Working with Flourish Education: What Schools Need to Know

Your local education recruitment agency – supporting West Midlands schools with reliable supply solutions

Whether you’re new to using a supply agency or want to better understand how it works, we’ve pulled together this FAQ page to answer your most common questions. At Flourish Education, we provide high-quality teachers, teaching assistants and non-teaching staff across the West Midlands. From day-to-day supply to permanent recruitment, we’re here to help schools thrive.

Why should schools use a supply teaching agency?

Using a supply teaching agency saves schools time, money and stress when it comes to sourcing reliable cover. We handle the compliance checks, training, shortlisting and admin — so you can focus on running your school. We also offer flexible cover options, including emergency, short-term and long-term supply.

What types of education staff can Flourish Education provide?

We supply:

• Primary and secondary teachers
• Early Career Teachers (ECTs)
• SEN specialists and support staff
• Teaching assistants and learning support assistants
• SENCos and behaviour mentors
• Cover supervisors
• Office administrators, caretakers and lunchtime supervisors

We cover all key stages and school types, including mainstream, academies, MATs, SEN schools and nurseries across the West Midlands, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Staffordshire.

How quickly can you find staff for our school?

Very quickly. We are available 7 days a week and outside of school hours. Many of our bookings are filled within minutes thanks to our established relationships with local educators and real-time availability updates.

Do you offer day-to-day, long-term and permanent cover?

Yes, we offer a full range of education recruitment solutions:

• Day-to-day supply – for emergency or short-term absence cover
• Long-term supply – for maternity leave or ongoing vacancies
• Temp-to-perm – a great way to trial staff before hiring permanently
• Permanent recruitment – we manage everything from sourcing to appointment

How do you ensure staff are compliant and safe to work in our school?

All our staff undergo a rigorous compliance process, including:

• Enhanced DBS checks
• KCSIE-compliant safeguarding and PREVENT training
• FGM awareness
• Right to work, qualification, and reference checks
• Ongoing CPD

We are APSCo Compliance+ accredited, having achieved 100% in audits for the last four years.

Will we have a dedicated consultant?

Yes. Every school has their own named education recruitment consultant who understands your school’s culture, values and staffing needs. Your consultant is available 24/7 and works proactively to build a long-term relationship with you.

What sets Flourish Education apart from other supply agencies?

• We’re local experts, not a national call centre
• Our team has over 70 years of combined education recruitment experience
• We’re small enough to care, large enough to cope
• We prioritise long-term relationships over short-term gain
• We only supply candidates who we believe will thrive in your setting

Are agency workers entitled to equal pay after 12 weeks?

Yes. Under the Agency Workers Regulations (AWR), after 12 weeks in the same role, agency staff are entitled to the same pay and working conditions as if hired directly by the school.

We monitor this internally to ensure compliance and will advise you of any rate adjustments where necessary.

Can we offer a permanent job to a supply teacher?

Absolutely. Many schools use our temp-to-perm route to trial a member of staff before committing to a permanent contract. We’ll guide you through the transfer terms, ensuring everything is fair and compliant.

What if we’re not satisfied with a supply teacher?

We believe in honest, open communication. If a supply teacher is not the right fit, let us know and we’ll resolve the issue quickly. We pride ourselves on matching the right person to the right school – and we regularly request feedback to improve our service.

Are there any hidden costs or fees?

No. We operate with transparent pricing and clear communication. We are also a named supplier on the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework, meaning schools benefit from fair, pre-agreed rates and compliant processes.

Do you support with hard-to-fill roles?

Yes, we can help fill:

• SLT and senior leadership roles
• SEN specialists
• Subject-specific teachers (e.g. Maths, Science, MFL)
• Exam invigilators and admin staff during peak times

We tailor our recruitment strategies to meet your school’s unique needs.

How do we get started?

Getting started with Flourish Education is simple:

1. Call us on 0300 303 3227
2. Or email us at office@flourisheducation.co.uk
3. We’ll assign your school a dedicated consultant who will listen, advise and take care of the rest.

You can also contact us here.

Hear What Schools Say About Working with Flourish

Schools across the West Midlands regularly tell us how much they value our service, speed and reliability, and we’re proud to be seen as an extension of their team.

“Flourish Education has provided teachers and support staff to us for a number of years. Our consultant works hard to match the right candidate for our school's specific needs. They are available early each day for last-minute cover. I’d highly recommend Flourish.” – Primary School, Sandwell

“Georgia always strives to ensure we get the best candidates that suit how we work as a school. She absolutely never lets me down. Communication is brilliant, and reliability is second to none.” – Deputy Head, Primary School, Walsall

You can read more of our school testimonials here.

Still have questions?

We’re here to help.