A cooperative supply teacher agency is needed to stop money being leached from schools by “massive” overcharging for temporary staff, a union has said.

The call came as string of supply teachers this morning told the NASUWT conference some schools were being charged double what the teachers themselves received.

The union said many of its members had told it they have been forced to sign up to umbrella companies which allow agencies to avoid tax and national insurance liabilities.

‘Money is being leached out of the system’

Ruth Duncan, who sits on the union’s executive committee, said: “The NASUWT is concerned that taxpayer’s money is being syphoned off by agencies and off-shore umbrella companies that are engaged in profiteering to the detriment of supply teachers, schools, children and young people.”

One delegate, Peter Akroyde, of Leeds, claimed agencies “are basically stealing from the system”, while Austin Murphy of Leeds said rising agency income and plummeting supply teacher pay meant “money is being leached out of the system”.

Patrick Ryan, a supply teacher from Telford, told delegates he was given a two-day placement at a school by a recruitment agency that branded itself as “ethical”.

“The school liked me,” he said. “They wanted me for a permanent post of supply. The supply agency put a finder’s fee in of £9,800.

“Naturally, the school in question, when they approached me, said ‘we can’t bring you on board Paddy, the finder’s fee is simply too high’. Naturally, I lost that position.”

Motion to support supply staff

Greg Edland, of South Essex, said a cooperative supply teacher agency would “guarantee teachers being paid their full salary, an agency that only charges its costs to schools, and that pays due tax in the UK or is run as a charity”.

The conference unanimously passed the motion, which also “condemned the devaluation and exploitation of supply teachers who are being victimised, penalised and robbed of pension rights and sick pay entitlement and made to pay exploitative payroll charges by umbrella companies”.

It called for supply teachers to be guaranteed national pay and conditions, access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, and access to professional development.

*Tes is part of Tes Global, whose businesses include three teacher supply agencies.

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