More than a third of supply teachers say they’ve had to cut back on food in the past year, while half have been forced to save on clothing and social activities.

But at the same time, some agencies that employ supply teachers are making “huge profits”, according to the NASUWT teaching union, which conducted a survey of 1,080 supply teachers in England and Wales.

The research provides worrying new evidence about the plight of supply teachers and also reveals that many are left in the dark about vital information needed to do their jobs.   

Last year, out of a total of £1.1 billion spent on supply teachers by maintained schools and academies, just 31 per cent was allocated to supply teachers’ pay, according to the NASUWT.

The union found that 36 per cent of supply teachers had cut their spending on food; 50 per cent on clothes; and 53 per cent on social activities; while 58 per cent said they were unable to save.

Almost half said they had not been made aware by their agency that, after 12 weeks in the same school, they were entitled to the same pay and conditions of service as the teachers permanently employed there.

More than a fifth (22 per cent) said they’d had long-term positions terminated at, or approaching, 12 weeks.

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: “Supply teaching is a tough job, made even harder by the exploitation and unacceptable employment practices supply teachers often face, which is shown in our research.

“These poor practices are especially driven from exploitative agencies who put their own financial gain ahead of the best interests of both teachers and pupils.

“This approach not only denies teachers the rights and protections they should be entitled to, but is also leading to children not having access to quality education delivered by qualified teachers.

“Supply teachers are increasingly concerned about the impact of poor employment practices adopted by some agencies and schools, which appear determined only to pay teachers as little as they can get away with. 

“At a time when many schools are saying that they are experiencing major funding pressures, how is it that agencies are continuing to get away with the huge profits they are making?”

The survey also found that 40 per cent said they didn’t feel they were treated with “respect and dignity” and 10 per cent said they were rarely given access to staff food and drinks facilities.

Ms Keates added: “The government has serially failed to act effectively to end these unacceptable and unscrupulous practices. At a time of a crisis of teacher recruitment and retention, the government must now take seriously the issues raised by supply teachers, who are the backbone of the schools system.

“The government has the opportunity to ensure that all schools adopt an ethical approach to the procurement of supply staff, which delivers fair treatment for teachers and guarantees the educational entitlements of all pupils.”

Tom Hadley, of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, which represents supply teaching agencies across the country, said: ”Like any business providing a professional service, recruiters charge fees for their work. These fees cover the extensive checks agencies carry out to ensure that candidates for the role are safe, appropriately skilled and the right match for the school. This involves sourcing, placing and vetting suitably skilled and qualified teachers. Often this is all done at very short notice to ensure cover is provided, for instance, when permanent teachers are ill.”

“The REC is committed raising standards, sharing good practice and works with our members to ensure workers are aware of their rights.”

*The Tes parent company owns three teacher supply agencies

You can read more about the findings about supply teachers in tomorrow’s Tes magazine, available in all good newsagents. To download the digital edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here