Mel Stride MP has backed a new Government strategy aimed at boosting the recruitment and retention of teachers, describing the issue as “essential” for improving education standards. The reforms will include teachers in England receiving more early career support, opportunities for flexible and part-time working, and a reduction in their workload. The priorities in the strategy, announced last week, have been defined with leading education unions, who have co-signed a commitment to help teachers and school leaders implement the strategy so that it has maximum impact in schools. It will:
Create the Early Career Framework, backed by at least £130million a year in extra funding when fully rolled out, to give teachers more support early in their careers.
- Reduce the amount of data entry and simplify the accountability system to clarify when a school may be subject to intervention or offered support.
- Introduce extra financial incentives for talented teachers to stay in the classroom.
- Simplying the process of applying to become a teacher.
- Create a more diverse range of options for career progression.
Mel, who visited Cheriton Fitzpaine Primary School last month, said:
“34,500 trainees joined the teaching profession in 2018 and we need build on this success. Being a teacher is a very demanding and difficult job and we need to retain as many as possible. More support and less admin for teachers early in their careers is a step in the right direction, as is providing extra financial incentives to keep good teachers in education in the face of a strong and competitive jobs market.”
