Public Private Partnership achieves DCSF/REC quality mark first

Direct Solutions, a Public Private Partnership (PPP) supplying teachers to a Local Education Authority (LEA) has been awarded the esteemed Quality Mark with a 100 per cent compliance record.

Remarkably, this is only the third time that 100 per cent compliance has been awarded to any organisation during a QM award audit, and the first time to a PPP.

ìThis is such an important milestone in the delivery of the optimum standards which we expect in the recruitment of supply teachers,î said Helen Reynolds, Acting Chief Executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), which, along with the Department for Children, Schools & Families (DCSFs) is the awarding body for the Quality Mark.

ìTo obtain the Quality Mark with such an impressive level of compliance demonstrates a commitment to the effective provision of supply teachers, who are so crucial to the lifeblood of schools.î

The Quality Mark award was set up by the DCSF and the REC ñ the trade body for the UKís 26.6 billion private recruitment and staffing industry ñ in 2002 to ensure that the highest possible standards of recruitment, selection and vetting are upheld.

ìWe hope that Direct Solutions will be the first of many other partnerships that will be fostered between REC members and the local education authorities with whom they work so closely,î says Reynolds.

Direct Solutions was forged as a partnership between LEA Direct and Warwickshire County Council to recruit and retain teachers and supply staffing services for Warwickshire schools.

ìThis has been a successful relationship since its inception,î said Allison Lehky, HR Manager, Education Business Services at Warwickshire County Council. ìWe have found the PPP to be an extremely efficient solution to our recruitment needs, and it is very important to both WCC and to Direct Solutions that we have been awarded the RECís Quality Mark.î

As a result of the partnership, LEA Direct has revitalised Warwickshireís local education supply list by providing a more cost-effective solution than traditional supply agencies. This has been achieved by recruiting new teachers to expand the teacher database and by improving access to continuous professional development opportunities.

ìIt is very important to us that LEA Direct adheres to all of the RECís standards,î said Dean Kelly, CEO of Synarbor, LEA Directís parent. ìThe 100 per cent compliance record is a direct result of quality and compliance procedures that we implemented ourselves, and for Direct Solutions to not only be awarded the Quality Mark, but to be the first of its kind to achieve full compliance, means that we know we are truly setting the standard in education recruitment excellence.

Indeed, Direct Solutionsí achievement reinforces measures introduced by LEA Direct, such as dedicated locally-based and on-site contract support teams and the production of a Supply Teacher Handbook. The introduction of quality assurance management systems and the performance of ongoing service reviews and evaluation systems were also viewed as a vital component of the partnership.

ìSuch measures have contributed to the creation of a staff supply community,î says Kelly. ìAnd by encouraging educational communities to delegate non-educational tasks, the LEA Direct partnership allows all of them to concentrate on key priorities and responsibilities, resulting in higher standards in teaching, learning and pupil attainment. In fact, the systems and procedures that we have put in place in LEA Direct have proved so successful that they have now been expanded to cover all of Synarborís divisional companies.î

LEA Directës parent Synarbor PLC has recently rebranded from Public Recruitment Group. It is a market leading provider of resource solutions and support services to the UK public sector. The name change was designed to exploit internal synergies within the Company, following the amalgamation of the Education and Social work divisions in 2006. This restructuring pre-empted the Governmentís own restructuring of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) into the current DCSF.

ìThe creation of the DCSF has caused quite a shake-up in the world of procurement services,î Kelly adds. ìOur priorities for the months ahead include negotiating the departmental changes, as well as helping schools and social services to adapt to them. In order to achieve this, it is essential that we maintain the same excellent standards across all of Synarbor.î