UK supply teachers covering Jersey school staff shortages

The government has brought in 11 UK supply teachers to provide cover for staff absences

The government has brought in 11 UK supply teachers to provide cover for staff absences.

It said short and long-term measures were being put in place to support a shortage of staffing in Jersey schools.

The supply teachers will provide cover for up to two terms. They have been housed in short-term accommodation.

Minister for Children and Education, Deputy Inna Gardiner, said the education sector faced "real pressures".

'Train, recruit, retain'

She said: "Locally, schools and colleges are dealing with the impact of a range of winter illness including colds and flu, scarlet fever and Covid-19.

"In addition, school staff are rightly making use of longer periods of parental leave to spend time with their children in those vital early days.

"While this is a worrying combination of factors, I want to reassure parents and students that we are ensuring that all students are taught by qualified teachers while retaining the smaller classroom sizes that are so valued."

The government said the current vacancy rate for Jersey teachers and assistants was 4.13%, which included newly created roles and unoccupied existing jobs.

In the long-term, it said work was ongoing to "train, recruit, retain and upskill school staff".

It said £1.3m would be provided to support professional development in the sector.

Ms Gardiner said: "I set out staff recruitment and retention as a priority in my ministerial plan for 2023 because this is a large, complex issue.

"There isn't one solution to this issue, although we are making a start. I will continue to work with schools and officers to make sure that we have the teaching staff we need."

Follow BBC Jersey on Twitter and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].