Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has conducted a review of the impact of the pandemic on teacher recruitment and retention strategies.

Recent data shows that there are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England, an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE teachers on record since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.

The Department has continued to implement the significant reforms that were set out in the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy in 2019, despite the pandemic.

The Department has transformed training, support and professional development for all new teachers, creating an entitlement to at least three years of evidence based training, across initial training and into their induction. This includes the biggest teaching reform in a generation, the Early Career Framework, which provides the solid foundations for a successful career in teaching, backed by over £130 million a year in funding.

The Department has launched a new and updated suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) 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. Since autumn 2021, eligible teachers and leaders have been able to access scholarships to undertake fully funded NPQs.

The Department has published a range of resources to help schools address teacher workload, prioritise staff wellbeing and support schools to introduce flexible working practices. The Department has worked in partnership with the education sector and mental health experts to create the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter which schools are encouraged to sign up to as a shared commitment to promote staff wellbeing. More than 2,700 schools and colleges have signed up to the Charter, which has been downloaded over 30,000 times.

Building on a successful pilot, the Department is investing over £1.1 million to provide professional supervision and counselling to school and college leaders. Over 1,000 headteachers have benefitted from the support so far. On 12 June 2023, the Department announced the expansion of the programme, doubling places this year, so that more school leaders can have access to this valuable support.