How Schools Find Their Best Supply Teachers Available

Which supply teachers are available to work at your school?

It sounds like such a simple question.

Which of our preferred supply teachers are actually available?

For many schools, getting the answer has traditionally meant contacting supply teachers individually or asking several agencies, then waiting for responses and comparing the options.

That can create a lot of phone calls, emails and administration before a school can even establish who is available.

There is a different way.

With AvailabilityGrid, schools can see the latest availability shared by the supply staff in their network and use that information to make faster, better-informed decisions about cover. The service provides schools with 24/7 visibility of their preferred contacts’ up-to-date availability.

Why does live supply teacher availability matter?

Consider the traditional process.

A school needs supply cover and contacts several preferred agencies. The agencies establish which suitable supply staff may be available and respond to the school. The school then considers the options and confirms who it wants.

While that process is happening, a school with access to accurate availability can already see which preferred supply teachers are available and send offers directly to suitable candidates, while working with the preferred agencies representing those supply staff.

AvailabilityGrid supports schools in sending offers to preferred candidates and requesting agency assistance when needed.

The advantage isn’t complicated: better visibility gives schools greater control and choice, with less unnecessary administration.

A testimonial from Oaklands School describes the previous process as emailing agencies and waiting for responses, whereas AvailabilityGrid now allows the school to receive responses directly from candidates more quickly. The school also highlights the benefit of being able to see preferred teachers who are available.

Give schools greater choice over supply cover

Knowing availability enables schools to make informed choices based on the supply staff relationships they have already built.

Rather than replacing agencies, AvailabilityGrid is a service for schools, supply staff, multi-academy trusts and their preferred agencies that represent the supply staff.

Schools can retain their preferred agency relationships while gaining visibility of educator availability and sending offers to preferred candidates.

That is particularly valuable for:

• Headteachers, who need confidence that appropriate cover can be found quickly.
• Cover managers, who need a simple way to see availability and organise daily cover.
• School business managers, who need greater operational and financial visibility.
• Trust business managers and CFOs, who need consolidated information across schools and agencies.

The result is a more transparent agency supply chain in which schools, supply staff and preferred agencies can continue working together while making better use of technology.

Supply teachers can share their availability with the schools they know

There is an important benefit for supply teachers too.

Instead of repeatedly responding to calls, emails and messages asking whether they are free to work, supply staff can update their availability and share it with the schools and agencies they choose.

AvailabilityGrid’s free app enables educators to update availability for both schools and agencies while maintaining their existing relationships.

For schools, that means their preferred supply network can become much more useful because availability is visible when cover is required.

Norton Primary School, for example, says the service provides a quick view of who is available and reduces unnecessary back-and-forth when planning cover.

Preferred agencies remain an important part of the process

AvailabilityGrid isn’t about removing agencies from school supply.

It makes the agency supply process more efficient.

Schools can maintain relationships with their preferred agencies and the recruiters who understand their local requirements. Agencies retain their safeguarding role and can continue their normal workflows, while schools gain clearer visibility of the available supply staff in their network.

That creates a more efficient way for schools, agencies and supply staff to work together.

From supply teacher availability to live supply budget management

Availability is only part of the opportunity.

Once supply staff activity is captured within one service, schools can also gain clearer oversight of what is being booked and spent.

AvailabilityGrid provides schools and trusts with live spend data, committed spend reporting and reporting across supply activity.

The reporting data comes from the automatically populated schedule of supply staff activity across agencies, consolidated into a single view. AvailabilityGrid records agency bookings and associated information including price, subject, educator, assignment and start and end dates and times.

For headteachers and business managers, that means staffing decisions and budget information can sit much closer together.

For trust business managers and CFOs, consolidated reporting can provide visibility across schools and the agencies they use. AvailabilityGrid’s materials describe 24/7 live spend data, committed-spend reporting and trust-level reporting.

This supports live supply budget management, greater control and reduced administration.

A more efficient way to manage supply teacher availability

AvailabilityGrid gives schools live visibility of their preferred supply staff’s availability, while allowing supply teachers to share that availability with the schools and agencies they choose. Schools can offer work and book preferred contacts through their selected agencies, 24/7.

For schools, supply staff and preferred agencies, it means less uncertainty, greater choice and a more efficient way of working together.

Want to see how it works?

Visit www.availabilitygrid.com to find out more and book your demonstration to see supply teacher availability, scheduling and live supply budget management.