Experts and leaders set out how to tackle teacher recruitment and retention this week, amid a drop in initial teacher training applications and reports of greater numbers of teachers wanting to leave the profession amid strains caused by the pandemic.
The Covid crisis had previously led to a surge in teacher applications, however, most recent government data showed initial teacher training applications had once again dropped below pre-pandemic levels, down 24 per cent from last year.
However, many argue that instead of focusing on filling the gap by recruitment, the focus should instead be aimed at retaining the workforce that is already there.
At a Westminster Education Forum conference this week, sector experts and school leaders discussed the main issues facing the attempts to improve teacher retention.
1. Professional development
Stephen Munday, chief executive of Cam Academy Trust and president of the Chartered College of Teaching, highlighted the potential power of professional development in not just improving capability but tackling retention.
Mr Munday also stressed the need for the profession to frame its own personal development.
This would include input into the type of CPD needed in order for teachers to feel fully equipped in their role.
“The profession itself funnelling its own professional development, and ensuring appropriate programmes, pathways and support, is more likely to get us the sort of quality and appropriate professional development that we want,” he said.
“There is clear evidence that proper commitment to quality ongoing teacher development genuinely makes a difference to retention and to staffs’ feelings on the importance of their role, the potential of future developments and other related territory - and even trust level,” he added.
2. Flexible working
Another way in which retention in the workforce could be tackled is through the promotion of flexible working, according to Emma Turner, research-informed CPD lead at Discovery Trust.
She explained that many teachers have expressed their lack of confidence in asking for flexible working as well as uncertainty over when to ask for it in the recruitment process.
Ms Turner also touched on the importance of flexible working being available in all environments and not “personality dependent”.
In her role, she has come across some “challenging preconceptions, misconceptions and biases around flexible working in education”.
Economist and researcher Jack Worth added that the lack of flexible working available in teaching was becoming an increasing issue due to its growth and therefore competitiveness in other sectors and the wider labour market.
3. Lived experiences of teaching and wellbeing
A Tes survey in January 2022 revealed that of almost 3,000 teachers surveyed, 67 per cent said their workload was unmanageable.
Referring to these statistics, Jonny Uttley, chief executive of the Education Alliance, said these lived experiences of teachers in the profession will affect both recruitment and retention.
He added that anyone thinking of going into teaching might change their mind when hearing teachers’ experiences.
“As long as 67 per cent of teachers say workload is unmanageable then we will always have a recruitment crisis. We have to change the lived experiences of teachers in England if we want to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis in England.
Mr Uttley explained that in his trust they have a workload charter that’s been developed with the teaching and non-teaching unions that they are constantly reviewing.
The charter aimed to reduce workload by identifying work for teachers that was “pointless” and then getting rid of it.
Such techniques aim to create a “supportive development culture that people want to stay in”.
Mr Uttley explained that in order to address wellbeing, it was vital that the causes of ill-feeling were addressed rather than just the effects.
“Wellbeing is not something we do. Wellbeing is the result of everything that we do, every single interaction in school, every single policy, every single leadership decision.
“That’s not to say that schools shouldn’t have yoga sessions, but don’t think that a yoga session will make up for a toxic culture”.
4. Teacher pay
Mr Worth spoke about the vital importance of the competitiveness of teacher pay in retention.
Department for Education proposals on teacher pay are expected in the next few weeks, but he said the remit letter sent by education secretary Nadhim Zahawi to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) in December 2021, implied the £30,000 starting salary for teachers will be implemented, alongside increases for experienced teachers.
Mr Worth said that, while this increase would be welcome, “it depends on the detail in terms of what that substantial increase means”.
“The challenge is to create a set of pay proposals that maintain or even increase the competitiveness of teachers’ pay given the reduction in real terms pay that has been happening over the last decade,” he said.
