Do you want every lesson to be good or outstanding for your primary school’s pupils? If so, here’s 14 ways to help your supply teachers to perform even better. The tips are focused on supply staff who provide day-to-day cover (rather than long term supply):
- Part A: Advice for school leaders and office staff
- Part B: Advice for teachers
A: Advice for School Leaders and Office Staff
It’s 8.05am and your supply staff are working with pupils in 25 minutes. We want to get them to their classroom with the knowledge and equipment they need as swiftly as possible?
To achieve this, streamline what you do and then streamline it even more.
1. Provide a very brief handbook for supply teachers
Choose your key points and then outline them in the fewest words possible.
You can download and edit this example for your school.
2. If you have an electronic sign in system, can you streamline it?
Some sign in systems are unduly lengthy. Are there bits that are there because we’ve always done it that way? For example, why ask supply visitors to sign the screen? What do you do with that signature? If your system takes a photo of everyone who signs in, what does the signature add?
Every moment we save getting supply staff safely signed in can be used to prepare for pupils. Therefore, do you genuinely need:
- An email address
- A signature
- If I want to be remembered (This has been added because there are so many questions. Streamline the process and it doesn’t need to exist)
- 300 words of safeguarding information (but you do need an introductory statement, DSL pictures/job roles/locations and any key rules, for example “You must wear your visitor badge at all times”).
Some sign-ins ask for the name of the person who I’m visiting? Supply staff aren’t given the name of the person they are covering but they are told year group. Set it so that visitors can type ‘Year 2.’
It’s not just the supply staff who benefit from a speedier sign in. It also means that your own staff aren’t caught up in a queue to sign in and that your office staff can get back to their other jobs more quickly. Every second counts.
“Perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add… but when there is no longer anything to take away.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, aviation pioneer
3. Streamline your ID checks for supply teachers
Some schools do more that is needed. You need a letter of assurance from the agency to say that all the right checks have been completed (because this also confirms reference checks, right to work in the UK etc). This letter can cover all their supply staff – you don’t need a letter for every individual.
You must:
- See photo ID
- See the DBS
- Check the person on the ID matches the DBS
- Record the DBS number and date
However, you don’t need to:
- Photocopy the DBS
- Photocopy the photo ID
4. Provide two paper registers
If supply teachers can’t access your electronic register, print two paper copies of the register – one for the morning and one for the afternoon. For planned absence, these can be printed in advance.
5. Tell supply teachers the key locations
You point out the toilets and staff room. Make sure you also point out:
- Where to collect pupils from at the start of the day.
- Where to dismiss them at home time.
6. Ensure the laptop works well
It’s hard to deliver outstanding teaching if the laptop:
- Turns off if the power cable comes out.
- Waits 2 seconds to display any words you just typed.
- Enters sleep mode after 10 minutes of not being touched.
Ask your IT support to install a new battery or more RAM or buy a new laptop. Teaching unfamiliar classes can be tricky without the handicap of bad laptops.
7. Say thank you more
Simple is fine: “Just a big thank you… We appreciate your efforts to help our pupils make good progress today.” Humans tend to appreciate kindness and being appreciated – supply teachers are no different.
B: Advice for Teachers
8. When giving info about behaviour, say what works
If you are in school and giving a verbal briefing to a supply teacher, give concise information about behaviour in the class. This is not the time for a list of past incidents. Summarise key issues and then outline the best approaches.
9. Brief the TA the day before
If you know the plan, share it with the TA the day before. TAs play a key role in the day being successful. Informed TAs see round corners – for example collecting the glockenspiels on their way to class. TAs are precious on any day – but they are extra-precious on supply days. The more informed they are, the better.
10. Name two reliable children
During the day, supply teachers need to ask questions about routines, so say who’ll give them a reliable and concise answer.
11. Share your expectations for toilet, water bottles and sharpening pencils
The supply teacher does not know who has poor bladder control.
Put yourself in the shoes of your supply teacher… If you do not know who has toilet issues, would you be cautious?
Some pupils take advantage of this caution. Therefore, tell supply staff your rules for toilet trips, water bottles and pencil sharpening and they can follow them. If you do not share your rules, learning time will be wasted by excessive filling water bottles, toilet visits and pencil sharpening.
These off-task behaviours are often seen in SEND pupils more than non-SEND. If we want SEND pupils to make accelerated progress, it’s especially important to share your rules.
12. Provide a seating plan
Using a child’s name helps to build great relationships (and that helps behaviour), so a seating plan lets supply teachers know who is where. It’s also really helpful when one child claims that ‘Mia’s not sitting in the right place’ as the supply teacher can just check the plan.
If your school has ‘sets’, leave a seating plan for English and maths too. It doesn’t need to be fancy (hand drawn is fine) and, in KS2, a reliable child can add the names to the floor plan you’ve drawn.
13. Bin things
Do you have piles of paper on your classroom desk or worktops?
When teaching in someone else’s messy classroom, everything is harder to find. Use the fact that you have a cover teacher to motivate you to bin or file papers.
14. Do you really want to leave White Rose maths?
The White Rose slides do not always match the sheets. Supply teachers do not know which pupils have the right prior learning to access the varied questions. Because of this, children might need extra input – but your supply teacher can’t predict who or when. Your supply teacher can end up fire-fighting off task behaviour from pupils who can’t access the work independently.
If lots of pupils are struggling, it’s hard for the supply teacher to be good or outstanding. What’s more, you may have to reteach the lesson tomorrow.
If your school does use White Rose maths, give your supply teacher, for example, a geography lesson to teach in the morning instead. Then have a double-maths day when you’re back in.
15. Label you classroom door
You only need the year group and teacher’s name written in a clear font. Yes – it’s possible to get lost in a primary school. Moreover, if the teacher’s name is forgotten, there’s a really easy way to for supply teachers to check. This aids behaviour management (“Tyler. I’m going to leave Mr Evans a note about how well you’ve done today.”)
Conclusion
In 2024, Schools Weeks reported a shortage of supply teachers. Just like you can choose to not have supply teachers back, they can choose to not return. Having supply staff returning is good for consistency and quality of teaching and learning.
There is no us and them with supply teachers. We are all on the same team. The tips above make it easier for supply teachers to perform at their best and, in doing so, support even better progress for our pupils.
More helpful info for school staff (including supply teachers!)
Need help or advice with SEND?
- If so, check out our feedback or get in touch.
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