REC Education Sector to improve image of Supply Teachers

John Dunn, who has been with Select Education for seven years, says that his key objective for his p

New REC Education Sector Group Chair aims to improve image of supply teachers

John Dunn, Marketing and Projects Director at Select Education plc has been appointed as the REC's new Education Sector chair. He took on the role at a recent meeting of the Education Section.

John Dunn, who has been with Select Education for seven years, says that his key objective for his period chairing the REC Education Section is to improve the image of supply teachers and teaching assistants. 'Around 10% of teachers and teaching assistants work flexibly,' he commented, 'and yet many schools and parents don't appreciate just how important supply and temporary teachers and learning assistants are to the education service. They genuinely keep the wheels of education turning. Without supply teaching staff, many classes would be without a teacher on a daily basis and children's education would suffer.'

According to John Dunn, there are some important ground rules that schools need to follow to gain the best value from a supply teacher's or teaching assistant's time in a school. 'Ideally, schools should always give supply teachers background information on the school, its layout, key school contacts and procedures for rewarding and disciplining students. A nominated member of staff should be available to show the teacher to the classroom where they will be working as well as the staff room and the other facilities the teacher will need,' he said.

Behaviour management remains one of the key issues for all teachers says John Dunn. 'Supply teachers can only reflect the environment that they are working in,' he explained, 'if standards of behaviour in a school are generally poor, clearly a supply teacher's job is going to be much more difficult.'

Gareth Osborne, managing director of the REC commented on John Dunn's appointment, 'We are delighted to have someone of John's calibre to chair the education sector group. He brings with him an unrivalled experience and knowledge of the sector that will help to drive the group forward at a time when teaching standards are increasingly under the spotlight.'

John Dunn's predecessor Bob Wicks, who founded Select Education in 1988, has stood down as Education Sector chair following nine years in the role.