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Advice & Support for Nursery Nurses and Support Staff

In this section you’ll find masses of information and links to enable you to obtain essential advice and support regarding educational supply work, living and working in London.

For free resources, lesson ideas and curriculum information visit Itper’s Curriculum and Resources section.

In the unlikely event that you can’t find the information you need here, call your Itper Recruitment Manager who will be happy to help or else point you in the right direction.

How to be an excellent supply professional
Physical Contact, Intimate Care and Restraining Pupils
Managing Behaviour, Discipline, Accidents and Incidents
Accommodation and Renting in London
Documents you’ll need to bring to your Itper interview
Training to be a Nursery Nurse, HLTA, Cover Supervisor, Teaching or Learning Support Assistant
Updating your experience through voluntary work
Applying for Nursery Nurse, Teaching Assistant and Support jobs, CV, Application Form, Interview Advice
Official Bodies for Education and Learning
Practical and Emotional Support for Education Professionals
Unions for Nursery Nurses and Support Staff
Education News Sources
Public Transport, Getting Around & Exploring London

How to be an excellent supply professional

When booking supply cover, around half of all Itper’s client schools request a specific education professional who has previously made a good impression on them.

An education worker will need a specific set of skills, tactics and behaviours to succeed as a supply professional. This FREE Itper guide has distilled the experience, knowledge and expertise of dozens of headteachers and many of our most effective and successful supply staff to give any competent education worker the necessary tips and strategies to help them shine as an excellent (and in demand) supply professional.

Following Itper’s guide to achieving excellence in supply teaching will:

Significantly increase the amount of supply work you’re offered
Give you a wider choice of assignments to choose from
Ensure you’re asked to return to the schools you prefer
Massively improve your chances of securing a long-term assignment
Make it more likely that a school will consider you for a permanent job
Make your job more enjoyable, simpler and as stress-free as possible
Give you the professional satisfaction of knowing you’ve been an excellent supply teacher!

Download Itper's FREE guide to excellence in supply work

Physical Contact, Intimate Care and Restraining Pupils

Depending upon the particular school’s policy and the age and educational needs of the children, it is often normal for permanent staff to make physical contact with children from time to time.

Physical contact might occur for example, when permanent staff are consoling and reassuring very young children, holding hands with young children in the playground or when it is necessary to help children with toileting, washing and changing clothing.

Physical contact may also occur when a permanent staff member feels that it is necessary to restrain a child to prevent them from hurting themselves or others.

Recent Department for Education advice states that teachers may use reasonable force to control or restrain a pupil if this proves necessary to stop a pupil from causing injury.

Unless absolutely necessary however, it might be advisable for supply staff to avoid making physical contact with children as supply staff may be subject to false or misplaced accusations of assault or physical abuse.

Any form of physical punishment (such as smacking, pushing, poking etc.) is illegal and will leave you liable to criminal prosecution.

Supply staff should, whenever possible, avoid situations involving physical restraint or any unnecessary contact such as ‘tapping’ or ‘patting’ as these actions may be misconstrued.

You’ll find further advice on physical contact, intimate care and restraining pupils on the government’s Teachernet website.

Itper advises supply nursery nurses, teaching or learning support assistants, cover supervisors and other educational support staff to join a Union for their legal protection and professional representation.

Download Itper's FREE guide to excellence in supply work

Managing Behaviour, Discipline, Accidents and Incidents

When managing behaviour, it is very important for you to use only the rewards and sanctions available to you under the behaviour and discipline policy of the school you’re working in. That’s why it is crucial that you make every effort to ascertain that policy as soon as possible upon your arrival.

If you ever experience a situation that you feel may be getting out of control you should follow the school’s policies and procedures as closely as possible.

If you are uncertain of the school’s procedure or are in any doubt whatsoever, Itper advises the following action: -

Don’t put yourself at risk!
If at all possible, avoid any attempt to restrain or physical contact of any kind.
Don’t leave any children unattended.
Either telephone or send two responsible children to bring your key contact to the incident. If you haven’t been given a key contact or you can’t locate that person then seek the assistance of any permanent member of staff.
Under the direction of one of the above, provide any assistance as required.
Personally ensure that any discipline matter, physical restraint of a pupil, accident or any incident that you feel may give cause for concern is reported to your key contact or an appropriate member of the school’s senior management team at the earliest opportunity.
If necessary, write a detailed account of what happened. Most schools will have an appropriate form for this. Always take a copy for your own records.
Inform Itper at your earliest opportunity.

Download Itper's FREE guide to excellence in supply work

Training to be a Nursery Nurse, HLTA, Cover Supervisor, Teaching or Learning Support Assistant

Training to be a nursery nurse

Training to be a learning support or special needs teaching assistant

Training to be a nursery, teaching or higher level teaching assistant

TDA information on careers is education support

TDA information on requirements for cover supervisors

Updating your experience through voluntary work

Although technically, there is no set entry-level qualification for teaching assistants, learning support assistants or cover supervisors, unless you hold a relevant qualification (such as the Level 2 Certificate or the NVQ Level 2 in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools) and also recent experience of working within a school with children, then it is unlikely that you will find paid employment in a school in a support capacity.

Regular voluntary work within a school is the best way to get the experience you need.

A useful starting point is to write to local schools offering to volunteer as a Teaching Assistant, for perhaps a few hours a week or more if you can spare the time. Most schools welcome help with activities such as listening to children read and helping the teacher to set up and clear away activities.

Once you’re offered a voluntary position, please try to commit to the times and the time period you promised to help as the school will have had to complete a number of vetting checks (including a police check) and these are time-consuming and costly. Remember, as well as needing experience, you will also need a satisfactory reference.

When you have gained some experience as a volunteer, you may be able to enrol on an employment-based qualification, which will considerably improve your chances of finding paid employment. Your head teacher will probably be able to advise you on this.

To register with Itper Education, you must have a relevant qualification (such as those mentioned above) plus a minimum of 12 months relevant work experience in a school within the UK on either a paid or voluntary basis and be able to provide suitable references from that school.

You’ll find headteachers’ names and school addresses on the relevant local authority website.

Model letter for application for voluntary work

Applying for Nursery Nurse, Teaching Assistant and Support jobs, CV, Application Form, Interview Advice

Producing a CV

Build your CV with Itper's Free CV Template

Interview Advice

Completing Application Forms

Official Bodies for Education and Learning

The Department for Education (DfE) is the department of the UK government responsible for Education.

The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) is the national agency and recognised sector body responsible for the training and development of the school workforce.

TeacherNet has been developed by the DCSF as a resource to support the education profession.

Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

Practical and Emotional Support for Education Professionals

Whether you need to practical or professional advice or simply wish to let off steam after a challenging day, then Itper is here for you.

If you encounter a problem of any kind, don’t hesitate to tell us. We’ll do everything we can to help resolve the situation and to ensure the problem doesn’t occur in future.

Whatever your issue, the chances are your Itper Recruitment Manager will be able to help or else point you in the direction of someone who can.

Remember, as an Itper supply professional, you need never feel that you’re ‘on your own’.

Unions for Nursery Nurses and Support Staff

Voice is an independent trade union representing education and childcare professionals.

Education News Sources

Nursery World for the early years education and childcare sectors

The Times Educational Supplement

Education news from the Guardian

Education news from the Telegraph

Education news from the BBC

Teachers TV News