Government should set a recruitment target for women headteachers, give teachers priority for childcare places and provide back-to-school coaching to end the 鈥渕otherhood penalty鈥. The proposals have been drawn up by think tank The New Britain Project and the MTPT Project to boost retention in England鈥檚 schools by ensuring fewer women are driven out of the profession. In a , they argued the government鈥檚 鈥渢op priority鈥 to stem the tide should keeping hold of female teachers in their 30s 鈥 as they are the 鈥渓argest group exiting the profession each year鈥. 鈥淧rioritising their retention will cause a pivotal shift, ensuring that more experienced teachers remain in the profession,” the report states. “This will help stabilise the workforce… and ultimately break the cycle of unsustainable levels of teacher attrition.鈥 Overall, the total target for recruitment to teacher training for both primary and secondary was missed by 38 per cent in 2023-24. And last year 9,147 women between 30 and 39 left their jobs, more than any other demographic. Here are the researchers’ plans to combat the problem鈥 1. Back-to-work coaching for mums Of 383 women who left teaching in their 30s, 27 per cent told the researchers that better support after maternity leave to help them back into work could have helped them stay in the profession. The report called for a pilot of 鈥渁 comprehensive coaching programme for mothers during, and post-, maternity leave鈥 to be launched. By 2030, the 鈥渙ffer should be available to all鈥 mums at 拢1,500 per head. To aid this, training should be offered to line managers and senior leaders “ensuring that they are aware of their legal duties and the best practice鈥 to support their return. The course, which would cost an average of 拢250 per school, should be 鈥渁utomatically鈥 covered by the government, the report added. 鈥淐oaching is not a silver bullet… But coaching is one of the most effective tools to support returning parents exactly because it does not offer fixed answers or directives in the same way that expert-led training鈥 does.鈥 2. Give teachers priority for childcare places Labour committed during the general election campaign to open 3,000 nurseries based in schools over the next parliament. The New Britain Project and MTPT want the government to ensure the children teachers and early years staff are given priority in the nurseries’ admission codes. They also want schools to do the same for all teachers, leaders or support staff members in their local authority areas. 鈥淭hese priority places should also extend to wraparound care to support teachers to balance childcare commitments with the logistics and timings of the school day,鈥 they added. Forty-two per cent of women leavers surveyed this year listed 鈥渃hildcare logistics鈥 as the principal reason behind their decision to quit teaching. When asked what might have helped them in the classroom, 37 per cent answered 鈥渁ccess to on-site childcare鈥. According to analysis by the , 54 per cent of teachers in the state sector between 30 and 34 had a child under 19. The figure rose to 75 per cent for those in the 35 to 39 age bracket. 3. Give teachers 26 weeks of paid maternity leave The burgundy book, which sets out the conditions of service for schoolteachers in England, says those going on maternity leave are entitled to four weeks full pay. For a fortnight they receive 90 per cent of their usual earnings, before being put onto half pay for three months and statutory wages thereafter. The report argued for the terms to be updated to 鈥渕atch the 26 weeks of fully paid parental leave enjoyed鈥 by DfE staff. 鈥淐urrent shared parental leave and maternity leave policies in the UK often reinforce traditional social norms in parenting, placing a disproportionate burden on mothers that persists once they re-enter the workforce. 鈥淲hile we recognize that this change will be gradual鈥 our ultimate goal is for all schools to offer equal parental leave.鈥 4. Commit to target for women heads According to analysis produced by MTPT and The New Britain Project, men are twice as likely to move into headteacher roles in both primary and secondary schools. Despite this, females account for 85 per cent of primary teaching roles and 63 per cent of secondary jobs. To address this imbalance, the researchers believe 鈥渨e need an additional 2,639鈥 women heads. By committing to the 鈥渂old鈥 target and 鈥渙penly acknowledging this issue鈥, the study argued, the DfE 鈥渨ill spark the crucial conversations needed to begin to address and rectify鈥 this. 鈥淭hese goals, though not enforceable targets, will serve as essential benchmarks to measure progress and highlight the importance of gender balance.” 5. Flexible working champions in schools Almost 70 per cent of women leavers also stated that 鈥渕ore timetable flexibility鈥, allowing them to start or end their days early, may have enticed them to stay. The report calls for so-called 鈥渇lexible working champions鈥 to be introduced across 1,000 schools by the end of this parliament. It said 鈥渕eaningful change is unlikely鈥 without dedicated personnel. 鈥淔lexible working is also still used as a way to enable women to meet the expectation to take on the majority of domestic and caring responsibilities in our societies, as well as balance demanding careers, without this same expectation placed on men. 鈥淚f flexible working is to be used to address the motherhood penalty highlighted in this report, we need to see equal rates of uptake amongst men as amongst women.鈥 6. CPD courses to boost flexible timetabling skills Examples of flexible working in schools include 鈥渨riting 1.5 flexible days into teachers鈥 contracts鈥, adopting a 鈥渘ine-day fortnight鈥 or scheduling form time in the middle of the day 鈥渢o accommodate late starts鈥. The report noted there are 鈥渘umerous successful case studies鈥, but information on what’s being done is 鈥渋ncomplete and inconsistent鈥. It urged the DfE to require 鈥渁ll timetabling software providers in the UK to sign up to uniform data standards鈥. This would help 鈥渂uild a comprehensive knowledge base of best practices and innovations in flexible working and workload management鈥. The development of an accredited CPD course focused on 鈥渢imetabling, strategic planning, and fostering a supportive school culture鈥 would equip staff with the skills to 鈥渃reate a more flexible and enduring teaching career鈥.
Andrew Dykes 3 August 2024 No mention of making the actual job of teaching easier. Dealing with behaviour has such an emotional cost which can be more difficult to cope with when you have children yourself. Time involved in preparation and marking eats into family time. I believe these are the two main factors that has made Teaching less family friendly.