Head teachers should welcome new staff with the offer of learning and development opportunities, a survey of more than 3,000 teaching candidates has found. Employment specialist Randstad found almost half (48%) of respondents believed a training schedule would make them feel most valued when joining a new school.
Candidates would prefer the chance to develop ahead of a personal welcome from the head (17%) and staff room introductions (17%) and a brief on key staff members (17%).
Third of teachers considering quitting career.
The research comes as nearly one third of teachers consider leaving their jobs this year. A study by Randstad Education found 30% of teachers were thinking of ditching the profession with 12 months while a survey by the Guardian newspaper found almost half the workforce could quit by 2020.
Teacher shortages across the country and the projected attrition rate have made staff retention a key priority for schools as secondary schools prepare for an additional 300,000 students by 2020.
Valuing teachers is key to retention.
The figures suggest what head teachers should do if they wanted to keep hold of staff: being made to feel valued is one of the main reasons people go to work in the first place but it is especially true in education where teaching staff perform an important but sometimes stressful job.
Starting at a new school can feel daunting so setting the right tone and forming the right relationships are important. While meeting staff remains important – almost one fifth of respondents prioritised staff room introductions - our data shows that from the moment teaching staff step through the door they are already considering how they can develop. With the much-discussed teacher shortage and swelling pupil numbers, this is an encouraging attitude. It’s up to head teachers to make sure a plan is in place to make sure staff do not stagnate and are challenged to become better at their job.
New teachers usually know about school ethos.
Teachers are amiable people so might not need encouragement when it comes to making introductions in the classrooms. Teaching recruits we’ve seen do their homework and often already know about the school, its ethos as well as key staff members like the deputy head and faculty leaders.