Thousands of new teachers to benefit from £130 million a year extra support

The biggest teaching reform in a generation is a step closer to being rolled-out in schools.

The Early Career Framework will revolutionise the support given to new teachers and today (Friday, 28 June) schools and training providers have been invited to help develop the programme.

Education and training organisations have been invited to develop a range of products to support schools in their implementation of the programme, backed by at least £130 million a year in extra funding when fully rolled out in 2021.

The Education Secretary, Damian Hinds, will be at a school in Darlington today, with the North East one of the areas set to benefit from an early roll-out of the Early Career Framework in September 2020, along with Bradford, Doncaster and Greater Manchester.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said:

“The early stages of a teacher’s career are an incredibly exciting time – but they can also be very challenging, which is why it’s so important to make sure they are properly supported.

“Earlier this year I set out my plans to transform the support available to newly-qualified teachers through the centrepiece of our flagship Teacher Recruitment & Retention Strategy.

“Today marks an important milestone on this journey by inviting tenders to create training and support for those starting out their careers in teaching.”

Announced in the Department’s Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy earlier this year, the Early Career Framework will provide new teachers with the foundations for a successful career in the profession through a two-year package of structured training and support.

This will include a reduced timetable to allow teachers to make the most of their training, alongside high-quality materials for new teachers and their mentors that underpin each area of the Early Career Framework.

Sir Kevan Collins, Chief Executive of Education Endowment Foundation said:

“We know that high-quality teaching is the thing that makes the biggest difference to young people’s educational outcomes. Yet recruiting and retaining teachers – particularly to disadvantaged schools – is challenging. If we don’t get more great teachers to join and, more importantly, stay in the profession over the next few years, it will be the poorest pupils who lose out the most.

“We welcome the progress being made towards implementing the Early Career Framework, which represents a vital opportunity to support teachers to access and apply the best available evidence right from the start of their professional life. The Education Endowment Foundation has played a key role in ensuring the framework draws on the best available evidence. By evaluating the roll-out of the programme, we will learn key lessons so that that every new teacher in England gets the support they need and deserve.”

Russell Hobby, Chief Executive of Teach First said:

“If the next Prime Minister wants the country to thrive, they must urgently address this by increasing teacher starting salaries to make the profession competitive with others.

“Great teachers are crucial to the future of our country and if we want to see more join, they must be fairly rewarded for the incredible difference they make each and every day.” 

Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:

“Teacher recruitment continues to lag behind increases in pupil numbers, resulting in fewer teachers per pupil.  In secondary schools, full-time equivalent teacher numbers have fallen by over 10,000 in the last four years, despite an increase of almost 150,000 pupils. Teaching assistant numbers in secondary schools also continue to fall, by 3% in the last year alone and by over 15% in the last five years.

“In both primary and secondary sectors, the proportion of pupils in classes of more than 30 continues to rise; it now stands at 13% (558,658 in primary, 402,469 in secondary). Average secondary class sizes continue to rise at their fastest ever rate, while the average class size in primary remains at its highest level since 2000. The number of secondary pupils in large classes is at its highest level since 1981. This is clearly bad for the education of children and young people and needs to be urgently addressed.

“Teacher retention rates at all career stages continue to decline, with an increasing proportion of recent recruits and more experienced teachers leaving the profession. Almost a third of teachers (32.3%) have left the sector five years after qualifying, up from just over a quarter (26.0%) seven years ago. Average teacher pay continues to lag behind inflation, meaning that the real value of teacher pay continues to decline.

“In the recent Public Accounts Committee’s annual report Chair Meg Hillier MP has said the Department for Education now ‘tops my departments of concern.’  The mismanagement and underfunding of our schools is now undeniable. 

“With the latest report from the School Teachers’ Review Body still to be published by the Government, teachers and parents will be looking for urgent and effective action from the Government to enable schools to recruit and retain the teachers we need.  That means additional resources to reverse the real-terms cuts to school funding.  It also means reversing the pay cuts that have hit those working in education and reducing the excessive hours worked by teachers and other school staff. 

“The NEU will continue to campaign for the additional school funding and better pay and working conditions needed to secure a first-class education service for pupils and parents.”

Minister for School Standards Nick Gibb said:

““We do recognise there is more to do to continue to attract and retain talented individuals in our classrooms, which is why we launched the first-ever Teacher Recruitment & Retention Strategy earlier this year. This landmark strategy included the biggest teaching reform in a generation – the Early Career Framework – providing the solid foundations for a successful career in teaching, backed by at least £130 million a year in extra funding when fully rolled out.”

Damian Hinds will be in Gateshead and Darlington today, which will benefit from early roll-out of the Early Career Framework, where some schools face real challenges in recruiting and retaining teachers.

The Education Secretary will also meet with employers in Gateshead, to see the wide ranging T-Level and vocational opportunities on offer to young people to help develop their talents, giving them the technical skills they need to be work and employer ready, as part of the department’s focus on the region through the Opportunity North East (ONE) programme.

In a summit of ONE Vision school leaders – whose schools are partnered with high performing institutions and given tailored support to help improve outcomes in their schools – Damian Hinds will discuss how the programme is continuing to raise aspirations for young people in the region and helping them learn the knowledge and skills they need to fulfil their potential.

Today’s visit builds on the momentum of the ONE programme, which has pledged up to £24 million in the region, as part of the government’s drive to improve education and boost career prospects in the North of England.

Last month the Department called on North East schools, academy trusts and local authorities to pitch proposals to boost the prospects for young people by drawing on their expertise to improve transition from primary to secondary. The best proposals will be granted up to £1.8 million from the ONE funding.

Schools, academy trusts or local authorities who have submitted an expression of interest have until 19 July 2019 to submit their proposals.