Recommendation 63

HM Government Accepted

PLANS ALREADY IN PLACE We are taking a range of action and developing incentives to support the recruitment and retention of teachers across the post-16 education sector as part of the Government’s commitment to 6,500 additional teachers across secondary schools, special schools, and colleges during this Parliament. We are investing nearly £800 million in additional funding for 16-19 education in FY 2026-27. This will support reforms to FE and enable provision for an additional 20,000 students, helping to ensure that institutions can recruit and retain the staff they need. We have also invested in targeted financial incentives to retain teachers in the subjects and settings where they are most needed. This scheme offers eligible early career teachers in priority STEM and technical subjects up to £6,000 after tax per year, in addition to their salary. Since launch, nearly 6,000 claims have been approved under the FE scheme, including over 1,700 in building and construction, more than 1,300 in mathematics and over 1,100 in engineering and manufacturing. The targeted retention incentive is focused on teachers in their first five years of teaching, where attrition is highest, and is available in general FE colleges, sixth form colleges, designated institutions, and eligible 16-19 only academies and schools. We will continue to keep the scheme’s eligibility criteria under review. There are a range of reasons beyond pay and incentives why teachers leave the profession, including job insecurity, workload and wellbeing, and lack of access to high quality professional development opportunities. Through our plan to Make Work Pay we are taking steps to improve job security and boost living standards for workers, including those working in post-16 education. This includes day one protection from unfair dismissal, strengthened Statutory Sick Pay and improved access to flexible working. Through the Improving Education Together partnership we are working closely with unions and employers to identify the most effective ways to improve retention. This includes a strong focus on workload and wellbeing, with the aim of delivering a step change in teacher experience over the next three to five years. As set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, we are developing an evidence-based professional development pathway for teachers and leaders that spans the full career journey, from initial teacher education through to leadership, and includes engagement with industry to support dual professionalism. We want to ensure that teachers in their early career are getting high-quality training and support. That is why we will continue to offer bursaries and scholarships of up to £31,000 tax-free for priority subjects. These financial incentives are designed to attract high-quality candidates into teaching, including those transitioning from industry into the FE and school sectors. We also support early career teachers through the Taking Teaching Further (TTF) and Teacher Mentoring Programme (TMP). TTF is a key recruitment initiative aimed at strengthening the FE teaching workforce by attracting experienced professionals from industry into teaching roles, by supporting individuals with relevant industry expertise and supports them through a structured two-year programme, including initial teacher training and early career support. TMP supports improvements in the quality of mentoring in FE, expanding access to skilled mentors for early career teachers and promoting wellbeing. In addition, we recently announced a £20 million FE Teacher Industry Exchange scheme for the construction sector to create partnerships between FE providers and industry and enable more professionals to bring real-world expertise into the classroom. We are also working with the sector to develop leadership pathways that reflect the skills and expertise required to lead in FE settings, ensuring that leaders are supported to thrive and drive improvement. We have committed to establishing a coherent, career-long professional development pathway which will see leaders able to access a range of effective in-service professional development courses, including a refocused role for National Professional Qualifications which we believe can play an increased role in strengthening teaching expertise and leadership across the FE sector.