London has the best-performing schools and is a great place to learn to teach and develop a teaching career, but more needs to be done to retain teachers according to research jointly commissioned by the Mayor and the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) published today.
NFER’s research reveals that teachers in the capital are leaving the profession at a higher rate than the national average at a time where pupil numbers are soaring, mainly because of the high cost of housing, pressure on teachers’ standards of living and cuts to schools’ funding
Although he does not have any statutory powers over education in the capital, the Mayor is building on NFER’s findings and doing all that he can to support schools and teachers, particularly teachers at an early stage of their career who need more support to continue working in the capital.
Today, the Mayor has launched an online Teach London resource, a simple one-stop shop for people who want to become a teacher in London. The website sets out and promotes the benefits of starting and continuing a teaching career in London.
To help keep teachers in London, Sadiq is also providing mental health first aid training to 2,000 teachers through his Thrive London programme. The Mayor’s Getting Ahead London scheme is designed to help career progression, providing coaching, training and support for teachers who are keen to make the step up to leadership roles such as headteachers. The Mayor has also published new projections for pupil demand which shows secondary school numbers will continue to increase to 2023, meaning more schools, headteachers and teachers will be needed.
