My school currently employs 5 f/t CS and a couple of casual ones as well for times when cover is a bit heavy. Since we kicked up a bit of a stink about having to cover teachers who are off long term i.e. longer than 3 days, they have actually listened and now bring in a Supply as soon as they can find one.  They also realised that when they were using us to cover long term absences there was no-one available to cover day to day! Learnt their lesson there, methinks...

At the moment, we have got 5 Supply teachers in - 3 long term and 2 short term. One Supply was in the other day and had a rather 'involved' lesson to teach in my department. He was covering the HoD's lesson and the person i/c of cover asked me to make sure the HoD had left work (he is a bit put upon at the moment) and so I offered to deliver it to the Supply so they could get a heads up on the work. When I got there it turned out that the Supply didn't have access to the correct drive on the computer, so I had to transfer the lesson powerpoints onto his stick - for which he was very greatful.  When I got back to the classroom, I realised that the HoD hadn't left the right resources for his lesson, so I went on the hunt for them and got it all sorted before the start of the next period.

So...it IS possible for Supply Teachers and Cover Supervisors to co-exist peacefully.  If we all work together it is in the best interests of the pupils!

les25paul:

I first read that as 5ft CSs and thought can't they get any taller ones. 

Lol!

historygrump:

I take it that your school is operating within the rules on the time covered and not letting support teach permanent lessons or for weeks like some schools do, and you have found this eases the tensions between supply and CS, would I be correct in this assumption?

I have never noticed any tension between supply teachers and cover supervisors...not in the 9 years I have been doing this job.

historygrump:

do you feel the rules should be made more clear and enforced by LA's and the Dept of Education?

Yes.

historygrump:

would you support a minimum requirement of a degree and gcse in English and Math's [sic] at grade C or above to help improve standards and ease the tensions further to create a potential joint role, i.e CS or HLTA for short-term cover and supply for any period of absence over 3 successive days?

Yes.  We are all educated to degree level anyway...I think this should be the norm, not the exception.

historygrump:

Finally do you feel that schools who ignore the rules and use support staff for longer periods of absences are betraying the students in their care?

I think that sometimes it is OK to have an UQT covering a class for longer than 3 days.  I have done it myself a few times, but it has only been until a permenant teacher can be appointed.  I am a music specialist (although my degree isn't in music) and they thought it more appropriate for me to take over for just over half a term, instead of just any old supply teacher (we couldn't find a music specialist for love nor money!)

Bronco:

Too many schools use unqualified teachers for extensive periods without advertising for qualified teachers; in fact some specifically advertise for instructors rather than qualified teachers.

Agreed.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, WRONG!

Bronco:

Too many schools use unqualified teachers for extensive periods without advertising for qualified teachers; in fact some specifically advertise for instructors rather than qualified teachers.

Elsewhere on the web i had a run in with a 'curriculum assistant' (can't quite remember the title) that thought that using them to teach A-Level chemistry would be better than 'a string of supply teachers'!  They genuinely thought that they were better than a trained professional,because as we all know the only reason a teacher works supply is because they're rubbish >.< .