| Preface | xi |
| Chapter 1 | The difference between supply teaching and a regular post | 1 |
| New Labour, the Third Way and supply teachers | 3 |
| Why you would want to be a supply teacher and why a school needs you | 5 |
| What it means to become a supply teacher | 6 |
| How many supply teachers are there? | 8 |
| Availability and frequency of supply work | 9 |
| Long term or short term assignments? | 10 |
| Permanent and newly qualified teacher positions | 11 |
| Government expectations of supply teachers | 12 |
| Quality control of supply teachers | 13 |
| Keeping up with curriculum changes and professional development | 13 |
| Keys skills needed to be a supply teacher | 14 |
| What do others think of supply teachers? | 16 |
| Chapter 2 | Making the Jump | 17 |
| How to become a supply teacher | 18 |
| Qualified Teacher Status | 19 |
| Non-UK trained teacher | 19 |
| Alternative routes to attaining teacher status to become a supply teacher | 20 |
| Employment criteria for UK newly qualified teachers (NQTs) | 21 |
| Employment checks | 22 |
| Work permits for overseas trained teachers | 23 |
| Employment options | 25 |
| Employment in England | 26 |
| Supply teaching in Wales and Northern Ireland | 26 |
| Supply teaching in Scotland | 27 |
| Threshold payments for supply teachers | 28 |
| Employment through a supply teacher agency | 29 |
| Your own supply teacher agency | 31 |
| Local Education Authority supply teacher agencies | 32 |
| Dealing with a supply teacher agency consultant | 35 |
| Chapter 3 | The Nomadic Lifestyle: your position as a supply teacher | 37 |
| Questions to ask before taking an assignment | 38 |
| Obligations on accepting an assignment | 43 |
| Termination of a supply teaching assignment | 44 |
| Entry to the school premises | 45 |
| Returns on efforts--wages | 45 |
| Tax issues for travel expenditure and other work-based claims | 47 |
| Keeping employment records | 48 |
| How much should you be paid? | 48 |
| Pensions and retirement | 49 |
| Restriction on future employment | 50 |
| Your personal insurance, and various liability insurances | 50 |
| Registration with the General Teaching Council | 51 |
| Warning--the worst case scenario of the nomadic lifestyle | 51 |
| The staff-room--your sanctuary, your office, your home away from home | 54 |
| Dos and don'ts in the staff-room | 55 |
| Traits of a supply teacher | 56 |
| What makes a good supply teacher? | 57 |
| Chapter 4 | The Education System | 59 |
| Terms, teaching days, INSET and holidays | 60 |
| Nursery schools and childcare centres | 61 |
| Primary and secondary schools | 62 |
| The range of schools | 63 |
| Bilingual children | 64 |
| Special educational needs schools (SEN) | 64 |
| Beacon schools | 65 |
| Education Action Zones (EAZ) | 65 |
| Excellence in Cities (EiC) | 66 |
| Specialist schools and colleges | 69 |
| Other situations | 69 |
| Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) | 71 |
| Chapter 5 | The Syllabus | 73 |
| The National Curriculum | 74 |
| Exceptions to the National Curriculum | 74 |
| A whole school policy for homework | 76 |
| Health and safety | 76 |
| The National Literacy Strategy and the National Numeracy Strategy | 77 |
| Key Stages 1 and 2 planning | 77 |
| Key Stages 1 and 2 reporting | 78 |
| Key Stages 1 and 2 target setting | 78 |
| Key Stages 1 and 2 Religious education | 79 |
| Sex and drug education | 80 |
| Homework | 81 |
| Key Stages 3 and 4 planning | 82 |
| Key Stages 3 and 4 reporting and target setting | 82 |
| Secondary school Religious education | 83 |
| Secondary school Careers education | 84 |
| Possible modifications at Key Stage 4 | 84 |
| Chapter 6 | The School and the Classroom | 87 |
| Who is in charge when you arrive and what do you do | 89 |
| The school administrator--success starts at the top | 89 |
| Encouraging best practice in the school: am I wanted back, do I get feedback? | 90 |
| The substance of supply teaching | 91 |
| The students' perspective on supply teachers | 93 |
| Classroom survival tips | 94 |
| Build a school checklist | 100 |
| Classroom checklist | 103 |
| Postscript | 105 |
| Terminology and Acronyms | 107 |
| Contacts | 119 |
| Supply Teaching Agencies of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation | 120 |
| North West | 120 |
| East | 120 |
| North East | 121 |
| South West | 122 |
| Midlands | 122 |
| South | 123 |
| London | 124 |
| Index | 127 |
