News Stories and Updates
Running Smoothly
24th April 2023
Our Director Rachel donned her running shoes and completed the London Marathon yesterday in a hugely impressive time of 3:53:28. After deferring her entry last year because of injury and months and months of training she described it as the “experience of a lifetime”. And to top it off she is fast approaching £1,000 raised for EACH, a local children’s charity that does amazing work for those who need it most.
EACH care for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, and support their families. Their hospices are places where families feel safe, at home and where they can spend quality time together; enabling parents to be parents not caregivers.
It’s not too late to donate to this fantastic cause and you can do so here. A huge congratulations from us all here at QTR.
Recruitment & Employment Confederation Audited Education Status
24th November 2022
We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded Recruitment & Employment Confederation Audited Education Status. This means that schools can be confident they are using an accredited supplier that is accountable to a professional body. REC Audited Education provides schools with a recognised kite mark when selecting an agency to work with.
The REC said “gaining this award acknowledges the dedication and professionalism that you and your staff deliver and ensures these stringent standards of compliance and best practice are met on a daily basis. In attaining it your company is a credit to the REC and the reputation of the industry.”
International Women's Day 2022
8th March 2022
To commemorate International Women’s Day we thought we’d share a fun profile of our director Rachel Birrell. As you can see she has a wealth of knowledge and experience which she brings to QTR and we're lucky to have her.
World Book Day 2022
3rd March 2022
To celebrate
World Book Day we have these great efforts from two of the younger members of the QTR family. They are Book In A Box and Commotion in the Ocean, which I'm sure you will agree are brilliant. Remember to keep an eye on our
Facebook
and
Twitter
pages for more images throughout the day.
Lockdown Exercises
8th January 2021
Throughout Lockdown 1.0 Quality Teacher Recruitment (QTR) posted daily activities on our Facebook and Twitter pages to help parents with home schooling. These are still available on both pages and we are in the process of putting together some new exercises to help everyone through the current lockdown. These activities are suitable for children across KS1 & KS2 and are put together by our teachers to help with everything from phonics to maths to positional language to creative thinking.
Remember to keep an eye on our social pages for new and exciting activities coming soon!
Celebrating 20 Years of Quality
7th September 2018
QTR, which provides supply teachers to schools across Norfolk and Suffolk, was the brainchild of former head teacher Howard Duncan, who started the business in 1998 when he saw a gap in the market following his own experience in struggling to find supply cover. The first business of its kind in Norfolk, QTR has gone from strength to strength over the years, growing its portfolio of schools and teachers alike. Now run by Howard’s daughter Rachel, the business is based in modern offices in Diss, perfectly placed for working with schools and teachers in both Norfolk and Suffolk.
From humble beginnings in Howard’s home office, word of mouth soon saw QTR growing. The company prides itself on a number of factors including its expert local knowledge, a personal touch and genuine care for every teacher and school. The company is also unique in that it has always been run by education professionals, so has a true understanding of its client’s needs.
Howard soon realised that the business was growing enough organically that he could put budget previously set aside for advertising to better use, which is when he set up the “Minor Project Grant”. The grant, which schools are able to apply for on an annual basis, was designed for projects not directly linked to the National Curriculum, which would help children’s learning and be child focused and fun. Howard was passionate about education and believed that ultimately it should be an enjoyable experience for children, and that children are most engaged through fun learning, so the grant was a perfect way to use the money. Howard sadly passed away in 2007 following a battle with cancer, at which point his wife Deborah took over the business, and Jackie Catalano joined the team. Keen to continue Howard’s legacy, the grant was renamed the “Howard Duncan Project Grant” and continues to help schools across the region to this day.
Some fantastic projects have been helped by the grant over the years, including an outdoor stage and story teller chair at Great Ellingham school, equipment for the gardening club at Admirals Academy in Thetford and items for an eco garden at Ellingham School in Suffolk.
Following 9 years running QTR, Deborah, who was previously a National Education Consultant in charge of extended schools and out of hours learning for children across Norfolk, decided it was time to retire. Keen to keep the business within the family, Rachel, Howard and Deborah’s daughter, who had already been working in the business on an ad hoc basis, took on the reins in 2016 and is now company director. Rachel began her career in the education sector in behaviour management within mainstream schools before training to be a Primary school teacher. She taught for 6 years taking on the roles of LAC designated teacher (children who are looked after or in foster care) and SENCo (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator), during this time she gained her SENCo qualification, as well as having other subject leadership responsibilities. With this experience under her belt, Rachel is perfectly placed to work alongside her portfolio of schools and teachers, ensuring they receive the best possible service and their needs are truly understood.
With such a fantastic milestone this month, QTR is looking forward to its 20th anniversary celebration at the Assembly Rooms in Norwich, which will bring together schools and teachers for afternoon tea and lots of chatter and laughs.
Looking to the future, Rachel plans to continue running the business in exactly the same way it always has been, with the same ethos and dedication to both schools and teachers, and a strong commitment to education.
Going the Distance for a Good Cause
Our very own Office Manager Jackie Catalano wowed us all last week by completing the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon and raising over £4,000 for Arthritis Research UK.
Jackie, who has been with Quality Teacher Recruitment Ltd (QTR) for more than 10 years, braved the hottest conditions on record for the London Marathon and completed the event in under 6 hours. With family support and the buzz of the crowd, plus the motivation of raising money for such a great cause, she was sure to succeed. Jackie comments “The whole day had an amazing atmosphere and buzz, from arriving at Grenwich Park right through to crossing the finishing line. Crossing the line was the absolute highlight, it was an incredibly emotional moment.”
Arthritis Research UK is a cause very close to Jackie’s heart, her husband Vito has osteoarthritis and has had 3 hip replacements due to the condition. Also Deborah Duncan-Rees, previous owner or QTR, is affected by rheumatoid arthritis.
Whilst this was her first long distance event for some time, Jackie completed the Great North Run 12 years ago and is a fitness enthusiast. Talking about training for the event, Jackie says “I followed the Virgin Money London Marathon 16 week training programme to best prepare me for the event, although I had begun to build up my fitness before Christmas so it wasn’t too much of a shock to the system. Whilst the heat had a positive effect on the crowd, it did however take its toll on the runners. I’m so proud to have been a part of this year’s event, but it’s not something I’m looking to repeat any time soon!”
Jackie’s official time was 5 hours 41 minutes, but this included a stop for first aid, so her actual running time is closer to 5 hours 20 minutes. So far, Jackie has raised an amazing £4,075.70, well over her £2,500 target, and money is still coming in. If you’d like to donate to this fantastic cause, you can do so by clicking here.
A MASSIVE congratulations Jackie, we’re so very proud of you.
