Conclusions and recommendations
Induction of newly qualified teachers and continuing
professional development
1. While
the expansion of the Early Professional Development Programme
is welcome, the research which indicates that the success of the
induction process varies widely from school to school is worrying.
Most worrying of all is the evidence of 'rogue' heads and managers
who may blight someone's career before it begins. Training for
the now mandatory National Professional Qualification for Headship,
which we discuss later in this report, should emphasise the need
to encourage and support new teachers, and give guidance on how
to do that. (Paragraph 45)
2. Integration of
the ending of training, the induction year and subsequent support
in the early years of a teacher's career is also extremely important,
and we recommend that the Government and bodies such as the Teacher
Training Agency and the National Employers Organisation for School
Teachers put together a formal entry programme to bring these
different elements together. (Paragraph 46)
3. Continuing Professional
Development is clearly very important in improving teachers' skills
and morale and thereby in helping to provide better education
for pupils. We urge all those concerned with the management of
teachers to ensure that CPD becomes an integral part of teachers
careers. We also recommend that it looks for innovative ways of
providing that development, and in this context we welcome the
plans for the Teachers' TV channel for which programmes are currently
being piloted with a projected launch date of early 2005. (Paragraph
51)
Teachers from minority ethnic communities
4. It
is clear that there is a need for more teachers from minority
ethnic communities, and a need to ensure that they are able to
make equitable progress in the profession. Addressing the recruitment,
retention and career progress of teachers from minority ethnic
communities must be a priority for the DfES and the Teacher Training
Agency. (Paragraph 56)
Workload
5. We
hope that further progress will be made in the current year on
numbers of additional staff to assist in the implementation of
the agreement. The regrettable decision of the UNISON conference
in June 2004 to withdraw support for the agreement is a substantial
setback. Given the potential benefits of the agreement the DfES
should make it a priority to keep all parties on board. (Paragraph
73)
Pupil behaviour
6. In
keeping with our desire and that of the Government to see evidence-based
policy, we look forward to a proper evaluation of the effects
of the Behaviour Improvement Projects. (Paragraph 81)
Training teachers in challenging schools
7. We
recommend that the Teacher Training Agency in partnership with
training organisations develops a similar programme here to that
of Center X to attract those who wish to teach in challenging
schools and provide them with the skills and the network of post-qualification
support necessary to succeed. (Paragraph 86)
Pay and allowances
8. The
hostility to recruitment and retention allowances appears so entrenched
that there seems little prospect of their current very limited
use being expanded. Different approaches are needed, and the DfES,
governors, heads and LEAs, should explore alternative ways of
rewarding teachers working in challenging circumstances. (Paragraph
97)
9. We do support the
principle of using financial incentives to remedy teacher shortages
in specific areas, but we are aware of the possibilities of unintended
consequences (for example, physics trainees changing to mathematics
to take advantage of financial incentives) so the effects will
need to be closely monitored. (Paragraph 101)
Leadership
10. We
are not convinced that training for the National Professional
Qualification for Headship emphasises adequately that the way
in which a head teacher manages a school can be decisive in persuading
teachers to remain at that school. The impact of the retention
of high quality staff on improvements in pupil achievement need
to be emphasised and good practice on retention issues needs to
be explicitly included in the training. (Paragraph 105)
Mature entrants
11. Given
the need to continue to recruit in the region of 30,000 trainees
a year into Initial Teacher Training, it is essential that the
Teacher Training Agency should aim to recruit people from the
widest possible pool - mature entrants, those from minority ethnic
communities, those seeking part-time work and those returning
to the profession amongst others. (Paragraph 122)
12. More varied careers
are likely to become the norm in all fields of work and teaching
will need to adapt to accommodate that trend and facilitate flexibility
to allow people to move in and out of the profession. (Paragraph
123)
13. It is also important
for mechanisms to be found to encourage those coming towards the
end of their career to stay in teaching in some capacity for as
long as possible so that their expertise is not lost. The age
profile of the teaching profession, with 50% aged over 45, could
have serious implications for staffing in our schools over the
next ten to fifteen years unless the situation is managed properly.
(Paragraph 124)
Schools which have difficulties with recruitment
14. We
consider that a programme to train teachers to teach in challenging
schools and to support them once in post should be developed as
a matter of urgency. (Paragraph 128)
15. Where there are
persistent problems of recruitment it is surely right in the interests
of children's education that financial incentives are available
to attract teachers. They have worked well in encouraging more
people to train as secondary teachers, and could make a significant
difference. We look forward to seeing the School Teachers' Review
Body's recommendations following its consultation. (Paragraph
130)
Shortage subjects
16. Problems
with the designated shortage subjects, and with others, need to
be closely monitored to make sure that policies to encourage people
to teach in these subjects are effective. (Paragraph 131)
Teachers teaching outside their area of specialism
17. More
information is needed on the numbers of teachers in secondary
school teaching outside their specialist subjects and the reasons
why they are doing so, and we welcome the fact that the DfES is
commissioning a research project into the deployment patterns
of mathematics and science teachers. (Paragraph 132)
Workload
18. The
DfES needs to do its utmost to keep the workload agreement in
place and to encourage those who are not participating in it to
do so. (Paragraph 133)
Wastage from training and qualified teachers who
do not enter teaching
19. Concerns
about the high level of drop-out from initial teacher training
could be addressed by seeking to expand the employment based routes.
(Paragraph 134)
20. Any expansion
of employment based training must include appropriate support
for trainees and for their schools. (Paragraph 135)
Induction of newly qualified teachers
21. We
recommend the introduction of a formal entry programme integrating
the end of training, the induction year and support in the early
years of a teacher's career. This could reduce significantly the
number of teachers who are no longer teaching within five years
of qualifying. (Paragraph 136)
Pupil behaviour
22. A
reduction in the incidence of poor behaviour in schools will help
both teachers and pupils. If the Government's strategies work,
they should be pursued with vigour. If they do not, alternatives
need to be found. In any event, the evaluation needs to be as
thorough and as expeditious as possible. We cannot afford to wait
for years to discover whether or not the DfES is on the right
track. (Paragraph 139)
Age profile of the profession
23. What
is needed is a good balance within the teaching profession; those
who have long-term careers in teaching, those who teach and then
move on to another career and those who come to teaching as a
second or third career. (Paragraph 143)
24. The DfES, National
Employers Organisation for School Teachers and the Teacher Training
Agency need to develop a managed approach to retirement to ensure
that there is no sudden exodus of half the profession, and that
adequate numbers of new recruits are brought in to the profession
over the next decade. (Paragraph 144)
The Government's five year plan
25. As
part of its five year strategy, the Government must develop a
plan for the structure and strategic management of the teaching
profession which addresses the specific issues we have identified;
without sufficient appropriately qualified and experienced teachers,
all plans for improvements in school provision will come to nothing.
(Paragraph 145)
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