These seminars provide a number of continuing professional development (CPD) workshops tailored to your career needs, as well as opportunities to network with other supply teachers.

These events are FREE to eligible members and provide you with the opportunity to be updated on current developments in education.

Tap/click on the image(s) below to find more details of upcoming events, including what you can expect from the event and how to book. (Events appear here as they become available.)

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  • Event

  Supply Teachers' Seminar

  8 Mar 2025, Webinar

Supply Teachers’ Seminar - September 2024

NASUWT Senior Vice-President Wayne Broom welcomed members to the second Supply Teachers’ Seminar of 2024, which took place online on 28 September.

Paul Watkins, NASUWT National Negotiating Official (NNO), opened the Supply Teachers’ Forum with a round-up of the work the Union has been undertaking on behalf of supply teachers since the earlier Supply Teachers’ Seminar in March.

The presentation reflected on several strands of work, including the Supply Teacher Annual Survey that NASUWT undertakes to track issues facing supply teachers, including trends in patterns of work and pay.

The full results of the surveys across the four UK nations will be available on our Supply Teacher Annual Survey report pages.

NASUWT continues to make the case for including supply teachers in the STRB and IWPRB pay review processes as we begin collating and submitting evidence to the review bodies.

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Following changes in the law in April to the way holiday pay is calculated, NASUWT invited supply members to submit claims which were reviewed and submitted on their behalf.

Subsequent to this year’s General Election, the Union has been working with the TUC on a number of policy areas as part of the Labour Party’s manifesto commitments and continues to engage regularly with the Employment Agencies Standards (EAS) Inspectorate and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) regarding the situation for supply teachers.

Looking at work NASUWT is doing in the devolved nations

• Northern Ireland

  • NASUWT has been pushing employers for a compliance report on how schools are using NISTR;

  • the Union continues to raise the issue of teaching posts being advertised on the ‘NI Substitute Jobs’ Facebook page.

• Scotland

  • the Union drafted a motion to improve supply teacher conditions to the SNCT, which, despite being withdrawn on a technicality, garnered widespread support;

  • this was further discussed at a joint union meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, as well as access to work and the absence of a national supply register.

• Wales

  • a summit of all stakeholders was held in May 2024 to look at the next steps on a national booking platform;

  • NASUWT colleagues in Wales noted the conclusion of Operation Dysgu which was undertaken by the EAS Inspectorate looking into supply agencies operating during 2022/23. The findings showed that there had been an improvement in compliance in the last five years, based on ten visits and 19 infringements.

Members were then encouraged to use the Q&A tool to take part in an open discussion putting forward their individual enquiries, including questions ranging from inclusion in pension schemes, umbrella companies, zero-hours contracts and other contractual queries to the lack of consistency on how much supply teachers can earn and completing induction as an early career teacher (ECT) while on supply.

This was followed by an update in respect of agency workers by Matt Creagh, Employment Rights Policy Officer at the TUC, and the work the unions are engaged in as part of the government’s New Deal for Working People, as well as the impact of employment reforms on supply teachers.

During the presentation on statutory sick pay (SSP), Emma Kosmin, Senior Campaigner at the Centre for Progressive Change, talked to members about the Safe Sick Pay Campaign, which NASUWT is supporting, and how they are advocating to improve the scheme by:

• strengthening statutory sick pay by increasing the basic rate at which it is paid;

• removing the lower earnings limit for statutory sick pay to make it available to all workers; and

• removing the waiting period for statutory sick pay so that it is paid from the first day of sickness.

This was followed by a lively interactive discussion on sick pay and the difficulties that some supply teachers face in accessing it.

You can read more about how NASUWT is supporting the campaign and how you can take part on our Statutory Sick Pay for Supply Teachers advice pages:

• Safe Sick Pay Campaign in England

• Safe Sick Pay Campaign in Wales

Throughout the day, presenters addressed concerns and queries raised by members via the Q&A tool, while a series of workshops covered the following topics:

Workshop sessions:

1. How to Mitigate Stress and Feel in Control - Katie Crooks, The Artist’s Hypnotherapist

2. Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) - Paul Watkins, NASUWT National Negotiating Official

3. Pensions Arrangements for Supply Teachers - Dave Wilkinson, NASUWT National Negotiating Official

4. An Introduction for Those New to Supply Teaching - Paul Watkins, NASUWT National Negotiating Official

Watch recordings

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Supply Teachers’ Seminar - March 2024

The first Supply Teachers’ Seminar of 2024 took place on 9 March at Warwick Conferences, chaired by Wayne Broom, then NASUWT Junior Vice-President (JVP).

The day began with the first round of workshops followed by a Q&A panel session led by Paul Watkins, NASUWT National Negotiating Official (NNO), and joined by Wayne Broom, NASUWT JVP, Sebastien Sauca, CEO and Co-founder of SaferRec, and Meredith McCammond from the Low Income Tax Reform Group.

Questions from members focused on issues around equalities, teachers’ pensions, and the Agency Workers Regulations.

This was followed by the Update in Respect of Agency Workers by TUC’s Employment Rights Policy Officer Matt Creagh. Matt spoke about Labour’s New Deal, the NASUWT influence on the policy agenda, union efforts to put a stop to exploitation by umbrella companies, and legal challenges undertaken by those in the trade union movement.

During the afternoon presentation, supply teachers discussed the findings of the 2023 Supply Teacher Annual Survey, with NASUWT NNO Paul Watkins, JVP Wayne Broom, and Dave Worboys from the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate answering supply members’ questions.

The full results of the survey can be found on our Supply Teacher Annual Survey report pages.

Throughout the day, members were also given opportunities to attend a choice of six workshops on the following topics:

1. How to Maximise Your Income as a Supply Teacher - Meredith McCammond, Low Income Tax Reform Group

2. Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) - Assisting a Claim for Equal Pay - Colin Adkins, NASUWT Casework Official, and Paul Watkins, NASUWT National Negotiating Official

3. Strategic Earnings for Temporary Workers: The Difference Between Umbrella Companies and Agency PAYE and How it Impacts Your Finances - Sebastien Sauca, CEO and Co-founder of SaferRec.co.uk

4. Suicide Awareness - Mick Burrows, NASUWT Activist and retired supply teacher

5. The Future of Accountability and Inspection Regimes Across the UK - Darren Northcott, NASUWT National Official (Education)

6. OAK Academy and How Supply Teachers Can Best Use Our Resources to Support Their Teaching - Katie Marl, Programme Lead Oak Academy

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