Meet the Supply Teaching Agency in Stoke
The supply teaching agency in Stoke office covers Stoke, Staffordshire and East Cheshire, and we have recently started working with schools in Derbyshire. After opening the office in September 2011, we have built strong relationships with local Primary and Secondary schools and provide them with a high quality local service! Our teaching agency in Stoke offers a personal service to our Teachers, Teaching Assistants and Cover Supervisors by listening to their needs and placing them in schools and positions that suit them.
Emily Faragher
Emily is passionate about all things education having worked within the education sector for over 14 years, working for a national education charity for 4 years prior to starting here at Academics. Emily opened the Stoke office in 2011 and is proud of the quality service provided to our schools and supply teachers. Emily is the Branch Manager and supports Secondary schools across Stoke on Trent and North Staffordshire with all their supply needs. Outside of work she enjoys time with her husband and 2 young girls.
Matthew Picariello
I have been working within recruitment for over 15 years and 9 of which have been in Education - I am responsible in providing quality primary supply teachers and teaching assistants to local primary schools across Stoke-on-Trent and the rest of North Staffordshire – Supply teaching can be beneficial in many ways to all teachers of varying levels and I pride myself on offering a high quality service to my supply teachers and schools alike. My wife is a teacher also so my life revolves around education but I have a Labrador called Ralph who takes up a lot of my time and keeps me SANE !!
David Arthur
After 15 years in the wonderful world of retail, I decided to try my hand at recruiting and have never looked back. I have now been providing supply teachers and support staff, in to schools across Cheshire, for over 5 years!
I have built strong relationships with my schools and supply staff based on an honest and open approach. It also helps that I have a good sense of humour :) If you are a supply teacher or teaching assistant, looking for a new challenge in the Cheshire or Staffordshire region, I’d love to hear from you! If you are a school or trust that require supply support, I’d love an opportunity to speak with you.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like a chat about education, dogs (I have a lovely cockapoo called Beau) or life in general
Hannah Roberts
Hannah joined Academics in July 2019 as Candidate Resourcer to find the best supply teachers, teaching assistants, and education staff for our partnership schools in Stoke-on-Trent and Cheshire! She has a great understanding of education recruitment as prior to this role she looked after apprenticeship recruitment within FE and she has also worked in NEET recruitment for a local training provider. Hannah loves meeting new people and is often remembered by others for her big cheesy grin! Not a lot of people know that Hannah is a University of Gloucestershire Film Graduate and is a huge fan of movie musicals. You will often see Hannah partake in Park Run at the weekends or she is usually found dog sitting her sisters French Bulldogs!
Bethan Foulkes
Beth joined the Academics Stoke and Cheshire team in March 2019 and is our Special Educational Needs Consultant; recruiting the best supply teachers, teaching assistants, and education staff for local SEN schools. Before joining Academics, Beth worked in SEN education and Alternative Provisions for 6 years, and is now using this experience to support children with additional needs across the area. Beth is passionate about alternative and SEN education, having first-hand experience of what a challenging sector it can be, and relishes the opportunity to ensure that our schools and supply staff are supported to be the best they can be.
In her free time Beth is an avid reader of classics, home renovator, and yoga enthusiast.
Eden Johnson
I joined the stoke team earlier this year taking over Primary Schools in the Cheshire East area from the famous ‘David Arthur’.
Before joining Academics, I worked in multiple sectors including Sales, Industrial and Driving. Pre-pandemic I travelled across the world to Australia, where I lived for 6 months while meeting people from all backgrounds, I then took the leap to South-East Asia for a further three months.
In my spare time I feel there’s nothing better than a good walk along the canal, hopefully to be greeted by a pub at the end. Unlike others in the office, I don’t have a dog……yet, but a Daschund is top of my list.
Lily Hough
Lily joined Academics as a Primary Consultant in January 2026. After graduating from Staffordshire University with a Primary Teaching degree and QTS in 2025, Lily spent a short period living and working in Malta before returning to the UK and beginning her career in education recruitment. Lily’s focus is recruiting teaching staff for primary schools across South Staffordshire, covering the areas of Stone, Stafford, Rugeley and Cannock. Outside of work, she enjoys keeping active at the gym, spending quality time with family and friends, and making the most of any opportunity to travel, particularly to the Greek Islands, which remain some of her favourite holiday destinations!
Lucy Furnival
Lucy started with Academics Stoke as a Candidate Resourcer in September 2025. Prior to this, Lucy was a student at Nottingham Trent University for her undergraduate and postgraduate degree specialising in Occupational Psychology while also helping out on her family farm with milking the cows! Lucy’s focus is on the recruitment for teaching and support staff in the secondary sector across Stoke, Staffordshire and Cheshire. Outside of work, Lucy loves spending quality time with friends and family, going to music festivals (!), and going out for food to try different cuisines.
