Yorkshire agency's bid to tackle growing struggle to recruit and retain teachers

Supported Recruitment, which is run by education professionals, supplies short and long-term cover teachers to schools, whilst offering them tailored classroom-based support.

It works with partnership schools to support teachers, including those who are new to the profession, in an effort to broaden their experience and use supply cover as a stepping stone into a full time contract.

Co-director and founder Richard Robinson said: “This concept of ‘in school support’ offered by the agency not only develops teachers, but also creates strong, professional relationships between the agency and the school.

“Their schools experience a service delivered by fellow educational professionals. This support is always free to both the teacher and the school, it underpins everything they do. In a time when more and more teachers are leaving the profession, we are working hard to re-engage teachers with the job they love.”

The agency started as a small family-run business based in York, however, after just two academic years its approach to teacher recruitment and supply has seen it go from strength-to-strength.

As a result the agency is spreading its wings into West Yorkshire and has opened a new branch in Leeds.

Former headteacher Helen Russell has been appointed as co-director at the new branch, where she will head up the Leeds operation alongside fellow director James Robinson.

She said: “I’ve loved my teaching career so far and have particularly enjoyed mentoring and coaching colleagues across the primary phase, identifying personal strengths and designing bespoke Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities. I can now bring all of this experience to Supported Recruitment to get the best for our supply teachers and the schools in which they are placed.”