Choosing an agency is not really a procurement decision. It is a safeguarding decision. The person the agency sends walks into a room with your children in it, often at short notice, and your inspection record and your reputation travel with them. Price matters, but it is the wrong thing to lead with.
This guide sets out what to check before you commit, the questions worth asking, and the warning signs that tend to show up early. It is written for nursery managers, pre-school leaders and primary schools in London.
Start with compliance, not price
Every agency will tell you its staff are vetted. The useful question is whether they can evidence it, per person, before that person starts. At minimum you should expect:
- Photographic proof of identity and right to work in the UK
- An enhanced DBS check appropriate to the role, including the children’s barred list check where the work is regulated activity
- Original qualification certificates, verified by the agency rather than taken on trust
- References covering recent work, including previous work with children
If you are newer to the frameworks that sit behind these expectations, our plain-English explainers on the EYFS and Keeping Children Safe in Education cover what each one requires. Our own approach is set out under compliance and safer recruitment.
Questions worth asking before you sign anything
- Who will I actually speak to? A named consultant who knows your setting is worth more than a general line that reaches whoever is free.
- What do you verify, and what do you take on trust? The gap between those two things is the agency’s real standard.
- What happens when a booking falls through on the morning? Ask what they do, not whether it happens.
- What if the person is not right for the room? Agree how that is handled, and what it costs, before you need to.
- What are your temp-to-perm terms? If you later want to employ someone directly, know the fee and the qualifying period in advance.
- How are hours recorded and approved? Paper timesheets chased after the fact are a slow, error-prone way to run this.
Know which kind of cover you are buying
The three arrangements solve different problems, and agencies vary in how well they do each.
| Arrangement | What it is for | Worth checking |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent | Filling a substantive role; the person is employed by you | Fee structure, rebate period if the hire does not stay |
| Temporary | Sickness, parental leave, a term’s cover, occupancy spikes | How quickly roles are filled, and with whom |
| Bank staff | A pool who already know your setting, called on as needed | Whether you see the same faces or a rotating cast |
Warning signs
- Vagueness about checks, or evidence promised “to follow” after the person has already started
- Pressure to accept someone unvetted because it is an emergency
- No named contact, and no one who has seen your setting
- Qualifications described loosely — “Level 3 equivalent” without saying what the qualification actually is
- Any suggestion that candidates pay to be placed. This is not permitted, and it tells you how the business is run
What the law expects
Two points are worth knowing because they shape what you can reasonably ask for. First, an employment agency cannot charge a work-seeker a fee for finding them work; the cost sits with the hiring setting. Second, responsibility for safeguarding does not transfer to the agency. Your setting remains accountable for everyone on the premises, which is precisely why the agency needs to hand you evidence you can record, not assurances you have to trust.
What good looks like once you are working together
The difference between a competent agency and a good one usually shows up in small operational things rather than in the sales conversation: staff who arrive knowing the room and the routine because someone briefed them, a consultant who tells you when they cannot fill something instead of sending anyone, hours recorded and approved online rather than reconstructed later, and the same people returning often enough that your children recognise them.
How we work
Quint Education recruits for early years settings, primary schools and residential childcare, on both permanent and temporary terms, from our base in Barnet. We cover London and into Essex, with particular activity in Hillingdon, Hounslow and Enfield. Candidates are screened by a consultant, complete our registration process, and provide identity, qualification and safeguarding documentation before they are put forward. Hours go through online timesheets rather than paper.
You can see the roles and sectors we cover, or tell us what cover you need and a consultant will come back to you.
Frequently asked questions
Should a nursery use an agency or recruit directly?
Most settings end up doing both. Direct recruitment usually makes sense for permanent roles you can plan for. An agency earns its place when you need cover you cannot plan for — sickness, a resignation mid-term, a spike in occupancy — or when you want someone vetted and ready before a permanent vacancy is advertised.
What checks should an agency have completed before someone arrives?
Proof of identity and right to work, an enhanced DBS check appropriate to the role, original qualification certificates rather than self-declared ones, and references covering recent work with children. Ask to see the evidence rather than a reassurance that it exists.
Can an agency charge the candidate as well as the setting?
No. Employment agencies are not permitted to charge a work-seeker a fee for finding them work. If you learn that staff are being charged to be placed with you, treat it as a serious warning sign about how the agency operates.
Who is responsible for safeguarding when staff come through an agency?
The setting remains responsible for safeguarding everyone on its premises. The agency’s job is to supply staff who have been properly vetted and to give you the evidence, so your own single central record and induction process can be completed.
What should happen when a placement is not working out?
You should be able to raise it with a named consultant and have it resolved the same day, without being asked to keep someone in the room who is not right for it. Agree in advance what happens to charges in that situation — before you need to use it.
How far in advance should bookings be made?
Longer-term and block bookings are easier to fill well, because the agency can match experience rather than availability. Day-to-day cover is a different exercise, and is where having a consultant who already knows your rooms and routines makes the most difference.
Need cover, or planning ahead?
Tell us the role, the dates and the setting, and we will tell you honestly whether we can fill it.