Teacher recruitment, retention, training and development

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58248/HS84

Overview

The horizon scan identified recruitment, retention, training and development of the teaching workforce as being of relevance to parliament over the next 5 years. As education is devolved, this article focuses on education in England unless otherwise specified.

Government data shows that the number of teachers in state-funded schools has increased over the last decade, from 441,000 teachers (full-time equivalent) in 2010/11 compared to 469,000 in 2023/24.[1] However, the increase in teachers has been at a slower rate than pupil numbers, with accompanying rises in classroom sizes and teaching vacancies.[2],[3]

There are a range of financial and other incentives in place to encourage recruitment and retention and, in 2019, the government introduced a new Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy.[4] Incentives for teacher training and development include financial bursaries, student loan reimbursements, funded early-career support, and leadership qualifications.

Challenges and opportunities

Researchers have expressed concerns over both teacher recruitment and retention.

Apart from 2020/21, the number of entrants to postgraduate Initial Teacher Training, which is the main source of new teachers, has been under target since 2015/16. In 2023/24, 21,946 entrants were recruited, 62% of the target.[5] This varied for primary and secondary subjects (96% and 50% of their respective targets), and individual subjects (for example, physical education was oversubscribed at 181%, whereas physics was undersubscribed at 17%).

As of 2023, the retention rate for teachers five years after qualifying was 68%.1

Researchers identified several related explanations for low recruitment and retention, including:

• health-related factors such as stress, burnout and impacts on wellbeing[6],[7],[8]
• job-related factors such as workload,3,7,8,[9],[10] pay,3,7,8,[11] lack of flexible working,2,3,8,9,[12] opportunities for professional development,2,7 and the level of autonomy teachers feel they have in their job[13]
• broader factors such as school leadership,7,[14] the impact of inspection regimes,2 and perceptions of professional identity6,[15]

There are also potential pressures on the future development and training of teachers. Researchers noted a range of challenges that the teaching workforce needs to be equipped for, for example to support new curricula or qualifications (such as T Levels, CBP7951), manage classroom behaviour in larger classes,8,9 or ensure teaching supports diversity and inclusion.8

Linked to this, research highlights a lack of diversity in the workforce, in relation to teachers and headteachers from minority ethnic groups.[16],[17] Government figures for 2023/24 suggested that, while ethnic diversity of the teacher workforce had increased since 2010/11, it was still lower than for the population. In 2023/24, 16% of teachers identified as belonging to an ethnic minority group, up from 11% in 2010/11, compared to around 23% in the 2021 Census. In addition, a lower proportion of teachers identifying in an ethnic minority group held leadership positions, compared to those from White British backgrounds.1 Research suggests that teacher diversity can positively influence pupil outcomes and engagement, particularly for underrepresented groups.17

Previous government strategies have offered a range of financial incentives for teacher training, such as subject-specific bursaries and scholarships, early-career payments, and student loan reimbursements.2 While some financial incentives have been shown to improve recruitment and retention, their use may be affected by affordability and economic factors, such as the performance of the wider labour market.[18]

In 2019, the Department for Education (DfE) published its Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, which included reforming school accountability to reduce workload burdens on teaching staff, reducing workload more broadly, improving early-career support and the offer for mid-career teachers, and making recruitment easier.4 As part of this strategy, in 2022, the DfE rolled out the Early Career Framework,[19] which included more support for initiatives such as mentoring. In a 2024 report, the Education Committee highlighted the continuing need for improvements in teacher recruitment and retention, especially in light of upcoming demographic pressures.9 In particular, secondary school pupil numbers are projected to be higher in the period 2024-2027 than in 2023.[20]

Key uncertainties/unknowns

• There are gaps in knowledge about how different factors affect teacher retention and recruitment,[21],[22] and mixed evidence on the effectiveness of approaches in place to improve both recruitment and retention.7,[23],[24]
• Initiatives targeted on particular subjects may improve teacher recruitment and retention in that subject but may also have unintended consequences for other subjects.9
• It is unclear how current education policy, for example, governing curriculum and assessment, affects teacher recruitment and retention, and it is therefore difficult to ascertain the impact of any future policy changes.6,8 A 2023 report by the Department for Education featured findings from a survey of over 11,000 teachers, which found that 25% of those surveyed were considering leaving the state school sector in the next 12 months for reasons other than retirement.8 Within this group, 76% cited government initiatives or policy changes as the reason. Further research could investigate the reasons behind this, and what could be done to mitigate some of the reasons why teaching staff leave.
• A 2024 Education Committee report highlighted differences in teacher recruitment and retention across different geographical regions, however there is a lack of available data to accurately measure or interpret this.9

Key questions for Parliament

• What is the cost-effectiveness and impact of existing initiatives to increase teacher retention and recruitment?
• How can government and schools improve the recruitment and retention of teachers in the future, particularly for under-represented groups?
• How might the skills and experiences that teachers need, individually and collectively, change in the future? Are national and local training infrastructures set up to provide these skills?
• Do the current funding, accountability and inspection regimes support or hinder the recruitment, development and retention of teachers?

References

[1] Department for Education (2024). School workforce in England, Reporting year 2023

[2] House of Commons Library (2024). Teacher recruitment and retention in England UK Parliament

[3] McLean, D., Worth, J. and Faulkner-Ellis, H. (2023). Teacher Labour Market in England Annual Report 2023 NFER.

[4] Department for Education (2019). Teacher recruitment and retention strategy

[5] Department for Education (2023). Initial Teacher Training Census, Academic year 2023/24

[6] Towers, E. et al (2022).  A profession in crisis? Teachers’ responses to England’s high-stakes accountability reforms in secondary education Teaching and Teacher Education, Volume 117

[7] Doherty, J. (2020). A systematic review of literature on teacher attrition and school-related factors that affect it Teacher  Education Advancement Network Journal, 12(1), 75– 84.

[8] Adams, L. et al. (2023). Working lives of teachers and leaders – wave 1: research report Department for Education

[9] Education Committee (2024). Teacher recruitment, training and retention UK Parliament

[10] Martin, K. et al. (2023). A review of current practice focusing on the strategies used to manage teachers workload in English schools Education Endowment Foundation

[11] Tang,S. and Worth, J. (2023). Policy options for a long-term teacher pay and financial incentives strategy NFER

[12] Worth, J. et al. (2023). Understanding the factors that support the recruitment and retention of teachers – review of flexible working approaches Education Endowment Foundation

[13] Worth, J. and Van den Brande, J. (2020). Teacher autonomy: how does it relate to job satisfaction and retention?  NFER and Teacher Development Trust

[14] Nguyen, D. et al. (2023). A rapid evidence assessment focussing on how school leadership, culture and climate support teacher retention Education Endowment Foundation

[15] Rushton, E. et al. (2023). Understanding teacher identity in teachers’ professional lives: A systematic review of the literature Review of Education, 11, e3417

[16] Worth, J. et al. (2022). Racial equality in the teacher workforce NFER

[17] Demie, F. and Huat See, B. (2022). Rethinking how we can improve the diversity of the teaching workforce in England BERA

[18] Worth, J. et al. (2022). The impact of pay and financial incentives on teacher supply NFER

[19] Department for Education (2022). Changes to statutory induction for early career teachers (ECTs)

[20] Department for Education (2024).  National pupil projections See Reporting Years 2024 and 2023.

[21] Morris, R. et al. (2021). Teacher shortage in England – new evidence for understanding and addressing current challenges Impact. Issue 11: Teacher Recruitment, Retention and Progression, Spring 2021

[22] Huat See, B. et al. (2021). Rethinking the complex determinants of teacher shortages Research Features

[23] McLean, D. et al. (2023). The impact of training bursaries on teacher recruitment and retention NFER

[24][24] Gorard, S. et al. (2021). Who wants to be a teacher? Findings from a survey of undergraduates in England Educational Studies 2023, Vol. 49, No. 6, 914–936

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