Responding to figures sourced by the Welsh Conservatives which show 16 councils spent more than £78m on supply teachers in 2023/24, Laura Doel, national secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, said:

“There will always be a need for schools to use supply teachers, but the recruitment and retention challenges facing schools mean demand has undoubtedly grown, so much so, that it cannot even be fully met by agencies.

“This huge bill is therefore shocking but not surprising, because although many schools are struggling to make budgets add up, they cannot magic the permanent teachers they need out of thin air and must still ensure they can deliver the learning pupils deserve - including in the event of short-term absences.

“While it is right supply teachers are fairly paid, no private company should be making excessive profits off the back of this situation, and affordability should be a key consideration as the Welsh Government continues work to develop a sustainable new supply teaching model after its recent pilot failed to get off the ground.

“However, the biggest priority should be to restore teaching as an attractive career proposition, and these findings must serve as a wake-up call for ministers that recruitment and retention is in crisis. That means restoring the value of pay following the real-terms cuts suffered since 2010, and tangible action to alleviate concerns over unsustainable workload and improve the wellbeing of teachers and support staff who are being expected to do ever more, often with fewer resources.”