Dfe Quality Mark
the Quality Mark: what does it really mean for schools?
Supply teachers make an important contribution to the smooth running of schools and the raising of standards. The government clearly values their contribution and is consistently taking steps to ensure they are recruited and managed well to allow them to give their best to schools.
Commercial companies that provide agency services to schools have been around since the early 1990s, but by the late 1990s there was a growing concern amongst schools about some of these companies and how they were regulated. It was often very difficult for a school to make any qualified judgment on the quality of an organisation. Unfortunately, there were some organisations operating in the market that did not have proper quality systems in place and this damaged the reputation of all supply agencies as well as potentially putting children at risk.
So, in consultation with the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) the trade organisation for the recruitment industry in the UK the Dfe devised a rigorous and definitive standard for agencies to meet. Those that met this standard were awarded the Quality Mark.
This guide sets out the standards which need to be met by those education employment agencies and local authorities (LAs) who wish to obtain the Quality Mark, and the procedures for doing so. It also aims to explore how the recent 'Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education' guidance ties in with the Quality Mark and what role local authorities play in this.
the main aims of the mark
The main objectives of the Quality Mark as set out by the REC are:
- to recognise private sector supply agencies and LAs who are able to demonstrate that they meet standards of good practice in managing and providing supply teachers for schools
- to enable schools and temporary teachers to feel confident about the quality of the agencies and LAs with whom they are dealing
- to raise the standard and status of supply teaching and to recognise the contributions made by supply teachers, agencies and LAs in supporting schools.
what do agencies and LAs need to do to gain the mark?
All LAs and agencies (trading for at least one year) which supply schools with temporary teachers in England are eligible to apply for the Quality Mark. They are required to submit written evidence to show that they meet the standards set out by the REC. To ensure compliance with each standard, there is a rigorous inspection process.
These standards cover:
- face-to-face interviews by a trained interviewer
- the entire list of vetting checks including:
- identity checks,
- provision of induction programme for supply teachers
- taking up two references (one being their most recent employer)
- a policy on how overseas trained teachers will be recruited and vetted
- access to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and learning opportunities for supply teachers
- dealings with schools this covers providing accurate details of the supply teacher, transparent details on charging policy and terms of business and a proper complaints procedure
- GTC registration,
- qualification checks (including checking the comparability of overseas qualifications)
- list 99 checks
- enhanced CRB clearances
- permission to work checks (this covers the checking of work permits or working holiday visas for non-EU citizens)
These are exacting standards, which are tested by the REC's external auditors. An organisation that seeks accreditation also has to provide two client references from each of its offices. In addition, those who gain the mark are continuously assessed to ensure that they keep to the required standards and have to reapply for the mark every three years.
More information on the Quality Mark can be found here
the Quality Mark in relation to 'Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education'
On 14 November 2006, the Dfe issued statutory guidance on 'Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education'. This document supersedes and rationalises previous guidance on recruitment, child protection procedures and other arrangements designed to safeguard children. It came into force on 1 January 2007 and will itself be supplemented by further new guidance when the vetting and barring scheme (envisaged under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006) is implemented in 2008.
Additional information can also be found here
It aims to make recruitment safer and easier for schools, by streamlining processes and introducing new mandatory procedures. Under this guidance, the Dfe strongly recommends that schools only use agencies and local authorities with the Quality Mark:
'Schools may wish to be aware of the Dfe Quality Mark for supply agencies and local authorities with supply pools. Those awarded the Quality Mark have been inspected by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and found to comply with good recruitment practices. They are specifically signed up not only to performing the required checks, but also to good practice in recruitment and development of the staff they supply.'
It is worth pointing out that whilst the new guidance does not make having the Quality Mark a statutory requirement, many of the elements that are included under the mark are things which schools are now legally required to do when recruiting.
For example, statutory changes underpinned by the new guidance such as the requirement for a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) enhanced disclosure for all new appointments to the schools workforce and that schools and FE colleges (for staff providing education) must satisfy themselves that supply staff have undergone the necessary checks to assess their suitability, are elements that are already automatically part of the Quality Mark standard.
As such, using an agency or LA with the Quality Mark is not only the easiest way for schools to ensure that recruitment is safe, it is arguably the only way to guarantee high standards in recruitment. However, schools should not assume that all LAs and agencies automatically have the Quality Mark and should always look for it on an organisation's website or on their stationery during correspondence. If unsure, then a full list of those who have been awarded the Quality Mark is available on the REC's website.
the role of local authorities in education recruitment
In light of the government's recommendations regarding the Quality Mark and the fact that out of 149 local authorities in England, only three have been awarded the mark, questions need to be raised about the future of the role of LAs in education recruitment, especially as an estimated 55% of schools' supply teacher spend is with LAs.
Schools may assume that because the Dfe has strongly recommended using agencies and LAs that have the Quality Mark, all LAs automatically do have it. However, as the above statistics show, this could be a dangerous assumption to make. It remains to be seen as to whether the Dfe will impose its recommendations about the Quality Mark on local authorities. Until some action is taken, schools would be better using agencies and consultancies that do meet the mark's standards as this is the only way they can be sure of getting high quality and, more importantly, security-cleared supply staff.