Schools, take on supply teachers permanently

At NonStop Education, we’ve noticed many schools are currently heavily reliant on supply teachers, who have been filling urgent gaps since the beginning of this year but many of whom now see their positions at risk.

While many of those supply teachers say they would continue in post permanently, their expressions of interest in permanent roles have gone largely unaccepted by schools, pointing to a skills gap or a perception they are too expensive.

But with a smaller pool of available permanent candidates, schools would do well to consider taking supply teachers on permanently or risk continuing reliance on supply staff.

Or they could consider international candidates. This is an approach that has found success in other sectors such as social care but does not seem to be very common in the education sector.

NonStop Education noticed a similar increased demand for permanent staff about July last year but by September, many schools that had potentially held out for the perfect candidate were left rushing to fill positions with supply teachers, and then remained reliant on those teachers.

There continues to be a shortage of STEM [science, technology, engineering and maths] teachers nationwide, although we have also noticed a shortage of primary class teachers.

Oliver Jones, team leader, NonStop Education

Allied health specialists will leave NHS in droves

I’m a speech therapy locum (freelancer) and most my jobs are in the NHS. Due to the way I work as a locum, my contracts have always been outside IR35.

I work away from home and incur significant expense to do so (usually about £800-900 per month, including travel). My hourly rates were capped last year and I am already earning less. I have never earned the rates that doctors earn, as agencies were already operating within set price agreements. The caps are usually enforced by an intermediary liaising on behalf of the hospital (an additional cost that was not present before the caps, which consequently negates any cost benefits of caps).

Public bodies and agencies are already applying blanket recommendations of being inside IR35.

This means I will be personally out of pocket on all my expenses, plus have none of the benefits of being ‘employed’.

The recent changes will make no difference, as already contracts are being worded to reflect a status as ‘inside IR35’, when in practice, once working, we are actually outside IR35. A good example is supervision – I have never had any documentation to support this happening.

It's corporate bullying at its best, especially as there is no way for us to debate our contracts. There is no way working ‘inside IR35’ contracts will be financially feasible for genuine allied health contractors.

I am making plans to leave the NHS and this country altogether. My agency informs me several other locums have also decided to do this. That’s less tax revenue right there.

With the advent of the mass exodus of EU staff, the NHS will be in a complete mess without its allied health staff as well.

Lisa Vaughton

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