The most important resource in our schools and settings is the staff that we employ. Research confirms that well-qualified, high-quality teachers and support staff are vital in achieving the best outcomes for pupils. At a time when the sector is experiencing severe pressures around recruitment and retention, schools are looking for new and innovative ways to retain the staff they already have, and to attract the best new recruits.
With a limited number of new teachers coming into the sector, and a high number of teachers leaving the profession, leaders face a limited pool of staff available for recruitment. This means that a key focus for school leaders must be on retaining the teachers they already have. Finding ways to manage staff workload and support wellbeing are rightly being seen as a high priority, not only to attract and retain staff, but also as a way of promoting their values.
Why does retention matter?
Where turnover of teachers in a school is low, this helps ensure consistency for learners. Schools invest large sums of money in training and supporting their teachers and other staff to improve the quality of teaching and learning. When those staff leave, perhaps after only a short period of time, this investment effectively moves with them.
Another key reason why retention matters is that the ‘institutional memory’ of a school is in danger of being lost where staff turnover is high. This makes it harder to induct new teachers into the schools’ policies, ethos and approach. Where few long-serving staff remain in post, it can be difficult to offer effective support for new recruits. There may also be limited staff available to mentor early career teachers in their first couple of years in the profession.