Cover Supervisor
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Teaching Personnel are seeking a confident and adaptable Cover Supervisor to provide ad hoc supply support across secondary schools in the PO postcode area. This flexible role offers an excellent opportunity for individuals looking to gain hands-on classroom experience, build their teaching skills, or explore a career in education.
In this position, you will supervise classes of students aged 11–16 in the absence of their regular teachers, ensuring that lessons continue smoothly and pupils remain focused and engaged. You will work from pre-prepared lesson plans, maintain a positive and structured learning environment, and support students across a variety of subjects. The role may also involve providing assistance to pupils with special educational needs (SEN), helping them access lessons and participate fully in classroom activities. You will manage behaviour in line with school policies and provide feedback to teaching staff on student engagement, progress, and conduct.
The ideal candidate will have experience working with secondary-aged pupils, with some familiarity in supporting SEN learners being advantageous. Confidence in managing classrooms, adaptability to different school environments, and strong communication skills are essential, along with patience, a proactive approach, and a genuine enthusiasm for supporting young people’s learning.
This ad hoc supply role offers flexible working across multiple schools, competitive daily pay rates between £95 and £120, and ongoing support from Teaching Personnel’s experienced recruitment team. It is an ideal opportunity for anyone eager to gain varied classroom experience and make a positive impact on students’ learning in a range of school settings.
All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQ’s on the Teaching Personnel website for details.
All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available at a later date.
Teaching Personnel is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ this may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants.
We offer all our registered candidates FREE child protection and prevent duty training. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Full assistance provided.
For details of our privacy policy, please visit the Teaching Personnel website.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight your secondary school experience prominently as the role specifically requires working with ages 11-16
📊 Quantify your classroom management: 'Supervised classes of 30+ students across 5 different subjects'
🌐 Emphasise your SEN support experience as this is mentioned as advantageous for the role
🎯 Mention your enhanced DBS status upfront as this is essential for all applicants
🤝 Showcase your adaptability across different school environments as you'll work across multiple PO postcode schools
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Supervised secondary classes of 28+ students across 8 different subjects, maintaining 95% lesson engagement rates
- •Supported 12 SEN students weekly with classroom adaptations, improving their lesson participation by 40%
- •Managed behaviour incidents across 6 Portsmouth schools, implementing consistent strategies that reduced disruptions by 60%
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Letter preview — tailored to Teaching Personnel
Dear Hiring Manager,
Teaching Personnel's Cover Supervisor position perfectly aligns with my classroom management experience and passion for supporting secondary education. My background in behaviour management and SEN support makes me well-suited for supervising ages 11-16 across Portsmouth's diverse school environments.
My background in secondary education has equipped me with the adaptability and confidence needed to step into unfamiliar classrooms and maintain positive learning environments. I understand the importance of following pre-prepared lesson plans while providing meaningful support to students with varying needs.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you adapt pre-prepared lesson plans for students with different learning needs?
- ›What strategies would you use to manage behaviour in an unfamiliar classroom setting?
- ›How do you ensure SEN students can access and participate in mainstream lessons?
- ›What safeguarding procedures would you follow if concerned about a student?
- ›How would you provide meaningful feedback to regular teachers about student progress?
Behavioural
- ›Describe a time when you had to quickly adapt to a new environment or situation
- ›Tell me about a challenging behaviour management situation and how you handled it
- ›Give an example of when you supported someone with additional needs
- ›Describe a situation where you had to maintain authority without established relationships
- ›Tell me about a time you had to work independently with minimal supervision
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Describe a time when you had to quickly adapt to a new environment or situation
Tell me about a challenging behaviour management situation and how you handled it