Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to take steps to (a) help reduce the pay-gap for supply teachers in comparison to full-time teachers and (b) create a pathway for supply teachers to access the Teachers' pension scheme.

Supply teachers make a valuable contribution to our schools.

A supply teacher’s pay and working conditions will depend on who employs them. Supply teachers employed directly by a state maintained school or local authority must be paid in accordance with the statutory arrangements for teachers laid down in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document. If a supply teacher is employed by a private agency or non-maintained school, the employer can set the rate of pay and conditions of employment.

The Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) Regulations 2014, which set out the rules for the TPS, determine that for teachers to be eligible, their employment must be with an accepted employer, usually a school.

Where a supply teacher is employed directly by an accepted school, they will have the same participation rights as a permanent teacher and are eligible to participate in the scheme. Where supply teachers are self-employed, or employed by a supply agency and their services are provided under a contract for services, it is not possible for them to participate in the TPS. This is because there is no organisation to pay both member and employer contributions to the scheme in these circumstances.

The department does not have plans currently to revisit these positions.