Q: How can we improve teacher retention? A: professional development
Written By: Author(s): Costa Constantinou
3 min read
If we want teachers to stay, we must give them the skills they need to be confident practitioners
Teaching has always been demanding – but it seems to be getting worse. Workload is one of the major causes of driving some 10% of teachers in the UK to leave the profession each year. In the last two years, 90% of teachers have thought about leaving, according to a survey of over 16,000 members of the National Union of Teachers’ (NUT).
Research by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (Allen et al, 2016) also shows that around 40% of teachers leave the profession just five years after starting teacher training. So, of the 40,000 trainee teachers who will enter the profession this year and next, more than 16,000 will have left by 2023.
The road to retention
It seems that far more teachers than ever before are choosing to say goodbye to classroom life in what would once have been a life-long career. A 2016 report by the National College for Teaching and Leadership suggests that those in ethnic minorities are often the first to go. According to research by the Runnyme
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This article was published in November 2017 and reflects the terminology and understanding of research and evidence in use at the time. Some terms and conclusions may no longer align with current standards. We encourage readers to approach the content with an understanding of this context.
References
- Schools Week. (2017) Highest teacher leaving rate in a decade – and 6 other things we learned about the school workforce.
- Department of Education. (2016).School Workforce in England.
- Ofsted. (2006) The logical chain: continuing professional development in effective schools.
- Runnymede Trust. (2017) Visible and Invisible Barriers: the impact of racism on BME teachers.
- Allen, R et al (2016). The Longer-Term Costs and Benefits of Different Initial Teacher Training Routes. (Institute for Fiscal Studies).
- National College Teaching and Leadership (2016) Linking ITT and workforce data: (Initial Teacher Training Performance Profiles and School Workforce Census).
- NUT (2017) The National Union of Teachers (NUT) conducted a survey of over 16,000 teachers.
- William, D. (2001). Embedded Formative Assessment. (Perfect Paperback).
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