Thursday, 09 February 2012

Randstad launches teacher vetting initiative

Tue, 22 Jun 2010

Teaching recruiter Randstad Education has launched an initiative to keep its client schools safe and compliant in the midst of uncertain government policy.
Randstad Education’s latest initiative is intended to help schools keep pupils safe whatever the government policy.

Many schools have a number of tried and tested teachers that it would choose to call upon in an emergency; Randstad Education is offering to register these teachers through its stringent registration procedure – which includes Criminal Records Bureau checks, Qualified Teacher Status checks, reference checks, identity and qualification checks – so all a school needs to do is call and ask for them by name whenever cover is required.

The vetting of up to nine million people who frequently work with children, which was founded on recommendations made by Sir Michael Bichard following his enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the Soham murders and due to start next month, has been put on hold pending a review intended to scale back the scheme. The Independent Safeguarding Authority, which was set to run this scheme, will continue to make decisions about barring inappropriate teachers from schools, as education secretary, Michael Gove, announced that the teachers’ disciplinary watchdog, the General Teaching Council, is to be scrapped.

Jon Sheridan, child protection officer at Randstad Education, said: “In a period of growing uncertainty and confusion as to what checks are required, this initiative takes the burden off the headteacher’s shoulders, eliminates additional costs and allows for proper checks to be carried out by people who know the rules back to front.”

Readers' comments (21)

  • Andrew Pavlou | Tue, 22 Jun 2010 8:38 am

    Agencies that are holders of the quality mark already have stringent vetting procedures in place including CRB check, GTC registration, referenced and face to face interview - what is unique about Randstad's teacher vetting initiative? NOTHING!!!! Any school can talk to an agency holding the quality mark for them register and vet a teacher correctly.

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  • Daniel Murphy | Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:33 am

    I agree with the above! No initiative has been 'launched' here - agencies holding the QM have been adhering to these guidelines for years!

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  • Rhodri Thomas | Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:13 am

    Well done Randstad! Good marketing and advertising. Question: your new initiative has been done by every agency that holds the QM! You're a bit late aren't you? Excellent branding, hope you live up to your expectations!

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  • Zoe Johnson | Tue, 22 Jun 2010 1:28 pm

    Does this mean Randstad are going to stop using 3rd Party Portability and do their own Enhanced Disclosures on all teachers? Or don't they want to advertise this to their schools.

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  • Patrick Bateman | Tue, 22 Jun 2010 2:12 pm

    I've got to say this is some pretty exceptional revolutionary thinking from Ranstad here. How unique that an education recruitment company would think completely outside the box and REGISTER their teachers! Congratulations on discovering this brainwave, I do wish other agencies would do the same. Perhaps the next step is to now dial 9 for an outside line before calling schools and seeing if they need any of their carefully vetted teachers?! I hear that schools are looking for all sorts out there; primary teachers, secondary teachers, even LSAs (I'll give you a headstart, that means Learning Support Assistant). Good luck!

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  • Phil Harris | Tue, 22 Jun 2010 4:06 pm

    Speaking as a head teacher of a large Secondary School, I would welcome the opportunity for Randstad to safeguard my own supply teachers for free!

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  • Steve S | Tue, 22 Jun 2010 4:33 pm

    Look guys, my understanding is that there is a growing feeling among schools that these security checks are better handled by the big boys, who understand the true nature of the checks and the changing nature of them. I'm afraid the boutique agencies, based above a chip shop, are no longer considered by schools to offer TOTAL protection.

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  • Andrew Pavlou | Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:56 am

    I just want to reiterate that all agencies that hold the Quality Mark carry out these checks; so there is nothing unique about what Randstad offer; I would also approach with caution for schools opting to register exisiting teachers with Randstad especially if the teacher is currently working with another agency and the problems that may cause. Furthermore these checks are not 'free' ; there will be a return of investment for Randstad "so all a school needs to do is call and ask for them by name whenever cover is required" - and the invoice will be sent to them the following week.

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  • Cherie-Anne Baxter | Fri, 25 Jun 2010 1:53 pm

    Who does Randstad thinks its client base is? Clearly Recruiter magazine is for consultants and selling this service to consultants is ludicrous! It demonstrates to me that Randstad's marketing department has no clue about the education system or how to raise its awareness to different stakeholders. This service is what an agency does! It is not a unique selling point but a fundamental part of an education recruitment agency's business operations. By advertising this as a new service implies they didn't undertake all the recruitment checks properly before!

    Better luck next time!

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  • Editor's comments | Fri, 25 Jun 2010 1:53 pm

    Just to clarify, Recruiter magazine embraces the entire recruitment community from agency to in-house recruiters to suppliers. Thank you for your comment.

  • Zoe Johnson | Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:07 am

    Randstad has no 'divine right' to service a school's supplies needs and must like all other agencies work hard to win there trust / business. This large sounding nothing is another attempt by some over-paid marketing manager to convince schools that only Randstad recruit teachers correctly ... how arrogant. Schools and teachers are not dumb; they are aware who works for their interested and those of their shareholders. If they really did care about the needs of the children then Randstad wouldn't have sold themselves out to some multinational company or whoever owns them now. Well done for inventing the wheel! Finally, does big agency mean ‘good’ and small agency mean ‘bad’? If only life was so black and white.

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