Addressing key issues in teacher recruitment and retention: findings from two ERP projects

Commentators disagree over the main factors driving the teacher recruitment and retention crisis and what the best remedies might be. Join us to hear Stephen Gorard’s reflections on The Career Pathways of Ethnic Minority Teachers and Rob Klassen and Rebecca Snell’s proposals for A Motivation-Based Approach to Strengthen Teacher Recruitment and Retention.  The panel will discuss the implications of these project findings for policymakers,  practitioners and researchers, before opening up to questions from the audience.

The Career Pathways of Ethnic Minority Teachers

In England there is a large disproportion between the number of ethnic minority teachers and pupils, especially in London. This is created by lower acceptance of ethnic minority candidates to initial teacher training, lower rates of gaining QTS and a first post, and slower promotion to headship or deputy. There are also higher rates of leaving the profession for some minority groups. Our presentation looks at why this stratification matters and what can be done about it. Regardless, it would be advantageous for the system to recruit more ethnic minority teachers, have them distributed better around the country, and for all teachers to be better prepared to deal with a multicultural classroom.

A Motivation-Based Approach to Strengthen Teacher Recruitment and Retention

In this webinar Rob Klassen and Rebecca Snell present a new approach to teacher recruitment by aligning messaging with the motivations of prospective applicants. Drawing on evidence from gamified and simulation-based interventions, they will show how tailored, persuasive messages can improve applicant engagement and strengthen person–role fit—a key factor in retention. These scalable innovations offer a shift from one-size-fits-all campaigns to person-centred strategies, supporting a more resilient and committed teacher workforce.

This series is jointly organised by the UCL Institute of Education Pro-Director Research and the ESRC Education Research Programme (ERP). It aims to spark new thinking across education, social research and the wider social sciences on how research, policy and practice can most productively interact. 

Events will be online. Recordings and a summary of the key questions the debate raised will be made available on the ERP website afterwards.