In the first of three articles focusing on motivating teachers to remain in Further Education (FE) and the part an alternative approach to professional development could play, Education Consultant Dr Tricia Odell looks at the role of middle leaders in bringing about a cultural shift in professional learning.
For some time now, the high turnover of teaching staff, particularly amongst early career teachers, has been a key concern for many leaders in the FE sector. An Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report published last year suggests that 25% of college teachers leave the profession after one year; almost half have left after three years; and 10 years after beginning teaching, less than 25% remain in the profession (IFS, 2023).
Understandably, the problem with teacher retention is causing a headache for leaders who are continually having to recruit new staff at a time when there are high vacancy rates across the country. As we might expect, this high turnover of teaching staff is also impacting negatively on students. Authors of the IFS report suggest that because so many teachers are leaving before they have sufficiently developed their practice, students are often being taught by inexperienced teachers.
