REC letter to Gavin Williamson

Dear Secretary of State, 

The Recruitment & Employment Confederation represents more than 3,200 recruitment and employment businesses, with roughly 350 supplying education staff. As I'm sure you'll agree, supply teachers and other agency support staff provide a vital service to schools and colleges. And at this time of great uncertainty, whilst schools are shut and there is very little work available, it is important they are supported financially. Additionally, ensuring that agencies are able to supply these workers to schools when we emerge out of the crisis is a crucial component to resuming normal operations.  

The Cabinet Office’s Procurement Policy Note 02/20 is designed to address this. The guidance states that public sector bodies should continue to pay agency supply staff, who were on a live assignment but unable to continue to work due to the crisis at 80% of their usual rate. A recent update to the Department for Education's website clearly states that schools should follow this procurement policy.  

However, feedback we've had from agencies is mixed. Whilst some schools are using this scheme to pay supply teachers and suppliers, not all are, despite having supply teachers who meet the criteria. In part this is due to confusion of the scheme with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, but not entirely. There is a general a lack of awareness by schools of the need to be using this scheme to protect temporary school staff.   

We appreciate that you cannot mandate schools to follow the guidance. However, we would ask you to do more to increase understanding and uptake of the guidance. Writing to all schools to highlight the cabinet office scheme and asking them to take it up will go a long way in supporting supply teachers, other agency support staff and employment agencies at this difficult time.  

Please do get in touch with my Ellie in my office if you or your team would like to discuss this important matter further.  

Yours Aye

Neil Carberry 

Chief Executive