The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) represents over 60% of recruitment agencies. The REC Education Sector Group (a division of REC which covers those agencies that provide supply teachers) calls on the Government to reassess the situation regarding List 99 and the Sex Offenders Register.
Commenting on the recent cases, John Dunn, Chair of the REC Education Sector Group, said the current situation is unacceptable.
Recruitment agencies make all the checks they can on staff but these checks are only as good as the registers provided. In order to clarify the situation List 99 should be a definitive list of all those that are unsuitable to work in schools. Naturally this should include all those on the sex offenders register.
The REC believes that the current system has lead to too much confusion and that any future system should be transparent and non-political.
Government Ministers should not have a role in deciding who is entered onto List 99 as their transitory nature may lead to inconsistencies in approach.
Schools that want to be sure that they are sourcing supply teachers from a good agency should look for the REC/DfES Quality Mark. Agencies and Local Education Authorities (LEAs) with the Quality Mark are audited every two years. A key part of this audit is checking that they make all relevant checks on teachers they are placing and that they keep records of these checks.
The REC upholds standards in the recruitment industry and will be contacting its members in the Education Sector to re-confirm procedures in recruiting teachers.
Supply teacher agencies continue to vet teachers
REC represents over 60% of recruitment agencies
