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Schools in England

The evidence found on this page relates to teacher supply in schools in England. It is a resource for professional and research communities concerned with the recruitment and retention of teachers and support for their professional development. As such it is relevant for policy-makers, school leaders, leaders of Multi-Academy Trusts, professional bodies, providers of professional learning, researchers and practitioners undertaking studies of teacher retention and strategic development to enhance teachers’ working lives.

The majority of the evidence provided is open access. It includes policy documents, reports, academic journal articles, books and chapters, briefings and blogs, and news and commentary published since 2019.

Each summary is labelled with its resource type and tagged with one or more themes. You can use the filters below to show only the evidence of a particular resource type or on a particular theme, and selecting a tag on any summary will take you to all resources sharing that theme. The search bar covers the full library, so results may include evidence relating to Further Education as well as schools; the sector is shown on each result. Each summary links to the original source where it is available.

Teacher recruitment, retention and progression. Supporting career development for all

Summary:

This edition of the journal Impact, by the Chartered College of Teaching, provides a collection of brief articles that examine teacher recruitment and retention from differing perspectives. There is notable attention to the ways in which school culture and leadership affects teacher retention and to the ways in which discrimination...
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The wellbeing of the school workforce in England

Summary:

This EPI research analyses personal wellbeing of educators using Annual Population Survey data from 2011-12 to 2017-18 across samples of 2,500-3,000 teachers annually. The analysis examines life satisfaction, happiness and worthwhile life ratings compared with other professions, contributing to evidence on teacher wellbeing factors affecting recruitment and retention decisions. This...
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Teacher shortages in England. Analysis and pay options

Summary:

This EPI report analysed the relationship between teacher pay and recruitment/retention problems, particularly in shortage subjects such as maths, sciences and languages. The report documents that, in 2020, only 54% of teachers in shortage subjects had relevant degrees (compared to 68% generally) and identified that retention rates are particularly poor...
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The effects of high-quality professional development on teachers and students

Summary:

This EPI review synthesises evidence from EEF trials and other research on how high-quality professional development and continuous professional development (CPD) support teacher retention and wellbeing. The report notes that most trials offered qualitative process evaluations of teacher experiences and identifies evidence-based approaches to CPD that support teacher retention....
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Exploring Teacher Recruitment and Retention: contextual challenges from international perspectives

Summary:

This is an edited volume that examines the persistence of challenges for teacher retention and recruitment across contexts and the unequal impacts on the most disadvantaged communities. The book is in two parts with Part 1 exploring the challenges in the English context and the unequal impacts of teacher shortages...
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Afterword – Exploring Teacher Recruitment and Retention: contextual challenges and international perspectives

Summary:

This afterword to the book by the same authors provides a critical overview of the international dimensions of multiple, situated challenges in recruiting and retaining teachers. It draws attention to the ‘discord’ between the bodies that control teacher training and teachers’ professional development and the research-informed findings and recommendations of...
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RETAIN: A research-informed model of continuing professional development for early career teacher retention

Summary:

This chapter presents evaluation research about RETAIN, a pilot programme of continuing professional development (CPD) located in Cornwall, England, that was designed to retain early career teachers (ECTs). It explores the place-based challenges and potential solutions offered by the programme, which aimed to support teacher retention in the context of...
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Understanding the challenges of teacher recruitment and retention for ‘educationally isolated’ schools in England

Summary:

The chapter presents a research-informed conceptualisation of ‘educational isolation’ to understand the nature of place-based, contextual school challenges for teacher recruitment and retention in England. The authors’ research exposes how educationally isolated schools are typically located in coastal and rural areas and experience limited access to resources for school improvement...
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Education Isolation: A challenge for schools in England

Summary:

This report examines educational isolation and the impacts of long-term under-funding on the recruitment and retention of teachers for schools working in contexts that are impacted by geographical location, socio-economic disadvantage and disadvantage due to limited diversity or access to cultural resources....
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