September is one of the busiest times of the school year. New pupils, new routines, staff changes, enrolment pressures, timetables, policies and unexpected absences all arrive at once.
Start before the pressure arrives
For schools, one of the best ways to reduce pressure is to build a stronger substitute teacher pool before the year begins.
According to the INTO / IPPN / CPSMA Teacher Supply Survey, 60% of responding schools had been unable to source a substitute for an absence. The same research found that 56 schools had ten or more days in September when they could not get a substitute.
A substitute pool will not guarantee cover every time. But it gives schools a better starting point.
Update the known list
The first step is to update the school's list of known substitute teachers. Many schools already have names saved in phones, spreadsheets, emails or WhatsApp threads. The problem is that these lists often become outdated.
Teachers move, take contracts, change availability, go abroad, return from abroad, or only want certain types of work. A useful substitute pool should include up-to-date availability, location, preferred classes, relevant experience, Teaching Council status where applicable, and notes from previous bookings.
Separate known from available
The second step is to separate known from available. A teacher who worked in the school last year may be an excellent contact, but that does not mean they are available this week.
Real-time availability is far more useful than a long list of names.
Prioritise preferred teachers
The third step is to prioritise. Schools usually have preferred substitutes for certain settings, classes or needs.
A structured system should allow a school to contact preferred teachers first without manually sending messages one by one.
Reduce repeated admin
The fourth step is to reduce repeated admin. If a school has to copy the same message into multiple channels, wait for responses, update the office, inform staff, and then record the booking separately, the process is creating unnecessary work.
According to IPPN's sustainable leadership evidence, 97% of principals agreed that non-core tasks and responsibilities undermine the sustainability of their roles.
Keep records and learn from them
The fifth step is to keep records. Schools should be able to see who was booked, when they worked, what absence they covered, whether the booking was confirmed, and what patterns are emerging. This helps with planning, reporting and future decision-making.
The teacher supply issue in Ireland has many causes. IPPN's working paper points to factors such as housing costs, short-term and part-time vacancies, sector mobility, teacher supply panels, and the number of leave categories requiring cover. Schools cannot control all of those factors, but they can control how prepared they are when an absence happens.
Subber brings these steps into one platform. Schools can manage teacher availability, create booking requests, shortlist preferred teachers, receive confirmations and reduce the time spent on manual phone calls and messages.
