Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Wednesday 27th May 2020

The Government has ensured that financial support is in place for supply staff on long-term contracts, and has published guidance for schools, and the school workforce, available on the Dfe website.

There is financial support in place for supply teachers, and other temporary staff who work in schools, during Covid-19.

The support available to supply staff, and who provides this support, is dependent on:
• Their employment status i.e. Whether supply staff are employed directly by schools, employed by agencies or if they are self-employed.
• Whether they were on a live assignment when schools began closing or reducing capacity
• Whether they can continue to work

Where schools are the direct employer
Where schools have live assignments with supply teachers that they directly employ, and where the school is that workers’ employer, schools should continue to pay these workers from their existing school budgets and not furlough them.

Where schools have terminated contracts with supply teachers due to coronavirus (COVID-19) earlier than the original terms set out, and where the school was the workers’ employer under that contract, schools should reinstate these contracts on the terms previously agreed, as long as the contractor is not already accessing alternative support through another government support scheme.

Where schools are not the teachers’ direct employer
Schools are advised to refer to all parts of the Procurement Policy Note 02/20 (PPN 02/20: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-0220-supplier-relief-due-to-covid-19), which provides guidance for public bodies on payment of their suppliers for the purposes of ensuring the continuity of critical service during and after the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Where schools have agency staff on live assignments who can continue to work, they may continue to make previously agreed payments for the supply of staff in line with the approach set out in PPN 02/20. Agencies who receive money for staff in line with this guidance should not furlough these staff , and should follow the open book accounting rules set out in PPN 02/20 to provide schools with proof that staff are continuing to be paid as normal.

Where schools have agency workers on live assignments who cannot continue to work due to coronavirus (COVID-19), schools and agencies should refer to the guidance set out in Procurement Policy Note 02/20: Contingent Workers Impacted by COVID-19.

Further details on the financial support available to supply teachers, including those working in schools on a casual basis and those who are self-employed during the covid-19 outbreak can be found in:
• Actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-school-closures/guidance-for-schools-about-temporarily-closing#supply-teachers-and-other-contingent-workers

• Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for education, early years and children’s social care guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care#supply-teachers-and-other-contingent-workers-in-state-funded-schools

Department for Education