Planning Supply Teachers for Schools in Sussex

Picture this, it’s 7:04am and you have two members of staff called in sick, you have a year 4 trip that is leaving at nine and the phone just won’t stop. If you are the one that is responsible for finding supply for schools in Sussex whether you are a head teacher, SENCO or office manager. This situation will feel all too familiar. The good news is that although it doesn’t feel like it, it can be planned for. In this guide we cover why the cover crisis happens, which cover fits which gap and how to build a team of supply teachers that already know your school.

So Why Does The 7am Scramble Happen?

Believe it or not, staff absences are not as random as you think, it typically follows the school year closely. For example:

• Autumn Term – coughs, stomach bugs work there way through classrooms around October time.
• January – this is where winter illnesses tend to peak and can feel worse if your school has had resignations taking effect before Christmas
• Exam season – additional revision session/ trips tend to pull the experienced staff away
• Training/ Courses – Any teacher training can leave classes to cover.

Unfortunately, when booking in last minute cover, it will often cost more as which supply teachers are available but typically you will find it’s often those with a higher rate and there is no guarantee they will suit the class (if you have not used them before). As a result, you may find that your own staff lose out on their PPA time to provide internal cover which can definitely impact their morale. Especially if it happens more often. Planning ahead during the predictable peaks can take a lot of the pressure away from the school.

Daily Supply, Long-Term Supply or Fixed Term?

As a school it is important that you are choosing the right type of cover and doing it early to save time and money. Here is a brief guide for those in charge of organising the cover:

Sickness

• If it’s just 1-3 days sickness then the best fit would be daily supply. This is because it’s fast, flexible and no ongoing commitment.

Course or Training Days

• The best fit would be pre-booked daily supply as it allows you to pick a known face weeks in advance taking the pressure off.

Maternity Leave/ Long-term sickness

• Long-term supply will always be the best option for this as it provides consistency to the pupils and parents rather than just organising a mixture of cover and having different faces teach.

1:1 Send Support

• Long-term TA supply is the best solution as consistency is vital for the child.

If you are still unsure, we recommend asking your agency to talk you through it, they will be able to advise whether daily supply is the cheaper option and when it isn’t.

Building a Pool of Supply Teachers for Schools in Sussex

It is important to note that the schools that look the calmest do not start from scratch each time. They will always have a list of known faces who have already worked in the building, know the behaviour policy and do not need showing around.

An agency will always keep that pool warm between bookings by staying in touch, passing on any feedback and offering your school first dibs. Often you will find the same few faces that will be on hand to cover most of your absences.

It is important to see things from the other side, working as a supply teacher mostly means walking into a new school with very little notice. Supply staff will choose between schools and remember the ones that:

• have a lanyard, login and lesson plans ready on arrival
• name a contact who checks in at break
• share behaviour and SEND information up front
• say thank you and give honest feedback

As a school, you want to be the one they want to come back to so they will say yes when you call them at 7am.

A Brief That Makes The Supply Teacher Successful

You will find that most bookings go wrong, not because of the supply teacher but because they arrive without key information. Just having a short brief can fix that. Simply just give your agency these 5 things each time:

• Year group and subject, plus any setting or streaming.
• Behaviour and SEND context: pupils with EHCPs, known triggers, who to call for support.
• Start time, including whether they’re needed for registration or a briefing.
• Parking: where to go, and whether they need a permit if required.
• Who greets them at reception, with a name rather than a role.

It takes a couple of minutes, and it reduces your supply spend. A well-briefed supply teacher is less likely to leave at lunch, less likely to need a replacement booked the next day, and more likely to join your known-faces pool.

Temp-to-perm Supply

Sometimes teaching jobs in Sussex will be hard to fill, such as shortage subject/ specialist SEND roles. It can be frustrating when an advert has ran twice but have not received any strong applicants for the role. In this case, temp-to-perm roles can be the perfect solution. This ultimately lets you place a supply teacher in the role, see how they get on and then offer a permanent contract if it’s a good fit.

If done well, it is one of the most reliable approaches to recruiting teachers in schools.

Done well, it’s one of the most reliable approaches to recruiting in schools. To keep it fair to the candidate:

How Pink Tile Work With Sussex Schools

Here at Pink Tile Education, we are a teaching recruitment agency working in the South East, so we know all the schools and realities of jobs in Sussex schools. Each school will have their own named consultant that is familiar with the building and will be on hand to provide daily, long-term and permanent staff to your school. We will also vet each candidate before they reach your reception desk.