Ministers have scrapped a scheme that ensures the rigorous vetting of staff by supply agencies, prompting fears it could put children’s safety at risk.
The Department for Education (DfE) announced last week that it would not continue with the Quality Mark beyond the end of the current contract on March 31 2013.
The scheme, which was set up in 2002, awards recruiters with a certification mark if they meet high standards and is currently held by 135 companies.
The decision means that it will become easier for recruitment and supply agencies to relax their procedures – or not carry some of them out at all – leading to staff not being properly vetted, and putting pupils at risk.
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