Teaching agency gets top grade

A teachersí recruitment agency in Dorset is top the class for the second time, after getting an ëAí from the government.

Supply & Demand in Bournemouth has again received a coveted Quality Mark from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCFS) for its high standards in recruitment, selection and vetting.

To achieve the accolade, which lasts two years, an agency or local authority must meet stringent benchmarks in the way they recruit, interview and manage the performance of their supply teachers.

They must also stay at the forefront of policy and legal changes to teaching.

ìWeíre delighted to be awarded the prestigious Quality Mark,î said Jan de Planta, managing director of Supply and Demand which she set up nine years ago following two decades working as a teacher.

ìIn the best interests of child protection and school effectiveness weíve always maintained rigorously high standards of recruitment practice.î

ìSchools using an agency with the Quality Mark know theyíre being supplied with high quality and correctly vetted staff.î

The national benchmark was launched in July 2002 as a joint initiative between the DCFS and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) to drive up standards in the education sector.

Angie Nicholls, REC Quality Mark manager, said: ìThis is a real achievement for Supply and Demand which has demonstrated yet again how they constantly strive for the highest possible standards in their delivery services to both clients and job seekers.

ìThe Quality Mark is becoming increasingly recognised within the industry as guaranteeing effective and ethical provision of supply teachers who are so crucial to the lifeblood of schools.î

Supply and Demand at Boscombe Manor provides teachers, teaching assistants and nursery staff to more than 30 schools, nurseries and colleges across the south coast.