NAHT has broadly welcomed the Department for Education's (DfE) response to the consultation on strengthening qualified teacher status (QTS),  and improving wider career development and progressing for teachers.  NAHT has engaged productively with the DfE before and during the consultation process – the outcomes provide a starting point for the complex journey to resolve the recruitment and retention crisis in teaching.

The DfE has committed to the following:

• Retaining the awarding point for QTS at the end of the period of initial teacher training as is currently the case
• Extending the NQT induction period for teachers to two years to provide more support to new teachers in developing their practice, knowledge and skills
  • This extension will not impact on pay; salaries post-ITT will still be on the qualified teacher pay scale, and teachers in their second year will have the same opportunity to advance through pay scales that they currently have
• Introducing an early career framework (ECF) to underpin the induction period - the content of the framework is intended to build on and complement ITT, and it will be designed with the profession to offer coherence with the wider work to improve later career development
• Amending the statutory induction guidance to create a new role of mentor in addition to the induction coordinator/tutor
  • The government has recognised that this might be challenging for some very small schools, and it is considering adding a caveat to the guidance that allows for exemptions to this rule providing a strong case can be made
• Ensuring all schools have access to high-quality training for their NQT mentors
  • The government will also review the ITT mentor standards to make sure they are applicable to NQT mentors in schools as well as mentors in ITT settings
• Supporting the development of new specialist qualifications for non-leadership pathways
• Establishing a work-related sabbaticals pilot for more established teachers for delivery from September 2019.

NAHT believes this could represent an important first step towards improving recruitment and retention in the profession.  However, we have made clear that for these measures to be effective, all aspects must be fully funded.  Without sufficient funds, schools will not have the capacity to deliver these new measures.  

We will be working closely with the government on the detail and implementation of these proposals going forward.

Read NAHT's full response to the proposals. 

Read the government's full response.

First published 09 May 2018