Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of teachers in (i) Dudley and (ii) England.

It is a top priority of the Government to ensure that we continue to attract, retain, and develop the high quality teachers we need to inspire the next generation. The Department is moving forward with delivering the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, which the Government published in January 2019: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/786856/DFE_Teacher_Retention_Strategy_Report.pdf. This includes commitments to reduce teacher workload, improve continuing professional development, and offer greater opportunities for flexible working.

The Department has started to roll out the Early Career Framework (ECF) – the biggest teaching reform in a generation – to provide the solid foundations for a successful career in teaching: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/early-career-framework-reforms. This will be backed by up to £130 million a year in funding when fully rolled out in 2021. Early roll-out from autumn 2020 is taking place in selected areas (such as the North East, Greater Manchester, Bradford, and Doncaster).

The new Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework, published in November 2019 for implementation from September 2020, is a mandatory core minimum entitlement for all trainees, and will work coherently with the ECF to ensure that all new teachers benefit from at least 3 years of evidence-based training, across ITT and into induction. More information about the ITT Core Content Framework is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-core-content-framework.

The Department is also launching new National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) from September 2021. The new NPQs will offer high quality professional development for teachers and school leaders at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice, to those leading multiple schools across trusts. More information about the reform of NPQs is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-professional-qualifications-npqs-reforms/national-professional-qualifications-npqs-reforms.

We know there is further to go in some subjects. That is why we have put in place a range of measures, including bursaries worth up to £24,000 and scholarships worth up to £26,000, to encourage talented trainees towards key subjects such as chemistry, computing, Mathematics, and physics. Further guidance about early career payments for teachers is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/early-career-payments-guidance-for-teachers-and-schools.

Whilst the implementation of these commitments will support all schools, the Department recognises that some schools and local areas face greater challenges with recruitment and retention than others.

To supplement the national strategy, we are also delivering targeted programmes to support recruitment and retention in challenging areas, including funding a range of regionally targeted initiatives. Eligible Mathematics teachers in Dudley will be able to apply for uplifted early-career payments of £7,500 in their third and fifth years of teaching if they started their training in the 2018/19 or 2019/20 academic years. Eligible Mathematics, physics, chemistry, and languages teachers in Dudley will also be able to apply for £3000 per year in their second, third, and fourth years of teaching if they started training in the 2020/21 academic year.