Sandwell school's agency staff bill tops almost £4 million
Schools in Sandwell spent nearly £4 million employing agency staff in a year, new figures have revealed.
A total of £3,957,236 was spent by the borough's primary schools and nurseries in 2014/15, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
Cabinet member Councillor Simon Hackett said each school set out its own level of supply staff spending based on its size and requirements. The school which spent the most on supply staff in the 12 months was Uplands Manor in Addenbrooke Road, Smethwick, which splashed out £240,087.
Galton Valley in Smethwick spent the second highest sum – £157,760 – while Cape Primary shelled out £150,563.
Overall the spend by the borough's primaries and nurseries was slightly lower in 2014/15 than the previous year. In 2013/14 the overall amount spent on agency staff was £4,059,350.
Part-time workers are used into schools to cover sickness absences or maternity leave, so pupils do not have to miss any lessons.
Money can also been spent on bringing in additional teaching specialists and coaches for some subjects or year groups.
Councillor Hackett, cabinet member for children's services, said: "Schools and academies manage their own budgets through their governing body.
"Each headteacher allocates an amount to spend on supply staff each year depending on school size and recruitment needs.
"Supply staff are not only used to cover for staff absences or short-term vacancies but for a number of other reasons.
"These can include: to allow for curriculum development time; planning, preparation and assessment time; to fund sports or academic coaches; to deliver short-term projects or to provide cover where there is a shortage of teachers in a particular subject area.
"While some schools may appear to have a high supply staffing bill, this does not necessarily indicate a high level of staff absence.
"Most schools in the borough have a relative high level of staffing to meet the needs of pupils in the borough, with the largest schools having the highest allocation of supply staff."
Figures released in April showed more than £2m was spent on agency staff at schools across Dudley in just six months, with more than £1.6m spent across Walsall.
A total of £2.14m was spent across the Dudley borough from September 2014 to February 2015 this year, while the equivalent figure across Walsall was £1.683m.
The figures did not include academies, which run independently, but related to primary schools, secondary schools and nurseries in the borough.
