‘Value for pupils does not come from cutting staff in classrooms’ - REC

Responding to the government’s new cap on agency supply, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) Chief Executive Neil Carberry said:

“Most teachers are permanent, full-time staff. But many choose part-time or agency work for good reasons, such as caring for children or elderly parents. When illness or absence occurs, supply and agency teachers step in to keep learning on track. That matters because value for pupils does not come from cutting staff in classrooms. Agencies are up early every morning making sure kids have a qualified teacher at the front of the class - a quality of service for schools that banks have never supplied.

“Agencies have been trusted partners for years. Working with providers is the best way for the Department for Education to keep schools staffed and deliver value for money. Caps can play a role, but only if they are reviewed regularly and delivered in partnership, not imposed and left unchanged for years as we have seen in the healthcare crisis that has been driven by the NHS’s failure to plan for workforce needs. Agencies are ready to work with the government to deliver great value - that’s what we are specialists in.”

Notes to editors

The Department for Education has stated that schools spent £1.4 billion on agency staff in 2023/24. For context, The Institute for Fiscal Studies has put the core schools budget at £61.6 billion in 2024–25 and £63.9 billion in 2025–26.