Analysis of 526 job adverts for teaching positions in Education Investment Areas (EIAs), conducted by the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT), found that 90% of schools highlighted positive working conditions, such as their facilities, teaching and learning policies, and reputation, to encourage applications.
The opportunity for career development was also a popular strategy, highlighted by over 80% of the adverts considered as part of the research. Other approaches that were commonly referred to across the adverts were staff welfare, financial incentives and work-life balance.
This analysis was conducted as part of a practice review which aimed to find out what schools in socio-economically deprived areas of England are doing to support the recruitment and retention of teaching staff.
Teacher recruitment and retention is currently a significant challenge in England, with schools serving higher levels of disadvantaged pupils facing the biggest challenges. These schools, on average, have higher levels of staff turnover, as well as more unfilled vacancies and fewer subject-specialist teachers.
Today’s practice review is one of a suite of research projects, commissioned by the EEF through its flagship research theme on supporting recruitment and retention.
As part of this, last November the EEF published three new evidence reviews investigating effective strategies to support teacher recruitment and retention. One of these reports concluded that flexible working could help to improve practitioners’ wellbeing and job satisfaction, as well as their productivity and motivation.
Education Endowment Foundation:Supportive working environments are the most popular tool to attract teachers, with nine in 10 job ads citing them
Supportive working environments are the most popular tool to attract teachers, with nine in 10 job ads citing them
New EEF practice review analyses teacher job adverts
Author
EEF
A new practice review, published today by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), has found that the vast majority of schools in socio-economically disadvantaged areas of England are leveraging supportive working environments to attract new teachers to their settings.
Press Release •1 minute •