A new report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), commissioned by the Welsh Government, reviews the existing literature to identify policies that might attract and retain teachers in challenging schools across Wales. The report focuses on schools with high socio-economic disadvantage and those located in isolated, rural areas, addressing the pressing need for effective teacher recruitment and retention strategies.
The report finds that:
- The analysis shows that primary school teacher recruitment in Wales has increased, with the highest entrants to Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in a decade; however, secondary ITE entrants have declined.
- Teacher attrition in Wales is low, with only about 4% of teachers leaving their jobs each year, much lower than the 9-10% seen in England. This may be due to an older, more experienced workforce. However, the report also highlights challenges in recruiting secondary school teachers, particularly in rural areas of North and West Wales, as well as in urban areas outside Cardiff and Swansea.
- There are greater challenges in recruiting teacher trainees in subjects such as maths, science, Welsh, modern foreign languages, and IT. Despite existing programs and incentives, there is consistent evidence of recruitment difficulties in these areas.
- There is strong evidence that targeted financial incentives can significantly improve teacher retention rates. Successful schemes typically offer incentives worth 5-10% of base salary, often focused on early career teachers in shortage subjects and disadvantaged areas.
- The report finds limited evidence on non-financial incentives but what does exist suggests potential improvements through enhanced job marketing and alternative ITE models.
Recommendations:
- The government should consider introducing salary supplements of 5-10% of salary for early career teachers in shortage subjects, especially in disadvantaged areas.
- The government should develop a pilot scheme to develop new teachers in challenging areas. These “grow-your-own” schemes have promise, but evidence is required before they are more widely rolled out.
- The government should also trial ‘Realistic Job Profiles’ with individual schools and contexts to offer transparency about the benefits and difficulties of teaching in challenging schools.
- The government should publish detailed retention data by years of teacher experience and socio-economic disadvantage levels.
- The government should invest in research on effective teacher support during initial teacher education, mentoring, and induction.
You can download and read the full report here.
This report has been kindly funded by the Welsh Government.
