New Quality Mark Scheme in Wales for teacher supply agencies and LEAs

The Welsh Assembly Government, in conjunction with the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has today announced a new scheme to ensure the safe recruitment of supply teachers into Welsh schools.

The scheme has been specifically adapted to the Welsh market and will improve safety checks of teaching staff and drive up standards within supply agencies. It will be open to teaching supply agencies and Local Education Authorities in Wales and provides an application process and an external audit of supply teacher agencies and LEAs to ensure that all the necessary checks are taking place before teachers are sent into schools.

The development of the scheme in Wales is backed by member agencies of the REC in the Education sector and the General Teaching Council for Wales.

Commenting on the launch of the scheme, the Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Education, Culture and Welsh Language, Carwyn Jones AM, said: ìThe introduction of the Quality Mark scheme in Wales is the culmination of a commitment we made some time ago to strengthen existing recruitment practices within our schools.

ìThe Welsh Assembly Government is totally committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in Wales. The main driver behind the Quality Mark is to ensure that unsuitable people do not work in the teaching profession by ensuring pre-employment checks are completed; including a CRB check and registration with the General Teaching Council for Wales.

ìThe Quality Mark will help improve standards and will give assurances to employers in Wales that agencies have carried out all the necessary pre-appointment checks on the teachers that they are supplying to schools.

In addition, Gary Brace, Chief Executive of the General Teaching Council for Wales said: ìWe are pleased to see the launch of the new Quality Mark scheme for supply teacher agencies in Wales. This is a scheme we recommended to the Assembly Government some years ago. Schools that use Quality Mark agencies to provide their supply staff will now have an additional assurance.î

The REC is the representative body for the UK recruitment industry with a dedicated sector group for education agencies. Andrea Moore, its chair of directors for Wales said: ìSafe recruitment is an absolute priority for all recruitment professionals particularly in sectors such as education.

ìAs part of this, recruitment agencies play a key role in effectively checking staff before they are temping on short or long term assignments. The Quality Mark scheme in Wales will provide a means for agencies to clearly demonstrate that they are complying with the highest standards of safe and ethical recruitmentî.

The QM sets minimum standards for agencies and LEAs to reach in areas such as the way they recruit and interview supply teachers the way they check and manage their performance and how they stay at the forefront of changes in the teaching sector.

It provides both assurance and official recognition that the highest standards of recruitment practice are being adhered to. It will give increased confidence to schools, parents and pupils that staff supplied by QM holders have gone through a rigorous selection process that encompasses the relevant checks and correct recruitment procedures. Teachers will be confident that they have selected an accredited and reputable service that will add value to their experience as supply teachers.