Jersey agency teachers costing £44k a month

The government said it had employed 16 agency teachers since January

The Government of Jersey has spent more than £313,000 on UK agency teachers this year, according to new figures.

In response to a written question, Education Minister Deputy Inna Gardiner said 16 agency teachers had been employed since January.

The spending included costs for travel to and from the UK, accommodation on the island and agency fees.

Deputy Gardiner said it was preferable for permanent teachers to be employed.

She said in a written answer: "Overseas agency teachers are only used for vacancies that have been unsuccessfully advertised on and off-island and, for a variety of reasons, it has not been possible to make an appropriate substantive appointment."

Of the £313,830, the figures showed £82,910 was spent on accommodation, with £4,857 going on travel.

A total of £226,063 was spent on the the teachers' daily rate, paid to the agency - agency teachers were paid an average of £297 per day.

The figures follow a warning from a teaching union in 2022 of a "dire" lack of back-up teachers on the island.

Last week, teachers in Jersey accepted a backdated pay rise of 7.9% following industrial action.

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