Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to retain male teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

The Department is working to increase the diversity of the teaching workforce. In October 2018, we published our Statement of Intent, setting out the Department’s commitment to increasing the diversity of the teaching workforce. The Department wants to see improved pathways and a workforce that supports the progression and retention of all teachers, regardless of their gender.

In January 2019, the Department launched the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, which set out several priorities for reform and investment. This included commitments to reduce workload; improved continuing professional development for teachers; and greater opportunities for flexible working. It also included the biggest teaching reform in a generation: the Early Career Framework (ECF) reforms, which will ensure that all new teachers have a mentor and dedicated time set aside to focus on developing the knowledge, practices and working habits to set them up for a fulfilling and successful career in teaching. Early roll-out of the ECF reforms started in Autumn 2020, with full national roll-out starting in Autumn 2021.

In addition, one of the Department’s top priorities is to ensure that we continue to attract the high-quality teachers we need, regardless of their gender. We have announced plans for salaries for new teachers to rise to £30,000 by 2022-23. This will make starting salaries significantly more competitive in the graduate labour market.