generally doing? At my school the answer is AT LEAST once per week and this week I did two. The whole "rarely cover" thing seems to matter little. Is that the norm these days?

mollysshadow · 10/05/2019 21:23

We don't do cover but have lost frees to do year 11 revision sessions

cathay123 · 11/05/2019 06:28

My primary school hardly ever uses supply teachers now. It is always TAs/ HLTAs.

Its2oclockinthemorning · 11/05/2019 13:38

Yes all the time. A good school
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