Morning, Wednesday, 10th December 2025
Online
This conference will examine next steps for teacher recruitment and retention across schools and further education in England. Areas for discussion include national workforce targets, the impact of workload and wellbeing on staffing levels, and options for improving entry routes, career development, and long-term workforce planning.
Bringing together stakeholders and policymakers, sessions in the agenda will assess the outlook for teacher numbers and what is needed moving forward to enable schools to sustain adequate numbers of qualified staff, whilst effectively meeting educational demands and student needs.
Recruitment strategies & widening access to training routes
Attendees will consider strategies for achieving a sustainable workforce supply to address subject and regional shortages, including approaches to strengthening recruitment in high-demand areas - such as STEM, computing, languages, and other shortage subjects - as well as in rural and disadvantaged regions. This includes the recruitment of specialist staff to support students with SEND - with the Government having pledged to recruit 6,500 additional teachers by the end of this Parliament.
Opportunities for strengthening and widening access through revised training routes will be discussed, including postgraduate apprenticeships, flexible entry pathways, and initiatives to attract mid-career and underrepresented candidates, as well as support for early career teachers. Delegates will assess the effectiveness of recruitment strategies, including targeted incentives, national campaigns and marketing initiatives, and what is further needed to promote diversity and inclusion across the teaching profession.
The role of international recruitment and immigration policy in meeting workforce demand will also be examined, alongside measures to ensure effective support and retention of overseas teachers once in post.
Teacher standards, ITT & professional development
Sessions will also consider the proposed extension of Qualified Teacher Status requirements under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill - currently progressing through Parliament - alongside the refreshed Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework introduced from September. Discussion will assess the potential impact of these reforms on recruitment, retention, and professional standards, including how they may influence staffing patterns, quality and effectiveness across primary, secondary, and specialist provision.
Attendees will also examine the ongoing National Professional Qualification Framework Review and priorities for leadership development. Approaches to implementing high-quality CPD across all career stages will be discussed, looking at improving access to mentoring and support, and aligning professional development with broader workforce planning objectives.
Support for staff & new technology
Further discussion will consider strategies for supporting retention and improving working conditions across the teaching workforce. Delegates will consider the role of flexible working arrangements, including remote planning, job-share roles, and part-time opportunities, in supporting work-life balance for teachers.
Discussion will also consider practical measures to support workload reduction - such as the use of AI and digital tools - to increase efficiency and reduce the burden of administrative tasks.
Wider factors affecting retention - such as pupil behaviour, inspection frameworks, school culture, and leadership support - will also be discussed, alongside strategies to promote staff wellbeing, including access to mental health support and mechanisms to prevent burnout.
Pay & funding arrangements
Delegates will consider priorities for financial incentives and funding mechanisms moving forward, including the impact and implementation of the 4% pay award and targeted retention payments to encourage staff to remain in the profession. Discussion will also assess pay progression and career pathways across subjects, sectors, and regions and consider strategies to reduce salary disparities across primary, secondary, and FE. Challenges in the FE sector will be discussed, including pay differentials with schools, reliance on part-time and casual contracts, and the need to attract industry professionals into teaching roles.
Further areas for discussion include access to funding support for schools and colleges to deliver sustainable workforce planning and CPD provision, as well as priorities for building long-term workforce stability, particularly in shortage subjects and high-need areas.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
