Safe Recruitment- Quality Mark England

Supply teachers make an important contribution to the smooth running of  schools and the raising of standards.The Government values their contribution and wants to ensure they are recruited and managed well, to allow them to give their best to schools.

The Quality Mark was launched in July 2002, as a joint initiative between the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) to help drive up standards for everyone in the sector. The Quality Mark sets minimum standards for agencies and LAs to reach in areas such as the way they recruit and interview supply teachers, the way they check and manage their performance and the way they stay at the forefront of changes in the teaching sector.

Maintaining standards in education recruitment is vital and the benefits of the Quality Mark to LAs, agencies, supply teachers and the schools that they service are immense. Schools and teachers deserve high quality agencies and this scheme will help both schools and teachers be more confident about the agencies they use. It will give increased confidence to schools, parents and pupils that staff supplied through agencies are recruited properly and have ongoing support. For agencies and LAs it will provide both assurance and official recognition that the highest standards of recruitment practice are being adhered to; and Teachers will be confident that they have selected an accredited and reputable service that will add value to their experience as supply teachers.

 Please note that related documents are available for download in the right hand column of this page.

Objectives

The main objectives of the Quality mark are:

• To recognise private sector supply agencies and LAs who are able to demonstrate that they meet standards of good practice in managing and providing supply teachers for schools
• To enable schools and temporary teachers to feel confident about the quality of the agencies and LAs with whom they are dealing
• To raise the standard and status of supply teaching; and
• To recognize the contributions made by supply teachers, agencies and LAs in supporting schools.

The Process

All LAs and agencies (operationally trading for at least one year) which supply schools with temporary teachers in England are eligible to apply.  If an agency has not  been trading for one year they can apply for the Working Towards the Quality Mark Scheme.  Please contact a member of the Quality Mark Team for further information.

 Quality Mark applicants are required to submit detailed evidence to show they are able to meet the required standards by means of a policy document, internal processes and procedures and documentation in support of these processes. To ensure compliance with each standard there is a rigorous inspection process in place, including an audit, supported by detailed exception reporting to applicants. The Quality Mark Team at the REC requires a high level of detail and understanding of their operation in order to be sufficiently certain that the written evidence that has been provided is compliant with the required standards.

Additional Information

If you would like to apply please do contact the Quality Mark Team in the first instance so a member of the team can talk through the process with you. 

Contact details:

 Angie Nicholls or Andrea Papaconstantinou 
Quality Mark Team
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation
15 Welbeck Street, London, W1G 9XT
t: 020 7009 2129
e: angie.nicholls@rec.uk.com or andrea.p@rec.uk.com