• Coronavirus: Be 'flexible' on resignations to avoid recruitment blockage, schools told

    Schools should be “flexible” over staff resignation dates to ensure there’s not a “deficit of teachers” unable to move this year, with leaders urged to conduct interviews online. Education unions say schools should not be conducting face-to-face interviews amid the coronavirus outbreak, and instead should consider managing applications and interviews virtually. In this difficult period,…

    7.00 Apr. 4th, 2020 | News

  • QTS skills tests set to be scrapped

    The numeracy and literacy skills entry tests that prospective teachers must pass to start training are set to be ditched, Schools Week understands. The move could boost the government’s efforts to reach its teacher recruitment targets – at least 3,500 would-be teachers have failed the compulsory tests every year since 2012. The move, expected to…

    5.00 Jul. 12th, 2019 | News

  • The Early Career Framework: disconnected, piecemeal and lacking ambition!

    The government’s teacher recruitment and retention strategy has been warmly welcomed in most quarters, but David Spendlove finds it seriously lacking The Early Career Framework launched by Damian Hinds on Monday has been described as “bold” and as “game changer” so why do I see it as a low cost, low ambition gesture? Firstly, let…

    12.00 Jan. 29th, 2019 | Opinion

  • Hinds is right to shift focus from recruitment to retention

    The recruitment and retention strategy covers the right areas, but will need to develop effective policy detail quickly to deliver what is needed, says Jack Worth I was chatting to a teacher recently, speculating on what might be included in the Department for Education’s long-awaited teacher recruitment and retention strategy. “Why is recruitment always seen…

    9.11 Jan. 28th, 2019 | Opinion

  • Recruitment and retention strategy pledges £130m for new teacher induction

    The education secretary has finally unveiled his teacher recruitment and retention strategy, pledging a £130 million reduced timetable and two-year training package for new teachers and an end to onerous floor and coasting schools standards. The strategy, which builds on a number of announcements made by Damian Hinds last year, will be published today, more…

    0.01 Jan. 28th, 2019 | News

  • Teacher supply and school funding on the agenda for new Social Mobility Commission team

    The rejuvenated Social Mobility Commission will investigate school funding issues and the teacher recruitment and retention crisis, its new chair has said. Dame Martina Milburn pledged to “change things” as she introduced 12 new commissioners and announced £2 million of additional government research funding at a re-launch event at a central London college this week.…

    15.33 Dec. 11th, 2018 | News

  • Teacher drop-outs rise in every subject, and 8 more workforce findings

    The rate of teachers dropping out of the classroom increased for every single subject between 2015 and last year, new figures show. The Department for Education has published its latest analysis of data on teacher supply, retention and mobility. The analysis is published twice a year. Officials analysed the school workforce census data and initial teacher…

    11.40 Sep. 27th, 2018 | News

  • Schools won't have to contribute to early career bonuses for maths teachers

    The government has confirmed it will proceed with its plans for early career bonuses for maths teachers who choose to stay in the profession, and has announced that schools will not have to contribute at all to the payments. In October last year Schools Week reported that the maximum bursary on offer to new maths…

    13.08 Aug. 31st, 2018 | News

  • DfE property company considers onsite housing for teachers

    The government-backed company tasked with buying sites for new schools is looking at providing housing for teachers in new developments, its chief executive has revealed. Lara Newman (pictured below) has told an event in London that LocatED is “in the very early stages” of developing onsite housing for teachers at schools in some areas, though there…

    13.05 Apr. 17th, 2018 | News