Byline: LAURA CLARK

INCOMPETENT supply teachers are damaging the education of millions of children, it emerges today.

Ofsted has found that supply teachers in secondary schools are four times more likely than permanent teachers to give substandard lessons.

The education watchdog says pupils' work and behaviour is deteriorating in at least a half of all comprehensives because heads have to draft in temporary staff for 'significant periods'.

Only a third of secondary schools could call on a pool of experienced and trusted supply teachers. The rest have to rely on staff hired from agencies, whose calibre is 'very variable'. The report provides further damning ...