A south-east London education establishment is the first in the UK to embark on a new service launched by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to help organisations new to the business of supplying teachers attain the standards required within the industry.

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 which 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 Alexis.