Our researchers at the School of Education have contributed to a series of reports aimed at helping schools in disadvantaged areas attract and retain high-quality teachers.
The three reports were commissioned by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.
The reports support the EEF’s flagship research theme for 2023: supporting the recruitment and retention of teachers to schools with high levels of socio-economically disadvantaged pupils.
Researchers from our School of Education led a review looking specifically at the importance of leadership on staff retention.
They found that prioritising teacher development, building an equitable support system, promoting collegiality, and maintaining a positive school climate are all effective leadership approaches to motivate and retain teachers.
Our researchers make a series of recommendations to schools wishing to improve their recruitment and retention.
These include implementing robust Continuing Professional Development programmes for staff and helping teachers manage their workload effectively.
However, they say further study is necessary to really understand why teachers stay at some schools but quickly move on from others.
Our researchers suggest that tracking teachers as they move schools and experience different leaders and working environments could be one way to better understand why certain schools are more successful at retaining staff than others.
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