Pupils' work harmed by reliance on supply staff

Teacher shortages that are forcing schools to rely on "unsatisfactory" supply staff, are having an adverse effect on pupils' work and behaviour, the chief inspector of schools warns in a report published today.

Schools in Britain's most deprived areas have found their "ability to function effectively" threatened by the amount of time senior staff must spend struggling to fill teacher vacancies, the study concludes. The research, published by David Bell, the head of Ofsted, found that the quality of some students' work had declined in half of all secondary schools as a direct result of being taught by supply teachers for a "significant period" of time.

Pupils' behaviour and attitudes to work were found to be poorer in lessons taught by temporary teachers than in those taken by permanent staff in more than half of secondary schools and about one in four primary schools.

Headteachers told inspectors they were so desperate to fill vacancies they had been forced to continue employing individuals as supply staff despite having serious concerns about their teaching abilities. They also complained that supply agencies did not vet staff properly.

Inspectors found that while a third of secondary and two-thirds of primary schools had a pool of experienced and trusted teachers on whom they could call to cover for staff absences, the remaining schools had to rely on agency teachers whose effectiveness was "very variable".

"Temporary teachers required to teach unfamiliar classes after only very limited briefing by the school are faced with a very challenging task," the report warns. "As a result, temporary teachers teach a higher proportion of unsatisfactory or poor lessons than permanent teachers."

Supply teachers also often struggled because they were asked to teach age groups and subjects for which they had not been trained. Inspectors found German specialists being used as temporary French teachers, scientists covering mathematics lessons and geographers being asked to teach other humanities subjects. Their lack of understanding of the national curriculum and government initiatives such as the national literacy and numeracy strategies was also having a damaging effect on standards, the report found.

The report, Schools' Use of Temporary Teachers, was based on 3,000 school inspections during the school year 2000-01 plus detailed visits to 93 schools. "Problems were more likely to occur when temporary teachers were employed for very short periods, without sufficient time to build effective relationships with their classes, and where particular classes were taught by a succession of temporary teachers," it says.

Mr Bell calls for headteachers to give more support to their temporary staff. "There is a need for careful induction of temporary teachers into schools," he says.

David Miliband, the School Standards minister, said the Government shared Ofsted's concerns, but pointed out temporary staff teaching in English schools had declined from 19,600 in January 2001 to 17,500 a year later.

"We know that there are some good supply agencies but fly-by-night operations are not acceptable. We must help schools distinguish between the best and the rest," Mr Miliband said.