Whether you are seeking a recruitment agency to find permanent or supply staff, Standards in Recruitment (SiR) accreditation is a sign of quality assurance which will help you identify teacher supply agencies that are committed to a universal set of quality standards.

SiR accreditation is formally recognised by the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT), the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) in their commercial framework agreement for the provision of supply teachers for the public education sector and the National Procurement Service (Wales).

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is at the core of SiR’s education standards and as part our audit process we look for evidence that a recruitment agency has in place procedures to ensure that all relevant staff are fully trained on current safeguarding rules and that they undertake continuous refresher training.

Teachers will not be solicited

Having found and appointed a suitable candidate, it is frustrating and disruptive for a school to find that a recruitment agency may continue to contact them about alternative job offers.

SiR’s  teacher agency compliance standards will check that an agency has a policy neither to encourage nor help a candidate to take up alternative employment for a period of not less than 12 months after commencement of an employment placement with a school.

In addition, we check that a recruitment agency keeps a record of all steps it has taken in relation to a candidate to ensure that they are suitable to work with children and have the necessary experience for the post being offered.

As part of our on-site audits will check for evidence that a recruitment business is:

  • interviewing a candidate for safeguarding purposes and to ascertain suitability for the role including previous experience and communication and language ability, making contemporaneous notes signed and dated by the interviewer;
  • checking proof of identity, address and right to work in the UK;
  • obtaining DBS certificates at the level required and where appropriate a rehabilitation of offenders Act declaration;
  • obtaining and validating certificates of qualifications and undertaking an employer access check where the candidate has qualified teacher status;
  • ensuring the candidate is aware of prevent duty guidance;
  • checking the children’s barred list where appropriate;
  • obtaining appropriate references;
  • obtaining evidence that a candidate is medically fit and healthy to undertake the role;
  • identifying relevant gaps in previous employment and requesting explanations for such gaps;
  • obtaining a disqualification by association declaration; and
  • where possible in respect of candidates who have lived overseas for the previous five years, to obtain evidence of suitability including a police check.
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