A NORTH-East teacher supply agency is one of only four across the country to gain national recognition for the quality of its work.

Supply Desk, in Middlesbrough, has been awarded the Quality Mark by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

The Quality Mark sets minimum standards for agencies to reach in the way they recruit and interview staff, how they check and manage staff and the way in which they adapt to changes in the teaching sector.