Primary Teacher successfully completes her Induction Year

After working very hard throughout two academic years Rhian Evans successfully completed her induction year, she worked immensely close with two local Cardiff based primary schools in order to secure her induction for 2009. Big Congratulations to Rhian evans and a big thank you to the schools in question for all their hard out of hours work and support.

St Patrick's Day Recruitment Fair at Newport University

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1: Vikki, Laura, Celine with raffle winner Kayleighann

2: The ESS stand decorated for St Patrick's Day

3: Prize winner Kayleighann collecting her prizes

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On Tuesday 17th March, Laura Whitehouse, Celine Savage and Victoria Gollop attended Newport Universities Recruitment Fair as Gold sponsor members, where they royally stood out from the crowd with their St Patrick's Day festivities. In aid of this occassion, every teacher who registered their details with ESS was entered into a draw for the chance to win a huge bottle of champagne and other fantastic goodies. The Luck of the Irish picked out raffle ticket number 25, Kayleighann as the winner, who will be graduating in the summer of 2009 as a Primary Studies NQT from Newport University.

ESS Working Towards The Quality Mark

Education Staffing Solutions are pleased to announce they are currently working towards obtaining the Quality Mark.

What is the Quality Mark?

Supply teachers make an important contribution to the smooth running of schools and the Welsh Assembly Government wants to ensure that they are recruited and managed well, to allow them to give their best to schools.
The Quality Mark Wales has been launched, as a joint initiative between the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) to help drive up standards for everyone in the sector. The Quality Mark sets standards for agencies and LEAs to reach in areas such as the way they recruit and interview supply teachers, the way they check and manage their performance and the way they stay at the forefront of changes in the teaching sector.

Maintaining standards in education recruitment is vital and the benefits of the Quality Mark to LEAs, agencies, supply teachers and the schools they serve are immense. Schools and teachers deserve high quality agencies and this scheme will help both schools and teachers be more confident about the agencies they use. It will give increased confidence to schools, parents and pupils that staff supplied through agencies/LEAs are recruited properly. For the supply providers it will prvide both assurance and official recognition that the highest standards of recruitment practice are being adhered to; and teachers will be confident that they have selected an accredited and reputable service that will add value to their experience as supply teachers.

Objectives!

The Main objectives of the Quality Mark are:

• To recognise private sector supply agencies and LEAs who are able to demonstrate that they meet standards of good practice in managing and providing supply teachers for schools.
• To enable schools and temporary teachers to fell confident about the quality of the agencies and LEAs with whom they are dealing
• To recognise the contributions made by supply teachers, agencies and LEAs in supporting schools.

The New VAT Change

Education Staffing Solutions has conformed with the new VAT change implemented by the government. This was applied the same day as announced.

In his Pre-Budget Report on 24th November 2008, the Chancellor announced that the standard rate of VAT will be reduced to 15% on 1st December 2008.

This means that for any sales of standard-rated goods or services that take place on or after 1st December 2008 providers should charge VAT at the new rate of 15%.

Only standard-rated sales are affected. There are no changes to sales that are zero-rated or reduced-rated for VAT. Similarly, there are no changes to the VAT exemptions.

The 15% rate will remain untill 31st December 2009, and from 1st January 2010 it will revert to 17.5%.

Welcome Kristian

Kristian Crowley BA (Hons) PGCE- Primary Consultant

Kris studied at the University of Winchester where he graduated with a BA Honours degree in Drama and Theatre Studies. He then gained his PGCE in Education at Cardiff University via a course of study and placements. He has strong background knowledge of the education system having taught in Colleges in Wales, specialising in Drama/Theatre studies and Performing Arts and literacy and numeracy key skills.
Kris has also worked extensively within Primary Schools in both England and Wales as a theatre practitioner, facilitating and performing, Theatre in Education projects and productions; working closely with the pupils on a variety of issue based topics through the medium of theatre and workshops.
Within his role as Primary Consultant, Kris is responsible for liaising with Primary schools to provide quality teachers and Learning Support Assistants for their training, INSET, PPA and other requirements. He is the representative for Swansea, Merthyr, Neath, Port Talbot and the West of Wales.

New Training Division Launched by ESS

Our aim at E.S.S. is to provide schools with the highest quality professional cover for absent staff. To bring this about we arrange a full programme of support and training for all of our registered supply teachers. These courses form a full programme entitled "The even more effective supply teacher" which is eligible for the GTCW CPD Funding programme up to the value of £650. The programme is aimed at staff with a minimum of 20 days experience of teaching during the year that the funding relates to. All staff are able to enrol for single courses, although the full GTCW funding will not be available
Current areas of training in the programme are...

• Positive Behaviour Management
• Positive Teaching Strategies
• Positive Assessment and Student Involvement