EEF response to NFER analysis on the impact of financial incentives on teacher recruitment

Commenting, Professor Becky Francis CBE, Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, said:

“We know that recruitment and retention of teachers is one of the biggest obstacles impacting schools today. Tackling this must be at the top of the education agenda for the government that's formed after the general election. 

“Today's findings from NFER are mirrored by our own research, which indicates that financial incentives – particularly those given directly to teachers –  could be an effective approach to increasing the supply of teachers in our schools. 

“However, it's not enough to simply recruit more teachers, so we welcome today's call for a long-term strategy to improve retention too. Crucially, we know that high workload is one of the main reasons that teachers leave the profession, so initiatives to reduce workload and to support greater work-life balance for teachers through flexible working, for example, are also important.”