This is an interesting question. For years many believed that as a supply teacher or a member of support staff on a short-term contract it is unlikely that they will be viewed by inspectors during a visit. That being said, some supply staff will not go into schools that are overdue an inspection due to the fear of being reviewed in order to minimise the stress; stress being a huge factor as to why a lot of supply staff left full time employment in the first place. To answer the question, it depends on the nature of your contract. If you are covering short term sickness for the day, then whilst inspectors have every right to view your teaching, it is unlikely that they will use the limited time they have in the school to view a non-long-term member of the team.
With the pandemic slowly moving behind us, inspections are now back on the calendar with a backlog to try and catch up. We are all aware of the current shortage of teachers and this has meant that many schools are now reliant upon temporary staff to fill both short- and long-term bookings. Long term bookings will therefore have a higher chance of being included in an inspection and this is a concern that has not been lost with head teachers.
Imagine spending years ensuring your staff are fully prepared for an upcoming inspection but sickness hits and you need to cover an absence with a supply teacher. Whilst this teacher may tick all the boxes in terms of compliance, do they understand the ever-changing framework that schools are held accountable for? This can lead to further stress during what is already an anxious time for the senior leadership team.
At Teachers Together we believe it is important for all staff to understand the current inspection process; whether the member is an experienced fully qualified teacher or a member of support staff who has just embarked on their teaching career. It is with this belief that we decided to run a free training course for our members on the latest education framework. We aspired to ensure that not only did the training provide members with more confidence and alleviate the stress of any upcoming inspections, it was also aimed to provide peace of mind to our partnering schools that when an inspection takes place, our members from Teachers Together understand the importance of the inspection and how to helpfully blend into the school throughout the process.
The course was in line with our ongoing commitment to our members' professional development and run by a current inspector with over 30 years’ experience thus ensuring the best possible platform for our members to learn, improve and impact change within the sector.
If you are interested in being part of the change in the way education supply work can enhance and support our schools, please contact us at info@teacherstogether.co.uk