The most important resource in any school is the teachers; However we know that in this area, the education system is facing a real challenge; not only in attracting talented teachers into the profession, but also – crucially - keeping hold of them.
Around 1 in 2 new teachers currently leave the profession within the first five years
The recruitment and retention challenge has caused the education system, not least the DfE, to take stock and reflect. In response, the DfE have published the ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework in the hope of improving the quality of early career learning and support for teachers.
At Kyra, our aim is to be ambitious for children and professionals, so we have also been reflecting on what we can do to attract and retain excellent teachers in Linconshire schools. At our Early Career round table event in October 2019, we welcomed Professor Sam Twiselton (Chair of the advisory group, which reviewed the core content of the DfE’s new ITT Core Content Framework) and a representation of headteachers from across our partnership of schools.
At the event colleagues discussed the retention challenge; both nationwide, and more specifically, how it is manifesting in Lincolnshire, and affecting Lincolnshire schools. We then considered potential strategies to improve retention levels overall across the county, and how they could be implemented.
The new year is the perfect time to be able to reflect on these discussions and use them as a catalyst for change and development - we hope you find the report and interview below insightful and useful. These will be the first of several articles that we will share in the coming weeks, looking at supporting and retaining early career teachers, remaining ambitious for our next generation of teachers and the impact they can have upon the children of Lincolnshire.
Warm regards,
Marie-Claire Bretherton
You can read the following articles based around Early Career Teaching by following the links: