The Retention Crisis is seldom spoken about, especially compared to its more prominent twin, The Recruitment Crisis. Nonetheless, the figures associated with Retention Crisis are deeply unsettling. Eager to understand the story behind these figures and the optimal response strategies, we were fortunate enough to attend an eclectic smattering of talks on the subject at the [...]
Introduction The DfE’s long-awaited ‘Recruitment and Retention Strategy’ was released today and, as you might expect, there is plenty to discuss and dissect. Broadly, we echo the enthusiasm of other pundits and industry leaders. The Recruitment and Retention Strategy (RRS) is bold, well-informed and could rewrite the fundamentals of how the teaching workforce is organised. [...]
The Challenge Many schools use agency staff on a long-term basis. In fact, some agency staff can work in schools for years and still be 'on the agency's books'. This incurs a massive accumulation of cost that's crippling school budgets and hurting teachers – but it's been the price of having off-payroll staff for [...]
When it comes to hosting events, LKMco are known for two things: exciting salons of solutions-oriented thinking and stellar spreads of food and drink. Last night’s event, titled “Flexible Working: How can we take the force out of the teacher workforce?” was no exception. Teacher Booker were delighted to attend and participate in a wide-ranging [...]
The past year has been filled with several calls for schools to offer more opportunities for part-time and flexible work to teachers. The reasons are straightforward: Teaching is gripped by a recruitment and retention crisis, both at the national and local scale. More teachers are leaving the classroom – and often the education sector entirely – than [...]
"At a time when our schools have to ask parents to give extra money for books and classroom essentials, it’s crazy we’re spending half a billion pounds a year just on agency fees. That money should be spent on teachers and the badly needed resources our children need to get a world class education" [...]
Hold tight, teachers. The blissful freefall of summer holidays is only just around the corner. Only a few weeks until it’s the season of late nights, lie-ins and low-key lounging. But for many, this time of year can be a little bittersweet. Because cometh the end of the year, cometh a parting of ways for [...]
With stress levels thoroughly tested throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and 35% of teachers recently reporting they would “definitely” not be in education by 2026, schools need to prioritise maximising teachers’ wellbeing now more than ever. We look at what school leaders can do to turn the tide on this challenging outlook. Back in 1930, economist [...]
Introduction Outrage at public sector cuts is now so routine, that it’s hard to feel any authentic anger towards the government. But ire, in this instance, is appropriate. With school funding set to remain flat for the next two years despite inflation, schools are fated to have to make their own cuts – most worryingly, [...]
Let me start with a confession: for the past few years, I’ve felt like something of a fraud. In spite of my open endorsement of teachers becoming better informed about educational research, I’d never attended a ResearchED event. Sandbagged with shame I decided enough was enough and made the pilgrimage up north to Birmingham for [...]
