As we herald in a new academic year, the profession welcomes a new cohort of Early Career Teachers (ECTs) starting in our schools up and down the country. However, if recent trends are anything to go by, one in 10 of those starting this September will leave before the end of the academic year and a concerning 23% will have left within three years. 

Sadly, these statistics are not new and whilst retention rates have improved slightly, it is evident that the profession still has a problem. In January 2019, amid much fanfare, the Department for Education (DfE) launched its Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy. The Secretary of State for Education at the time, the Rt Hon Damien Hinds MP was quoted as saying,

 ‘At a time when there are more pupils in our schools than ever before, we need to be attracting and keeping great people in teaching’. 

At the heart of the DfE’s new strategy was the launch of the Early Career Framework (ECF). Whilst the introduction of the ECF has been broadly welcomed by the profession, the DfE’s own interim review of the ECF, published in March of this year, has highlighted that issues around workload persist, not only for ECTs but also for their mentors. 

Critics of the ECF claim that its introduction has exacerbated workload pressures and consequently ECTs are struggling to put aside time to focus on their ECF induction alongside the their teaching and other workload commitments.

Whilst the above makes for depressing reading and is not an issue that school’s alone can resolve, it is important to highlight that leaders play a crucial role. Below, I highlight three important areas where leaders can have an impact. 

Remember that your ECT is still learning

A 2016 study by the Education Policy Institute found that teachers who feel better prepared to teach were less likely to see that their workloads were unmanageable. In recent years, there has almost been an expectation within the education sector for our ECTs to ‘hit the ground running’ when they finish their training. Such an attitude couldn’t be further from the truth and is the very reason why a worrying number burnout all too quickly. We need to move beyond this unrealistic and unsustainable attitude and ensure that, as leaders, we provide our ECTs with sufficient time to undertake and concentrate on their learning and development.

Time management and prioritising tasks are skills that need to be learnt and modelled

Stephen Covey popularised the concept of prioritising workload with his self-help matrix. The idea behind the matrix is to prioritise tasks in relation to their importance and urgency, helping the user to make decisions about whether a task needs to be actioned immediately or whether it can wait until a later date.

As experienced teachers, we know that within teaching there will always be a never-ending ‘to do list’. It is essential that ECTs are supported to be able to not only identify which tasks to tackle and prioritise first but also to prioritise self-care. We need to support ECTs to understand that managing one’s time also means building in ‘me time’ and developing the habits and self-discipline to avoid work taking control.

To do mentoring well takes time

Being a mentor is a huge privilege. When done well, it is also time consuming. The DfE’s interim review (2023) highlighted the difficulties that mentors have trying to manage their mentoring commitments alongside their other work commitments.

As leaders, it is essential that we prioritise making sure that mentors have both the time and capacity to undertake their roles. This includes:

1. Reviewing the other work-related commitments of mentors and seeking ways to reduce any burdens.

2. Ensuring that ECT and mentor time is ringfenced and timetabled so that it takes place during teaching hours.

3. Ensuring that mentors are released from their other commitments in order to undertake any training required.

4. Regularly checking in with mentors to see that their workload is manageable.

Supporting your ECTs and mentors

In summary, below are some important questions for leaders to reflect upon when appointing an ECT:

• How will you support your ECT to make the transition from trainee to qualified teacher?

• How do you create a culture within your school where ECTs (or any member of staff) can tell you what would help them in relation to their workload and wellbeing?

• How will you support your ECT to know their limits and not overcommit, both in terms of their teaching commitments and extracurricular responsibilities?

• How will you ensure that mentors and induction tutors have the time, capacity, expertise, knowledge and personal qualities required to provide the best possible support to ECTs?

• How will you ensure that the support structures you put in place for ECTs are sustainable and do not place additional strain and burden on other colleagues?

Professor Michael Green is an education consultant, academic and author. He was formally an advisor to the DfE on workload. He tweets @Michael_S_Green.