AWR: What it means for supply teachers
The Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) 2010 are UK regulations designed to protect people who work through an employment agency. They ensure that agency workers receive certain rights and, after a qualifying period, are treated on the same basic employment terms as someone employed directly by the school.
What does AWR mean for supply teachers?
For supply teachers, AWR is particularly important when a teacher works in the same role at the same school/Trust for an extended period.
There are two key stages:
From Day 1
Supply teachers have certain rights from the beginning of an assignment, including:
- Access to relevant shared facilities provided by the school, where applicable.
- Access to information about permanent job vacancies at the school.
- The usual statutory employment protections that apply to agency workers.
After 12 weeks
Once a supply teacher has completed 12 calendar weeks in the same job with the same school, they qualify for equal treatment in relation to certain basic employment conditions.
This can include:
- Pay: the relevant basic pay they would have received if recruited directly to the same role.
- Working time, including relevant working hours and arrangements.
- Rest periods and breaks.
- Annual leave and holiday pay.
- Certain relevant allowances and payments connected to the role.
How the 12-week period is counted
The 12-week period is based on calendar weeks, rather than simply the number of days or hours worked. Therefore, even part-time work can count towards the qualifying period.
The rules can be more complex where assignments change, there are breaks in service, or the role changes substantially. This is why accurate monitoring is important.
What does this mean in practice for schools?
When a supply teacher is approaching or has reached the 12-week qualifying period, the school and agency need to ensure that the relevant employment information is accurate.
This can include information about:
- The role and responsibilities.
- Pay and applicable allowances.
- Working hours and patterns.
- Annual leave entitlement.
- Relevant terms and conditions applying to directly employed staff.
Communication
Good communication between the school and agency helps ensure that the teacher receives the correct treatment and that the school remains compliant with its responsibilities.
How Pure Education supports schools and teachers
At Pure Education, we understand that AWR compliance is an important part of responsibly supplying teachers to schools.
Our staff are regularly trained and updated on the Agency Workers Regulations and relevant employment legislation. This helps us monitor assignments, identify when the 12-week qualifying period may be approaching, and ensure that the appropriate information is gathered from schools.
Our approach is designed to:
- Safeguard the interests of supply teachers by ensuring their legal rights are properly considered.
- Support schools in meeting their responsibilities when engaging agency workers.
- Monitor assignments carefully and identify relevant AWR milestones.
- Maintain clear communication between schools, teachers and Pure Education.
- Keep our team informed about changes to legislation and guidance.
Our commitment
Pure Education is committed to providing schools with a professional, compliant and transparent supply service, while ensuring that the teachers we represent are treated fairly and their statutory rights are protected.
AWR is not something schools or teachers need to navigate alone. Our trained team is here to provide guidance, monitor assignments and help ensure the correct processes are followed.