‘Out of sight, out of mind’: a response to the literature on supply teaching

Summary

The title of this paper includes a phrase used repeatedly by a supply teacher interviewed in 1991 as part of a two‐year project of supply teaching. ¹ One component of the initial phase of this study was a review of the existing literature on supply themes. The present paper draws on that discussion and assesses some of the published material in this area. It suggests that most publications currently available still show little recognition of the practicalities involved at LEA and at school level in providing supply cover for teachers absent from classes. Section (1) considers national perspectives, section (2) explores LEA and institutional issues and section (3) includes material on supply teachers as individuals.

Few researchers have attempted to define the nature of the work that is done by substitute teachers and it has therefore been a largely invisible feature of educational provision. The article concludes with a Commentary which demonstrates this invisibility by indicating non‐reference to supply issues. It argues that the disregard of these matters and the non‐recognition of such themes in the literature reflect some of the ways in which teacher substitution has in practice operated, and that this lack of reference should in itself inform subsequent research. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ encapsulates not only the experience of some supply teachers. It also epitomizes pervasive attitudes in many areas of the education system.

¹Supply Teaching: An Investigation of Policy, Processes and People in English Schools is a research project funded by The Leverhulme Trust at The Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research at the University of Warwick.

Notes

¹Supply Teaching: An Investigation of Policy, Processes and People in English Schools is a research project funded by The Leverhulme Trust at The Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research at the University of Warwick.