Financial incentives could be an effective way to support teacher
recruitment, particularly in schools with high levels of
socio-economic disadvantage, according to a new exploratory
evidence review published by the Education Endowment Foundation
(EEF) today.
The review, by a team of researchers from IOE, UCL’s Faculty of
Education and Society, explores the global evidence base on
recruitment and retention strategies, to find out which areas
have the most potential to explore in future research.
According to the review, offering financial incentives – such as
higher salaries and performance and recruitment bonuses – could
be effective for attracting teachers to roles in challenging
schools.
One study, conducted in Chile, explored the effects of awarding
greater bonuses to teachers working in disadvantaged schools.
Another, which took place in England, interviewed long-serving
teachers working in challenging circumstances about their
experiences to understand why they might have stayed in post.
The review shows that incentives have been used with different
levels of success across different countries, but that financial
rewards given directly to teachers – rather than allocated to
their school of employment – show particular promise.
The review also found that strategies to reduce workload and
improve working conditions were associated with improved
retention. Heavier workloads were consistently associated with
higher staff turnover, with factors such as working hours and
leave entitlement strongly influencing teachers’ decision
making.
Access to professional development, induction support and
effective school leadership also show potential in supporting
recruitment and retention, according to the review.
High-quality teaching is one of the most powerful levers for
improving outcomes for children and young people, particularly
for socio-economically disadvantaged pupils who stand to benefit
the most. Yet attracting and retaining teachers, particularly in
schools serving a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils, is one
of the biggest challenges our education system faces.
Recent research shows
that many schools in England are struggling to recruit and retain
teachers. Applications for initial teacher training have fallen
by a fifth compared to their pre-Covid levels, while schools are
posting 93% more vacancies than before the pandemic.
Today’s report draws predominantly on international research as
very few studies have taken place in English contexts. The EEF
aims to supercharge the evidence base in this area through a
multi-year research agenda focused on strategies for improving
recruitment and retention.
They’ve recently commissioned a range of new evidence reviews,
each of which will focus on specific practices which show promise
in supporting teacher recruitment and retention in English
schools, including school leadership, flexible working, and
workload management. One of the reviews commissioned will look at
recruitment and retention practices used specifically by schools
serving disadvantaged communities.
These reviews will explore the evidence base and current practice
using a range of methods, including analysing teacher job
descriptions and school policies as well as gathering
perspectives from teachers and leaders using surveys and
interviews.
Professor Becky Francis CBE, Chief Executive of the
Education Endowment Foundation, said:
“We know that it’s great teaching that has the biggest impact
on the learning of pupils, particularly those from disadvantaged
backgrounds.
“Supporting the recruitment and retention of teachers should
be a central focus of any effective education system. But targets
for teacher recruitment are regularly missed, and a third of new
teachers leave within the first five years of joining the
profession.
“Today’s report is an important first step in our work to
understand more about what can be done to attract teachers to,
and keep them in, schools with pupils who need their expertise
most.
“These findings will be hugely helpful in sharpening the
focus of our future research, making sure we put our resources
behind trialling strategies with the greatest potential to make a
difference in this crucial area.”
Dr Becky Taylor, Principal Research Fellow at UCL’s
Centre for Teachers and Teaching Research, and lead author of the
review, said:
“Through this review we have identified new and promising
areas for future research into teacher recruitment and retention,
which we hope in time will enable new strategies for attracting
and retaining teachers in schools that serve disadvantaged
communities.
“Many of these areas, such as the role of effective school
leaders in recruitment and retention of teachers, or the use of
induction and mentoring, have not yet been investigated at scale
in England and we are looking forward to seeing what research
develops from these themes.”
