Thirty years ago, the teacher supply world looked very different.
In the mid-1990s, supply agencies were a relatively new concept. Recruitment was largely driven by telephones, paper records and filing cabinets, supporting schools that needed emergency cover at a time when pupil numbers and demand for teachers were rising rapidly.
Today, teacher supply is no longer simply about filling last-minute gaps. Increasingly, it is about helping schools and trusts plan strategically for workforce challenges, access flexible talent and build sustainable staffing solutions, with technology and data playing a central role.
That transformation is one of the reasons Teaching Personnel’s 30th anniversary is such a significant milestone.
I joined the business as a newly qualified teacher in 1999, when Teaching Personnel employed just nine people and operated from a single-room office in St Albans, complete with a dial-up internet connection in the days before broadband became commonplace.
At that time, local authorities still played a major role in managing teacher supply through local pools. However, growing teacher shortages and increasing demand created opportunities for specialist providers to offer schools additional capacity and support.
There were only a handful of teacher supply agencies operating nationally. In many cases, we found ourselves explaining to schools what a supply agency actually did. Today, the market is significantly larger and more mature, reflecting the growing importance of workforce flexibility across the education sector.
Perhaps the biggest structural shift during that period has been the rise of multi-academy trusts. Trusts increasingly approach workforce planning at scale, looking across multiple schools rather than managing staffing needs on a site-by-site basis. As a result, expectations of recruitment and workforce partners have evolved considerably.
Schools and trusts now expect greater visibility, consistency, efficiency and strategic support. Workforce partners are increasingly required to help anticipate demand, improve planning and reduce administrative complexity, rather than simply respond to individual staffing requests.
This changing landscape led to the development of our managed service model SupplyBank, which support trusts and schools with workforce planning, forecasting and supply management across multiple settings. The aim is to reduce administrative burden, improve consistency and help schools secure the talent they need more cost effectively.
Technology has also transformed the way teacher supply operates. Schools and trusts can now access thousands of educators through online platforms and mobile applications, significantly improving speed, transparency and ease of engagement.
More importantly, AI and technology enables better matching. What began as relatively simple processes has evolved into sophisticated matching capabilities informed by decades of data, sector knowledge and workforce insight. This helps ensure schools can access educators with the right skills, experience and local knowledge when they need them.
The result is a more proactive and informed approach to workforce management. Increasingly, patterns can be identified and anticipated, enabling schools and trusts to plan ahead rather than react to challenges as they arise.
Alongside technological change, there has been growing demand for greater career flexibility within the education workforce. Part-time roles, flexible working arrangements, maternity cover and varied career pathways are becoming increasingly important. Supporting schools in accessing talent while helping educators find opportunities that fit their individual circumstances is now a critical part of the teacher supply ecosystem.
Behind all of this sits a highly specialised workforce. Across the sector, hundreds of recruitment professionals spend every day building relationships with schools and educators, helping to ensure continuity of learning for pupils. Their expertise remains just as important as the technology that supports them.
Looking ahead, I believe the next phase of teacher supply will be shaped by even better use of workforce data, more intelligent matching technology, greater workforce flexibility and deeper strategic partnerships between providers, schools and trusts.
While the tools, platforms and operating models will continue to evolve, the core challenge remains unchanged from 1996: ensuring every pupil has access to great educators when and where they are needed.
As Teaching Personnel celebrates its 30th anniversary, it is remarkable to reflect on how far the sector has come. What began as a service focused on filling immediate staffing gaps has evolved into a strategic workforce partnership built on expertise, technology and long-term planning. The next chapter, promising further advances in our understanding of workforce performance, skills and workplace trends through AI workforce intelligence, is set to be just as transformative.
Caroline Cheale, CEO of Supporting Education Group.