A NEW £2.7m project to improve the way supply teachers support schools was announced by the Education Secretary Kirsty Williams on Tuesday (Oct 24).
The new funding will support 15 local authorities to create new supply teacher arrangements across 86 schools. The project will support the appointment of around 50 recently qualified teachers who will work across groups of schools, covering teacher absence and supporting wider school improvements and learner outcomes.
The Welsh Government claims the new approach will nurture recently qualified teachers whilst also ensuring cover within schools. The pilot project will run during the current and next financial years and follows recommendations from the Supply Model Taskforce report published earlier this year.
Kirsty Williams said: “Supply teachers form a significant and important part of our teaching workforce. It is vital that they are an informed part of our system, so they are ready and able to support our national mission of education reform.
“I want to improve the way that our system currently employs, manages and supports our supply teachers. I am committed to ensuring that teachers who work flexibly in this way are well equipped, appropriately rewarded, and integrated into the teaching profession.
“This new funding is about being more flexible and innovative in our approach to covering teacher absence. Under our plans, our supply teachers will be supported in the same way that permanent teachers are.
“This approach will invest in and nurture recently qualified teachers whilst also ensuring that there is sufficient cover within schools to meet demands for ALN delivery and other specialist teachers including Welsh-medium teachers.”
The Welsh Government aims for any savings identified from school supply budgets to be re-invested to build capacity in the system to support schools to manage their supply needs in a more co-ordinated, collaborative and sustainable manner.
The National Education Union Cymru have welcomed the Welsh Government’s investment. The union recognise the importance of the pilot scheme but also warn that reform of the supply sector has been overdue for many years and further action will be needed to tackle the underlying concerns of the profession.
David Evans, Wales Secretary at the National Education Union Cymru, said: “The National Education Union has consistently called for a guaranteed year of employment for newly qualified teachers and so this proposal does offer some positive steps towards that. We can also support this as a move in the right direction towards a better supply system for teachers. Too long have those working as supply teachers been neglected and exploited. This pilot could very well lead to a new way of doing things that improves conditions for teachers and standards across our education system.
“However, we must also be honest in recognising that this can only be seen as the start of the changes that are required. While the investment is welcomed, and the Welsh Government is clearly acknowledging that action is needed to address the concerns within the supply sector, this will not solve the wider issues for supply teachers in general. While it will allow some newly qualified teachers to secure a foothold on their chosen career it won’t tackle the concerns of those vastly experienced supply teachers who need to be afforded the same opportunity.
“We will continue to campaign for a fairer and more equitable approach to supply teaching that does not leave teachers feeling marginalised and look forward to working further with the Welsh Government on the results of this pilot and other proposals in future.”
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