As we embark on a new academic year, the issue of teacher recruitment and retention continues to present challenges for schools up and down the country. Staff shortages, especially in key curriculum areas, are seeing an increasing number of pupils being taught by non-subject specialists. This along with rising numbers of pupils is creating added pressure for schools and their teachers. Whilst this undeniably has a negative effect on pupils, it also has a serious impact on teachers’ mental health and wellbeing.
While there is no overnight solution, this growing issue has inspired myself and my team at Mowbray Education Trust to rethink our approach to nurturing and rewarding teacher talent. Now more than ever, it is vital that we provide the best possible professional development and wellbeing provision for teachers, to help boost self-fulfilment and overall job satisfaction. This sparked our Trust-wide mission to increase meaningful initiatives that improve the career opportunities and lives of our valued staff members.
At Mowbray Education Trust, our ethos centres around a shared agreement that children must come first in every decision. This ensures that each policy in place and every project we pursue is focused on further benefiting our pupils. Since teachers are the most crucial point of contact for pupils, it is vital that they are well looked after and supported to be their best selves in the classroom. This ultimately enhances pupil outcomes and contributes towards a positive and ambitious culture within the Trust. Here are my top tips for how to nurture and reward teacher talent within a Trust to create meaningful impacts for both staff and pupils.
Building a framework for teacher talent
The most valuable aspect we considered whilst building our framework to bolster teachers was the why: why is it so important to foster and retain teaching talent? Research clearly points to high-quality teaching as being the factor that has the biggest impact on student outcomes. Our vision is to deliver a first-class education for every pupil attending our schools; therefore, we strive for first-class teaching in every classroom. Critical evaluation has helped us to determine our objectives, measures for success and develop strategies to improve the quality of teachers’ professional opportunities and achieve our vision.