The BERA Blog post ‘Dropping off a cliff’ makes a strong case that the current trainee teacher recruitment crisis in England has been exacerbated by several Department for Education (DfE) policy initiatives, top of the list being the early career framework. At a time when global bodies like UNESCO are warning of a worldwide teacher shortage, it is surprising that England, which is experiencing record levels of teacher shortages, should be singled out by the international community for its approach to the ‘crisis’ and that the DfE’s content frameworks are used as examples for others to follow.
The DfE has also acknowledged the need to update its frameworks for early career and new teachers. Despite evidence received from 92 stakeholders, however, the DfE has indicated that any changes will likely be minimal. Will the revised versions address sector concerns about gaps in both frameworks, the repetition that early career teachers report experiencing, and the reliance on a partial and incomplete evidence base (Hordern & Brooks, 2023a; 2023b)?
A framework that we need?
It seems unlikely, and the danger is that we end up with the worst of both worlds: an early career framework for teachers that remains unfit for purpose, propped up by government claims that they have listened and addressed problems which continue to blight the sector. So, what should a content framework for teacher education look like? If the sector took ownership of their own content framework, how might it change?
