CEO Shane Ierston shared his experience of how the Trust recruits and retains high-quality teachers at a roundtable event at the recent Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
Shane was invited to participate in the Education Policy Institute and National Institute roundtable on “How do we get good teachers where they are needed most?”.
The session brought together politicians, school leaders and other education stakeholders to consider how the new government can meet its stated aim of recruiting 6,500 teachers.
Also at the roundtable were James Zuccollo, Director of Workforce at the Education Policy Institute; Tris Osborne MP, a former geography teacher; Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT; Niamh Sweeney, Deputy General Secretary of NEU; Jack Worth of the National Foundation for Educational Research charity; CEO shares Trust success at Conference roundtable and four CEOs from other multi-academy trusts.
A leading issue was the nationwide teacher shortage and the urgency of recruiting teachers, particularly in disadvantaged areas.
The discussions covered various ideas on innovative recruitment approaches. Shane highlighted Great School Trust’s experience in attracting high-quality candidates to disadvantaged areas. This includes how the Trust prioritises staff well-being and embeds cultures that create a sense of value and offers ongoing professional development and innovative coaching strategies. Teacher workload is another pressing challenge affecting recruitment and retention, and Shane spoke about how Great Schools Trust is using technology and AI to enhance teacher efficiency and improve work-life balance.
Shane said, “As the new government set about addressing its commitments for education, I was delighted to be invited to participate in these critical discussions at the Labour Party Conference.
“It was an opportunity to share the Great Schools Trust’s values-led approach to recruitment and show how we provide professional development opportunities. This has enabled us to build fantastic teams within our schools and we are seeing the benefits as our students are achieving some tremendous results.
“I will continue to advocate that these strategies are the way forward for our sector and hope for further opportunities to collaborate with educational leaders and policymakers in ensuring that every teacher receives the right support and every child has access to exceptional teaching.”