Million Plus

Modern universities have a long history of teacher education, and despite a diversification of routes into teaching in recent years, these institutions continue to be at the forefront of the field, both in terms of research into pedagogy and the practice of initial teacher training and education.

There are significant, longstanding difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified teachers across England which must be addressed. While none of these should be taken in isolation, these factors include: pay and benefits; the high cost of living; workload; work-life balance; policy changes; and career development opportunities. Research by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) identifies three key issues that impact on retention as they compare to equivalent graduate professions: (a) salary levels; (b) working hours; (c) flexible ways of working, particularly post-COVID.

Addressing these challenges in ITE should be the priority of any incoming Government. The reforms outlined in this document would go some way to meeting that aim, to the benefit of teachers, students and schools

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