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The government should pilot 拢7.5 million 鈥渢eacher in residence鈥� secondments to businesses and a career break scheme to attract more 鈥済eneration Z鈥� teachers, a report commissioned by has said.

The suggestions are some of a series put forward by sector organisations as Labour grapples with how to achieve its manifesto pledge to hire 6,500 鈥渘ew鈥� teachers.

Research by Public First, including a poll of more than 3,000 16 to 24-year-olds, found that although 61 per cent would consider working as a teacher, most crave a good work-life balance (56 per cent) and 80 per cent would prefer some degree of hybrid working.

Non-linear careers

Generation Z 鈥� described in the report as those born between 1995 and 2012 鈥� want a 鈥渃areer in which they鈥檙e making a difference鈥�, the survey found.

But they also want to be able to afford a house or flat, and do not “expect to have linear career trajectories within any industry鈥�.

Just 13 per cent of poll respondents said they would enjoy teaching for their whole careers, while 47 per cent said they would enjoy it for a few years and not their whole career.

Focus groups run by Public First also found a 鈥渟trong sense that teaching was a career for later, not now鈥�.

Academic Christian Bokhove pointed out that “England has quite a young teacher workforce already”.

Government data shows a third of the workforce in England is aged 30 to 39, while almost a fifth are under 30.

Only around 20 per cent are over 50, compared to 36 per cent across the OECD group of countries.

拢7.5m secondments pilot proposed

The report called for a 鈥渄ecade-long open door recruitment strategy鈥�.

That included a 拢7.5 million pilot of 鈥渟hort-term teacher in residence secondments鈥� into businesses, which would help 鈥渂ring new experiences and insights into the classroom and provide extensive opportunities for professional development鈥�.

They 鈥渃ould be delivered as whole-week blocks, or as short, half day training segments over an extended period of time either within term time, or the school holidays鈥�.

拢7.5 million would, Teach First said, cover 鈥渆xpenses, classroom cover and programme delivery for 450 high-quality, carefully selected placements across priority sectors鈥�.

Pilots should initially be prioritised for schools serving disadvantaged communities.

However, some schools would inevitably struggle to find the staff to cover for those on secondment during term time, putting further pressure on teacher numbers.

Pepe Di鈥橧asio, general secretary of the ASCL leaders鈥� union, said 鈥渋nnovative solutions” are required.

But added 鈥渙rganising secondments for teachers to work in other sectors would be exceptionally hard to deliver given the numerous time and funding pressures on schools and it is hard to see how this could be delivered at scale.”

鈥榃orthwhile but challenging’

Teach First said the proposed pilot was 鈥渂ased on consultation with partner schools and MATs”, some of whome already have such schemes.

“Some of which involved back-filling, but others used their existing staff to timetable slightly differently for the time of the secondment,” the report stated.

Macclesfield Academy recently supported a physics teacher to participate in a residency at The European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland.

Its principal Mat Galvin said secondments are 鈥渋ncredibly worthwhile for teachers and their pupils鈥� and 鈥渃ould transform recruitment and retention鈥�.

But they can also be 鈥渃hallenging for some schools, especially those with tight budgets and serving communities experiencing deprivation, as we do鈥�.

Paul Whiteman, of the NAHT leaders鈥� union, warned there are 鈥渘o simple solutions or quick fixes鈥� and policymakers must be “realistic about what is manageable for schools鈥�.

David Thomas, a Teach First alumnus and former government adviser who now runs the Axiom Maths charity, pointed out the money worked out at 拢16,500 per teacher and “any pilot should include a control group who are given 拢16.7k, perhaps spread over a few years”.

And Loic Menzies, an academic and another Teach First alumnus, said “the risk with a scheme like this is that teachers don鈥檛 return, so you could end up spending money on a retention scheme that inadvertently sucks people out.

“A better option for those seeking opportunities outside the classroom would be to have a proper secondment scheme for experienced teachers into the DfE, just as countries like Singapore have.”

Career-break scheme also put forward

A career break scheme would also put forward by Teach First, to 鈥渇acilitate a teacher’s personal and professional development for experienced teachers鈥�.

This would be a period of unpaid special leave, and could be extended on an annual basis as long as the total period is no longer than five years.

Participants would be guaranteed their role at the end of the scheme, with 鈥渃oaching support to re-enter the classroom and implement their learning鈥�.

But Jack Worth, school workforce lead at the National Foundation for Educational Research, said it 鈥渨ould need careful thought and piloting鈥�.

鈥淪chools may find it challenging to back-fill their staffing when supply is already so tight. Also, the benefit in terms of retention would need to be clear to make it worthwhile.”

Working conditions must improve too

The report said reframing the narrative around teaching was 鈥渋mportant鈥�, but would require changes to 鈥渕aterial conditions to meaningfully boost recruitment鈥�.

Talking about teaching as 鈥減oorly paid martyrdom鈥� will 鈥渁ctively dissuade this generation from teaching鈥�.

Respondents viewed teaching as 鈥渞ewarding鈥� (48 per cent), and 73 per cent said teaching was a job with 鈥減urpose鈥� 鈥� roughly the same as nurses and doctors.

But they also described the job as 鈥渟tressful鈥� (55 per cent) and 鈥渄ifficult鈥� (45 per cent). Forty-four per cent said they had heard and believed teaching was 鈥渕ore difficult now than it used to be鈥�.

The report is the latest in a series of papers from sector bodies aimed at influencing education secretary Bridget Phillipson鈥檚 approach to teacher recruitment and retention.

Schools Week revealed this month that Labour鈥檚 manifesto promise to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers may not be delivered for years, and officials are also considering whether to loosen the pledge to include retention too.

Sector bodies push solutions as Labour plans next moves

A report from the National Institute of Teaching this week called for exploration of a range of initiatives, including nine-day fortnights and priority school places for teachers鈥� children.

There are also 鈥減otential conversion routes鈥�, such as university lecturers moving into schools and primary teachers retrained as pupil numbers in that phase fall.

And unsuccessful teacher training applicants should be redirected to other jobs like teaching assistants.

The NIOT paper called for a 鈥渟ystem that embraces 鈥榮quiggly鈥� career paths and values experience outside the classroom, and welcomes back those who have dipped out to try something else鈥�.

Meanwhile, research by the NFER, also released this week, found reimbursing student loan repayments for all teachers in their first 10 years would lead to an increase of around 2,100 teachers in the first year of the programme.

But examining different approaches to incentives, they found the cost per additional teacher year gained was lower for bursaries (around 拢9,000), compared to around 拢12,500 for student loan reimbursement.

鈥淭his suggests that a policy approach of first raising bursaries where they are low is likely to be most cost effective.鈥�

And research by UCL鈥檚 Professor John Jerrim found that young people who live at home while studying for a degree are 鈥渕ore likely to become a teacher than those who move out of the family home鈥�.

Reform incentives and boost teacher pay

Teach First鈥檚 report also made further recommendations.

These included bursaries reform and widening of the 拢150 million 鈥渓evelling-up premium鈥� 鈥� retention payments for teachers in certain subjects and areas of England 鈥� to include languages, geography and more STEM subjects and to all trainees regardless of ITT  route.

Pay for trainees on employment-based training routes should be reinstated to 2010 levels in real-terms, requiring a 9 per cent rise, at a cost of 拢40 million.

Government should also establish a 鈥渞oute to increase teacher salaries to be in the top third of the graduate salary market by 2030 to better compete in the graduate recruitment market鈥�.

Should the government continue to accept 5.5 per cent pay rises each year this would bring starting salaries to 拢40,000 by 2030.

Government should also set out a 鈥渇lexibility entitlement for every teacher鈥�.

The exact way in which this flexibility is offered would be decided “ultimately by schools”, but could include compressed hours 鈥� where a normal working week is condensed into fewer, longer days and remote INSET days.

‘Holding back education’

James Zuccolo, director of school workforce at the Education Policy Institute, said by 鈥渇acilitating easier transitions in and out of teaching, the profession can attract the necessary new entrants and benefit from a wider range of skills and perspectives鈥�.

But the report 鈥渁lso emphasizes the need for the DfE to enhance compensation鈥�.

Teach First CEO Russell Hobby said conditions in teaching had 鈥渇ailed to keep pace with what the next generation of workers crave in a career 鈥� and what they can find in other sectors鈥�.

鈥淭his means that, despite having huge respect for teachers, Gen Z are simply not signing up in sufficient numbers. This is holding back the education of our young people, especially from poorer backgrounds.鈥�