Brighton and Hove schools spend millions on agency teachers

Schools in Brighton and Hove spent more than £5.4 million on agency teachers in just two years, according to the Brighton and Hove Independent.

The weekly newspaper said: “Ten schools accounted for 45 per cent (£2.4 million) of the total spend on agency staff in 2011-12 and 2012-13, according to results of a request made under the Freedom of Information Act.

The newspaper said that the ten schools were

Hove Park School, the most improved secondary school in Brighton and Hove, which spent £379,000
Longhill High School £325,000
Mile Oak Primary School £288,000
Whitehawk Primary School, now the City Academy Whitehawk, £279,000
Dorothy Stringer High School £255,000
Cardinal Newman Catholic School £255,000
West Blatchington Primary School £216,000
Queen’s Park Primary School £153,000
Varndean High School £149,000
Patcham High School £142,000
The newspaper said that Portslade Community College spent £136,000 in 2011-12 but that figures were not available for the 2012-13 when it reopened as the Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA).

It added: “The amount that went on employing staff increased by nearly 12 per cent from one year to the next – from £2,550,000 to £2,852,000.”

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “Individual schools hold their own budgets and make their own decisions on agency spend.
“The £5.4 million spent on agency staff over the last two years is less than 2 per cent of the city’s total education budget for that period.

“We are confident that our schools make very careful use of their budgets.

“There are a number of factors that affect how much schools spend on agency staff.

“Some schools choose to use agency staff for cover while others offer part-time staff who are already on the payroll extra hours.”