Written evidence submission to the Public Accounts Committee on the inquiry ‘Increasing Teacher Numbers in Secondary and Further Education’

Abstract

This submission responds to the Public Accounts Committee’s 2025 call for evidence on teacher recruitment and retention. It draws on primary research for which data was produced in 2023-24, through 36 semi-structured, hour-long interviews with school leaders, early-career teachers (ECTs) and ECT mentors, followed by three 2-hour long focus groups, one for each group (school leaders responsible for ECT programme), those who receive this support (ECTs) and those who provide it (ECT mentors) across four secondary schools in the South of England, encompassing local authority, multi-academy, independent, and faith-based settings.
The findings demonstrate that inconsistent and undervalued mentorship provision is a critical but underexploited factor in the current recruitment and retention crisis. This research calls for targeted investment in a national mentorship infrastructure, supported by subject-specific training, clearer progression pathways, and systemic recognition of mentors' roles.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Achala Gupta: orcid.org/0000-0002-3172-8198

ORCID for Rachele Newman: orcid.org/0009-0004-8015-150X

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