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Section: Impact Journal

From the editor

DR JANET RAMDEO  ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN EDUCATION AND HEAD OF INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH, UK  ‘Who gets ahead?’ This question was the basis of a 12-month study conducted by Wilson et al. (2006) examining how the intersectional experiences of disability, age, ethnicity and gender affect teachers’ career prospects. Their findings painted a picture […]

A reflective narrative on supporting international trainee teachers to thrive when teaching in English schools

SHALINI BHORKAR, ROBERT CAMPBELL AND JULIETTE CLARO, ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY, TWICKENHAM, UK Teacher recruitment and retention remain ongoing challenges in England (Maisuria et al., 2023). Most notably, recruitment of modern foreign language (MFL) and physics trainee teachers is particularly stark (DfE, 2025a). To address under-recruitment in these subjects, government bursaries are now available to international candidates. […]

‘Putting the children first, fighting their corner, being prepared to stick their head above a parapet’: Exploring reasons for the SENDCo recruitment crisis

NAOMI ASHMAN, DOCTORAL STUDENT, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON, UK Introduction There is currently a SENDCo recruitment and retention crisis (Robertson, 2023). Many find fulfilling SENDCo responsibilities unsustainable and are reluctant to remain in the role (Curran and Boddison, 2021). Reasons for attrition include overwhelming workload, inadequate time and insufficient funding for special educational needs and disability […]

Designing new pathways into teaching: Widening access, representation and inclusion in school communities through teacher degree apprenticeships

ANDY DAVIES, PROJECT CO-LEAD; DEPUTY DEAN, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, SPORT AND HEALTH SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK LIS BUNDOCK, PROJECT CO-LEAD; ASSOCIATE DEAN (EDUCATION AND STUDENT EXPERIENCE), UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK RICHARD HARVEY-SWANSTON, SENIOR LECTURER, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK ROB CORBETT, APPRENTICE AMBASSADOR, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK ALLISON GODFREY, EMPLOYER COORDINATOR, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK  POLLY HERBERT, HEAD OF INITIAL TEACHER […]

Beyond the pipeline: Drivers of ethnic disparities in teacher recruitment, retention and progression in England

JULIET KOTONYA AND KATHERINE ASTON, NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, UK Introduction England’s pupil population is becoming increasingly ethnically diverse, yet the ethnic make-up of the teaching workforce remains unrepresentative (Demie and Huat See, 2022). This shows up in schools as disparities in who enters teaching, who remains and who progresses into leadership. Representation of teachers […]

A case study of implementing inclusive academic assessment practice for trainees in an employment-based ITE programme

FRANCINE MCMAHON, AMBER DUIVENVOORDEN AND KATHERINE KINSHAW, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, BATH SPA UNIVERSITY, UK Introduction  Inclusive practices in higher education institutions have been exploring different academic assessment practices to meet the diverse needs of cohorts. This has been in response to the Bristol vs Abrahart case (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2024) and a growing awareness of […]

Enhancing action in supporting international pre-service science teachers via self-study

ROBERT CAMPBELL, ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY, TWICKENHAM, UK RACHEL DAVIES, KING’S COLLEGE, LONDON, UK  DAN COTTLE, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, UK  CAROLINE NEUBERG, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK ELEANOR WYLIE, INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS, UK Introduction Since 2022, international pre-service science teachers (PSSTs) specialising in physics have also been eligible for a bursary, resulting in a fourfold increase in international applications to study PGCE […]

How can training on culturally responsive mentoring support the integration and inclusion of international trainee teachers on a secondary PGCE?

JULIETTE CLARO, LECTURER IN EDUCATION, ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY TWICKENHAM SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, UK; CO-CHAIR OF THE UCET SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP IN SUPPORTING INTERNATIONAL TRAINEE TEACHERS In the last two years, the number of international trainee teachers on the PGCE secondary at St Mary’s University has exponentially increased, reflecting the national trends in the teacher labour market […]

‘We train dogs but we educate people’: How listening to student voice shapes successful and wider outcomes in initial teacher education – findings from a co-research approach

MEGAN STEPHENSON, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK DEBORAH GARCIA, HEAD OF ITE PARTNERSHIPS, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK SAMANTHA WILKES, SENIOR LECTURER, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK ALICE BOYCE, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND CHILDHOOD PRIMARY GRADUATE AND EARLY CAREER TEACHER, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK Abstract This think piece explores what has helped a long-established university provider of teacher education […]

Mastery goals and need-supportive motivation as tools for equity in teacher education: A perspective

BURÇIN DEĞIRMEN, TEV İNANÇ TÜRKEŞ HIGH SCHOOL, GEBZE, TURKEY Abstract This article explores how mastery goals and need-supportive environments can promote equity in teacher education. Drawing on achievement goal theory (Elliot and McGregor, 2001) and self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 2000), it highlights the importance of not only what learning goals pre-service teachers pursue but also […]

Mentoring with an equity, diversity and inclusion lens

NATASHA RAHEEM, ASSISTANT VICE PRINCIPAL, DIXONS CENTRE FOR GROWTH, DIXONS ACADEMIES TRUST, UK Before sharing evidence-based recommendations that can help mentors to support mentees from underrepresented backgrounds, I’ll begin by referring to the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) Racial Equality in the Teacher Workforce research report. The report shows that there is an overrepresentation of […]

Supporting trainee teacher resilience through mentoring

GEMMA MOLYNEUX, CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT ADVISER, STOCKTON SCITT, UK Introduction Last year, Schools Week reported that the drop-out rate on initial teacher training (ITT) courses had doubled since 2019 (Whittaker, 2024). Although this year’s figures indicate that the overall percentage has remained steady at seven per cent, the percentage of trainees who do not achieve QTS is […]

Working-class teacher: Why a socio-economically diverse workforce matters

CLARE O’SULLIVAN, THE PTI, UK Class still counts In the UK, education is often described as a ladder of opportunity. Yet the profession at the heart of this promise – the teaching workforce – remains disproportionately middle class. Unlike ethnicity or gender, socio-economic background is not recorded in major national datasets such as the School Workforce […]

How to retain teacher-mothers: Practical steps for the return-to-work period

MADELAINE BEST, PhD STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF READING, UK; ASSISTANT HEAD, CRANLEIGH SCHOOL, UK Introduction In the year 2022 to 2023, nearly 40,000 working-age teachers left the profession. This represented 8.8 per cent of the teaching workforce (DfE, 2024). The most significant group of leavers are women aged 30 to 39; existing research suggests that motherhood is […]

Early Years educators and the equity gap: A call for visibility, progression and professional recognition

REBECCA UNDERWOOD, RESEARCH IMPACT ASSISTANT, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TEACHING, UK Despite all the speeches, strategies and pledges promising equity in education, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), including Reception, is still waiting to be treated as an equal. EYFS pedagogy is too often misunderstood, undervalued or ignored in the decisions that shape the profession’s direction. The […]

Umbrellas, funnels and fans: A narrative inquiry into the lived experience of subject middle leaders in English secondary schools

DOMINIC BURRELL, EdD, CANTERBURY CHRIST CHURCH UNIVERSITY, UK Subject middle leadership is described in academic research as a powerful engine for creating and sustaining change within English secondary schools (Ainsworth et al., 2024). Journals of education management support the importance of these roles, often aiming to quantify their potential impact. My doctoral thesis aimed to refocus […]

Equity in teacher education: Addressing diversity from ITT to leadership

SUSI WATERS, NORFOLK RESEARCH SCHOOL, NORWICH, UK Teaching is a uniquely rewarding profession, bringing with it the chance to change students’ lives and influence their futures. However, the diversity of the teaching workforce doesn’t reflect that of the student body in most schools. For example, men are twice as likely to take on leadership positions as women, even […]