Wrexham Council Spends Over £414k Covering Absent Teachers

Wrexham Council spent over £414,000 on agency staff for local schools during the last year an FOI request has revealed.

The council paid out money to eight different agencies, mostly national recruitment firms, to cover sick or absent staff.

The figures detail Wrexham schools’ spending on third-party temporary agency staff for the 2011/12 financial year.

In total the town’s secondary and primary schools spent £414,487.48.

Just under half of that amount went to national education recruitment and training firm New Directions Ltd who were paid £197,638.

By far the biggest spenders on temporary agency staff were Ysgol Clywedog at £83,634 followed by Rhosnesni High School at £58,017.

Next was Ysgol Bryn Alyn with £56,683 then Darland with £49,893.

Wrexham Council’s agency spend appears relatively modest when compared with Slough Borough Council which represents a similar population area.

Slough’s local authority paid a whopping £2,059,064.80 on school agency staff in 2010/11.