Covid-19 has led to significant disruption in the established systems and practices of preparing new teachers. This blog post reports on the findings and recommendations from an Economic and Social Research Council-funded project at King’s College London in partnership with the Policy Institute investigating the impact of the pandemic on trainees and early career teachers (ECTs) during 2019–21. The project’s final policy brief details the findings alongside practical recommendations for policymakers, school leaders and initial teacher education (ITE) providers across the UK.
The project’s focus on teacher quality and retention draws upon theoretical frameworks that consider personal performance and the growth of professional identities (Beauchamp & Thomas, 2011), the development of communities of practice (Wenger, 1998) and classroom readiness (Churchward & Willis, 2019). Project outcomes were informed by an assessment of the impact of substantial changes and adverse effects caused by Covid-19 affecting secondary schools and initial teacher education (Ellis et al., 2020).
