Frontline Placement Technologies, sole provider of the Aesop substitute placement system, is partnering with Supreme Education, a specialist division of global staffing services group Vedior, to improve education in the UK. To learn more about how Supreme is applying Frontline's revolutionary online technology to the constant challenge of providing quality supply teachers to several London area schools, read the complete article below:

"Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth LAs ‘pool’ teachers in revolutionary electronic teacher recruitment system" 

London - 18 June 2007: In a partnership between Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth Local Authorities (LAs) and Supreme Education, the online teacher recruitment consultancy, many schools across the boroughs now have access and control of a tailored online service to accurately source teachers for emergency cover, saving the boroughs an estimated total of £1 million a year.

The partnership between Supreme Education and the LAs went live in September, November 2006 and a 32 school pilot programme in June 2007 respectively, and for the first time will see the public and private sector collaborating to provide a supply teacher service across neighbouring boroughs.

This South London borough collaboration takes advantage of both the councils’ local expertise and Supreme Education’s recruitment experience and investment into the technology.  With 70% of roles needing to be filled within an hour, this combination will reduce schools’ dependency on private agencies with a quality assured service that provides a real recruitment alternative to schools.

Kevin Ronan, Lambeth schools HR manager, commented: “It is great to be working so closely with our schools in providing a high quality, responsive and cost effective supply service. Lambeth schools are already seeing considerable cost savings, without any reduction in quality of teachers or service provided, which ultimately can only serve to benefit the children”.

As it is a 24-hour facility, it extends the time window to fill vacancies, creating a new way of working. This means supply teachers can have access to lesson plans ahead of time for preparation, which would often not be available until they reach the class, wasting valuable teaching time. Additionally, teachers benefit from the supply of other resources ahead of arriving at the school, such as school behavioural procedures and access to a wealth of teaching resources and continued professional development training from Supreme Education. Norna Moses, Southwark teacher recruitment and retention manager remarked: “I just wish I’d had access to this rigorously fair and open system during my years of headship. I am eager to recommend it to all our schools, not just the ones involved in the successful pilot programme”.

Supreme Education is the only online portal providing supply teachers through DfES Quality Marked processes, ensuring all teachers undergo stringent security checks and face-to-face interviews. Supreme Education matches the required skills to cover particular classes as well as supplying the school with photographic ID of the candidate for increased security checks at reception.

This process ensures a full and accurate audit trail is available quickly and securely, with safeguarding of students at the heart of the system. Additionally, the service provides considerable management information to schools, LAs and the DfES to track trends and histories of staff within the school. Brendan Ryan, Wandsworth recruitment and remodelling manager, commented: “Safeguarding of pupils is central to everything we do and this system will help us greatly in achieving this aim”.

Gareth Williams, managing director, Supreme, comments: “Schools inevitably need teaching cover, but not at the price of disrupting pupil learning. The LA collaboration will enable schools to efficiently staff their classrooms in emergencies whilst increasing access to the most appropriate and available teachers; reducing administrative time and costs, but most importantly matching teachers skills and school requirements as closely as possible.”

Brendan Ryan concludes: “This is a simple, no nonsense solution to the Local Authority and schools’ concerns over quality, safeguarding and rising costs. Our partnership with Supreme will allow our schools and local teachers access to a service that will ultimately benefit pupils”.

About Supreme Education

The Supreme Education brand represents excellence and the highest possible levels of service within the education recruitment sector.  Supreme Education was established in March 2005 under a unique business model that aims to penetrate the market for the provision of supply teachers that are sourced direct via schools from their respective Local Authorities (LAs) across the country.  Supreme Education is a member of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), DfES Quality Mark holder and is a specialist division of Vedior, the world’s third-largest staffing services group.


To find out more visit http://www.supreme-education.com/

For more information please contact:

Jonathan Bawden/Sarah Reardon
Portfolio Communications
Jonathan.bawden@portfoliocomms.com
020 7240 6959
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