Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase teacher retention.

High quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education, which is why we are committed to tackling the crisis in teacher recruitment and retention this government inherited.

It is vital to retain our existing teachers to ensure a sufficient high quality workforce, and the department is committed to tackling retention challenges, making work pay and supporting teachers to stay in the profession and thrive. A key first step is to ensure teaching is once again a respected and attractive profession and that teachers get the pay they deserve, which is why this government has accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools from September this year.

Alongside teacher pay, new teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing in the first five years of their careers can now also receive a targeted retention incentive of up to £6,000 after-tax if working in disadvantaged schools.

Helping teachers remain and thrive in the profession is not just about pay and financial reward, but also about workload and wellbeing. The department has made an early decision to remove the single headline Ofsted grade, which put unnecessary pressure on teachers and leaders. We have also made available a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing, including the ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service and the ‘education staff wellbeing charter’.

The department is also committed to supporting schools to implement flexible working practices, including undertaking planning, preparation and assessment time remotely, to improve recruitment and retention of teachers. In addition, the department has also developed an online toolkit of resources and is funding free webinar training and bespoke peer support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts.