One agency bites back...

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Renaissance Education rejects slur on teacher supply agencies

"Recent press comment on agencies has been biased and inaccurate", says Renaissance MD Martin Richards. "We believe supply agencies such as ourselves offer a vital service to schools and teachers".

Full statement

“Without supply teachers, schools would close”. That’s what the Recruitment and Employment Confederation said in response to the recent OFSTED report on supply teachers in schools

But recent press comment on teacher supply agencies gives the impression that the sector is one big rip-off of public funds. We at Renaissance Education deeply disagree with this slur on our methods of working and on our teachers.

In our experience there is no such thing as a rogue agency, or as David Miliband said, “fly-by-night operations”. There are, however, hardworking organisations of all sizes doing their best to satisfy the needs of schools at very short notice. If we are flying by night, it is to answer calls from headteachers at 10pm and to give our teachers directions at 7am.

The supply agencies didn’t create the teacher shortage. In fact, we are doing our level best to find ways around the worst effects of the shortage. That’s why agencies led the way in helping teachers come to the UK from all over the world.

We don’t charge rip-off fees. The average margin of agencies is much less than the one-third suggested. For starters, there is that small detail known as employer’s national insurance, not to mention all the costs of processing teachers and complying with the many regulations which apply. Yes, we act as the teachers’ employers, and as such we have the full employer’s responsibility for our staff – a responsibility, by the way, which schools avoid by using agencies. Our teachers make possible a degree of day-to-day flexibility in provision which would be impossible if all teachers were on fulltime contracts.

This is a competitive, open marketplace. Like all agencies, Renaissance stands or falls by the quality of its service. There may be teacher shortages, but schools are not so stupid, or short of choice, that they will use a bad agency. The most precious asset we have – apart from our teachers – is our reputation. If schools tell each other to avoid Agency X, then Agency X is
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in the water. So we have to deliver the best service we can every day.

Do we say, take it or leave it, when we quote a rate to schools? I think not! Schools know what the going rate is, and they know what the pressures on their budgets are. So you can be sure that the rate schools pay is based on the same factors which operate in any marketplace - costs, competition, and of course supply and demand.

The most
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dening insult thrown at us by OFSTED related to the quality of our teachers. At least they had the grace to make the under-reported aside that often schools do not properly support supply teachers. Yes, we have some excellent teachers, and some who are not quite at that standard. Whether our teachers hold QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) or not, we only send them to schools if they can do the job. Why are schools fending off phone calls from agencies asking, how did Teacher A get on today? It’s because agencies are desperate for the feedback so that they can send only the most capable, competent, impressive and inspirational teachers on their books.

When you think about it, supply teaching is the professional development course par excellence. Nothing comes close to the experience of going into a new school with new kids who often enough are intending to play up because their regular teacher is away. This is the most toughening professional assault course (sometimes literally) available. Over half our supply days are provided for “general supply teachers”. This means our teachers must be able to turn their hand to anything. Can an incompetent or badly trained teacher do that? We don’t think so, and anyone who tries will be quickly found out.

Renaissance Education is currently applying for the agency Quality Mark. We feel hopeful we will get it. We were already doing the great bulk of what the standard asks for. Perhaps 5% of our procedures need some change in order to comply. But you and we know that high quality procedures are only half the battle. What schools really want is for supply agencies to be effective in getting a good teacher quickly to a school. And agencies deliver just that – day in, day out.