A Cover Supervisor role will vary depending on the size and needs of the school. Some Secondary Cover Supervisors may be working within one or two departments; whereas a Primary Cover Supervisor could work across the whole school, standing in for any teachers who are away or busy with Planning Preparation and Assessment (PPA).

Cover Supervisors rarely plan lessons but will usually have the opportunity to lead whole classes prior to achieving Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The main objective is to oversee the smooth running of lessons by helping struggling students, managing behaviour and ensuring the lesson plan is delivered to a high standard.

Some of the duties a Cover Supervisor can expect to perform are as follows:

• Leading whole classes while cover teachers are away
• Dealing with challenging behaviour in the classroom
• Making sure all students are focused and on track to meeting the lesson objectives
• Prepare the classroom for lessons
• Help any students who are struggling with the work set for their cover lessons
• Assist teachers in planning lessons