Report Overview

Conor Ryan reports on improving the status and quality of primary school teaching.

Recommendations

  1. A ‘Teach Primary’ initiative should be established to raise the profile and status of primary school teaching. This should include new and existing employment-based routes into the profession, specifically: Teach First should be extended to primary schools, more Graduate Teacher Training places should be made available for those wishing to become primary teachers, other work-based opportunities should be opened to new graduates wanting to enter the primary sector
  2. There should be a focus on recruiting the best teachers into the most challenging schools through the us of financial incentives, such as golden handcuffs and higher salaries
  3. Consortia of successful primary schools should be able to become training schools, allowing the best schools to instruct the next generation of teachers
  4. Primary teaching should develop a more attractive career structure, particularly by allowing ambitious teachers to lead groups of primary schools as executive heads
  5. Advertising should not hide the challenges of primary teaching – the chance to make a difference in a difficult environment is attractive to many high-flying graduates and career-switchers.