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Supply teacher agency the "first" on new REC programme

ITCR, based at Hannibal House in Elephant and Castle, is currently undertaking the pilot programme, “Working Towards the Quality Mark”, which is designed to support supply teacher agencies that have been operating for less than 12 months. 

Though it began business very successfully as a training company helping to induct overseas teachers into the working and social culture of schools in this country, ITCR, an REC member, decided that to offer a full service, it needed to begin providing supply teachers to schools. 

The scheme will therefore help them follow best practice in safe recruitment of the supply of teachers especially those from overseas coming to work in the UK for the first time.  

The Quality Mark was launched in July 2002 as a joint initiative between the DCSF and the REC to help drive up standards for everyone in the sector, including agencies and local education authorities. 

In following the “Working Towards the Quality Mark programme”, ITCR has formally acknowledged that it is committed to ultimately delivering the standards of the Quality Mark while under the tutelage of the REC, the trade association for the UK’s private recruitment industry, that has a dedicated sector for education agencies.  

ITCR’s Managing Director Shaaira Alexis believes the programme is a natural progression for the business if it is to expand its services and receive recognition among schools and local education authorities as a professional supply teacher agency.  

“Many of the teachers who register with us come from overseas and have BA and MA degrees, even PhDs from their own countries. “Coming from abroad, our system here can be very challenging to them but at the same time, we need to ensure that their documentation is checked thoroughly,” said Shaaira.

 “By working towards the Quality Mark in this way, we are able to create a niche for ourselves in a different way by both helping them acclimatise to the UK education then forming partnerships with schools in their localities who are looking to recruit supply teachers across a range of subjects. 

“We are still a very young company, but very ambitious. The help we are receiving from the REC is proving totally invaluable in helping us develop the criteria and procedures which are required for when we do apply for our Quality Mark.” 

Angie Nicholls, the REC’s Quality Mark Manager, praised ITCR for their positive approach in working towards their Quality Mark. “Safe recruitment has become such an important issue within the education sector that we needed to put in place a service to help those fledgling companies who will be ultimately taking on the responsibility of supplying teachers to schools from home and abroad. 

“ITCR is very conscious that it is the first suppliers of teachers to have embarked on this new programme. Their openness and readiness to learn will stand them in excellent stead in maintaining the highest possible standards such a venture now demands and we wish them every success in their continued progress over the next year.”