HM Government

Developing a world-class teaching profession

The professionalism of the school workforce is the key to what happens within schools- a pupil taught by one of the most effective teachers will typically learn at twice the speed of one taught by one of the least effective. We need to maintain a relentless focus on improving teaching and learning in all schools, and to continue to invest in the best quality school leaders and the whole workforce. Significant improvements have been achieved since 1997, and we are now taking the next steps to making teaching a master’s degree level profession through the creation of a Masters in Teaching and Learning, but we have more to do to deliver the ambitious commitments of the Children’s Plan. Our focus will be on getting even more excellent applicants, selecting the best of them, developing them throughout their career, and encouraging them to work where the needs are greatest.

The number and quality of applicants into teaching has increased significantly since 1997, and in the current economic climate teaching has become even more attractive. Enquiries to the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) about teaching in shortage subjects have increased by 23% on the same period last year, with enquiries about maths up 41%. Since 2003 Teach First has also recruited over 1000 top graduates to teach in the most challenging urban secondary schools, and will continue to expand. We must continue to target and attract the very best candidates. Building on the success of the Teach First approach, TDA will pilot a national model of direct campus recruitment to identify and attract top graduates into teaching.

Teaching is now also a top choice for people wishing to change career- nearly one-third of all entrants into teacher training are over 30. The new Transition to Teaching programme already has some 130 employers committed to encouraging their experienced staff in science, IT or mathematics to consider teaching as a career. Mature entrants often prefer an employment-based route but the current scheme is little known and complex to access. TDA will bring together all Graduate Teacher Programme places under a single gateway, linking applicants to providers and schools, and market this as an alternative route into teaching. We have asked the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) to develop a “fast stream” for experienced career changers aspiring to school leadership to enter the profession. We will also explore the possibility of shorter-term secondments into teaching.

Programmes like Teach First and world-class education systems such as that in Finland, as well as some initial teacher training providers in England and Wales, use a wide range of tools to identify the best applicants, looking for both academic and wider skills such as empathy, communication and resilience. TDA will design a diagnostic tool to systematically screen applicants for this wider set of skills, and pilot it with a range of Initial Teacher Training providers, for possible national roll- out to all providers.

We have revised the professional standards for teachers and reformed performance management to enable the entire school workforce to develop their own capabilities. NCSL have delivered a designed National Professional Qualification for Headship to ensure that head teachers have the knowledge, skills and capacities to lead in the 21st century. We will work with NCSL and TDA to develop a CPD approach; this will increasingly be delivered through groups of schools working collaboratively, and consider a greater role for Training Schools. We will explore with our Social Partners options for linking together an individual’s possible entitlement to CPD with a “licence to teach”, on the lines of other high-status professions with a requirement to maintain high-level professional skills, and we are working with Social Partners and the General Teaching Council for England to address the performance of teachers who have the greatest difficulty in carrying out their role effectively, including helping them leave the profession if that is appropriate.

The most effective teachers in the most challenging schools

If we are to succeed in narrowing the gaps, the children with the most additional needs must be taught by the most effective professionals. But teachers can be deterred by the real or perceived challenges of working in schools with high numbers of disadvantaged children. Such schools face higher staff turnover, greater recruitment problems (particularly in mathematics and science), and higher numbers of temporary staff. We need to do more to ensure that such schools can recruit and retain the most effective teachers.

We will introduce a new programme that encourages more of the most effective teachers to work in the most challenging secondary schools. National Challenge schools and secondary schools where 30% or more of pupils are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM), as long as the quality of leadership is good, will be able to opt in to a new scheme and receive additional funding that they can use with their own resources to support them in offering a package of incentives to their staff.

To encourage more of the most effective teachers to apply to challenging schools, we will guarantee that from September 2009 all eligible schools will have access to a package of support for new appointments, including:

• a “golden handcuff” of £10,000 payable in return for three years’ service in a single participating school;
• for Newly-Qualified Teachers, and new Heads of Department from 2010-11, eligibility to access the new Masters in Teaching and Learning;
• and access to a network of teachers from other participating schools to share effective practice;

To help retain the most effective teachers already in these schools, we will offer, subject to applicants meeting the relevant professional standards, the opportunity to apply for one of two new Excellent Teacher or Advanced Skills Teacher positions in each participating school, to strengthen pedagogic leadership and excellent classroom practice, and boost capacity for coaching and mentoring. These positions offer an opportunity for classroom teachers to get the recognition and career enhancement they deserve, without having to leave the classroom. We will also offer a bespoke school- based course of CPD to support the whole school workforce in meeting the challenges of a school with high numbers of disadvantaged pupils.

This package could reach more than 500 schools and up to 6,000 teachers per year. We will work with the School Teachers’ Review Body and Social Partners to ensure that this package is taken up by schools, works effectively to attract more of the best teachers, represents good value for money, and to ensure that we set in place the right long-term total reward package for teachers who choose to work in the most challenging schools. Other possible incentives, subject to resources, could include sabbaticals, secondments, career development advice, and specific local incentives such as housing and travel.