Getting and keeping teachers where they’re most needed: Lessons from the Talented Leaders programme

First published on The Future Leaders Trust Insights blog on 20 October 2015 (no longer available).

Yesterday morning, Policy Exchange and ASCL conference hosted a conference on the future of the teaching workforce. I went along because we know from our network of nearly 150 heads and 450 senior leaders – as well as the CEOs we’re working with on our Executive Educators programme – that teacher supply is a huge issue.

The shortage is a major disincentive to senior leaders considering headship, especially in rural and coastal areas and contributes to the other (perpetual) “crisis” in the school workforce around the supply of great heads. In our world of high-stakes accountability, a head’s job is dependent on the ability to hire quality teachers – so a shortage in their supply is one more disincentive to taking on headship.

The reasons for the shortage of teachers were well-rehearsed at the conference. They include increasing demand from pupil numbers and curriculum change, and reducing supply from the growing economy, poor morale and the confusion of potential routes in. The question was what we can do about it and I was invited to share lessons from our Talented Leaders programme.

On Wednesday, we are publishing a report sharing the experiences of some of our heads working in coastal areas. It builds on the research of Dr Tanya Ovenden-Hope exploring how the heads of coastal schools in the South West are attempting to turn them round. Consistent with her research and the subject of this morning’s conference, our heads cite staff recruitment as a key challenge. They have responded to it in broadly three ways.

Using novel and innovative approaches to attracting teachers

Nadia Paczuska took up headship at Meadow Primary in Lowestoft in June. She described her vision for transforming the school and her high expectations of pupils and teachers alike. Some teachers didn’t buy in to these and left, so she needed to recruit some more.

Nadia found that a TES advert yielded only one unsuitable candidate. So she designed an advert based on the WWII poster encouraging men to enlist in the army, and placed it in three broadsheets and in newsagents near the IoE and other teacher training institutions in London. She also used her personal and social networks to get the message out. This yielded 155 applications, and 9 appointments – from as far afield as the US. Such a novel approach might not have been as effective if everyone was doing it, but it does show the difference a determined and resourceful leader with a great network can make.

Developing the teachers you’ve got

No teacher comes to school wanting to fail children and many speakers at the conference emphasised the need to retain teachers by providing effective CPD and career development. Too often our heads go into schools where the development needs of teachers have been neglected for too long. By giving them the support needed to raise their game our heads have been able to secure great teaching and learning for their pupils and better staff retention. “New” teachers can also be created from the existing workforce by identifying teaching assistants and others with the potential to be good teachers and supporting them to do so.

Trading on their reputation

Nadia attributes part of the success of her teacher recruitment campaign to her ability to communicate the unique character and challenges of the school, and the opportunities she could offer the right candidates. Others, like Andrew Day at Northumberland Church of England Academy and Phil Humpfreys at Oasis Academy Mayfield in Southampton reflect in our report how as their schools’ reputations grew, recruitment has become much easier, despite their challenging coastal locations.

In many ways these lessons are similar to our experience as an organisation of running the Talented Leaders programme. The programme seeks to identify and match leaders in or ready for headship with schools that have found it difficult to appoint. Those we have recruited aren’t in it for the money. What does motivate them is the contribution they can make to transforming the life chances of children from some of our most disadvantaged communities – like Nadia’s advert playing on the idea of national service. They also value the support and professional development that comes from being part of the programme and wider Future Leaders network. Finally, they welcome the promise of being valued in non-financial ways, given Ministerial support for the programme.

Some of those things may be less true for graduates in a more buoyant labour market where the lure of big bucks for perhaps less effort may be greater than they are for more established teachers and leaders. But like with the Talented Leaders programme, properly valuing the professionalism and important contribution teachers make to our country would be a good place to start!