Recruitment and Retention Issues? The answer is already in your workforce.

You know the cycle. A post opens up and the advert goes out. The shortlist is thinner than you hoped, agency fees start to mount, and by the time the right candidate is in post, another member of your team may already be considering a move elsewhere.

Recent coverage in Schools Week asked whether schools have adapted as quickly as the recruitment market has. The evidence suggests many have not. HR Connect's State of HR in Education research found that three in four schools take more than a month to fill a vacancy, with nearly one in five waiting two months or longer. Almost half of schools identified pay and benefits as the biggest barrier to attracting strong candidates, and 56% said funding and cost pressures were now their most significant HR challenge. Despite this, 49% of schools reported making no changes to how they recruit or retain staff.

Retention figures tell a similar story. Around three-quarters of teachers who qualified three years ago are still teaching, falling to two-thirds among those who qualified five years ago.

Recruitment and retention are closely linked

Where pay is the main barrier and budgets are under pressure, competing harder in the open market is difficult for most schools to sustain. Few schools can consistently outbid neighbouring trusts, and specialist roles such as SENCOs remain in short supply nationally.

A more sustainable approach is to treat recruitment and retention as connected issues. Each member of staff who stays is one less vacancy to advertise, and staff are far more likely to stay when they can see a clear route to progress within their current school.

For that reason, we believe workforce development is the most effective long-term response available to school leaders.

Why developing your own staff works

Investment in development helps staff feel valued. A recognised qualification and a clear progression route show staff that the school is committed to their future. In our 2022 impact report, 90% of National College of Education learners went on to achieve a promotion, and visible progression of this kind is one of the strongest reasons people choose to stay.

It also helps schools fill hard-to-recruit roles internally. Many of the posts schools find most difficult to fill, including specialist SEND support, safeguarding, careers leadership and school improvement, can be developed from within. An experienced Teaching Assistant who already knows your pupils can grow into a specialist role, and a pastoral lead who already knows your families can progress towards becoming a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Expertise developed in-house also tends to last. New appointments need time to understand a school before they can make changes, and one-off external training often has limited lasting impact. Staff who develop their skills within your setting apply them directly to your pupils, your data and your community, and that capability remains in the school.

Funding is often already available

If your school or trust pays the Growth and Skills Levy, apprenticeships can be up to 100% funded through it, subject to eligibility, so there is no need for a new budget line.

The rules have also changed. New levy funds now expire after 12 months, down from 24, so funds that are not planned for are increasingly likely to be lost. Directing the levy towards existing staff ensures it delivers a return for your school.

How the National College of Education can help

The National College of Education has worked with more than 2,383 organisations and over 6,000 education professionals. Our levy-funded apprenticeships are designed to develop the staff you already employ into the roles you find hardest to recruit for.

For support staff, the Level 3 Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship includes an optional Level 2 Certificate in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), while the Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship offers specialist pathways in SEND, social and emotional wellbeing or curriculum provision, alongside an optional Level 4 Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) certificate. The Level 3 Safeguarding Support Officer Apprenticeship is suited to Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads, pastoral staff and family support workers, and the Level 4 Employability Practitioner Apprenticeship supports careers leaders in strengthening Gatsby Benchmark delivery. For leaders, the Level 6 School Improvement Programme (Level 6 Service Designer Apprenticeship) is designed for SENCOs and inclusion, attendance and improvement leads.

Learning is applied directly to priorities within your school, and every learner is supported by a dedicated Professional Learning Mentor. Off-the-job training does not require staff to step away from their roles, as much of it is built around their day-to-day work. Our End-Point Assessment success rate is 99.6%, and we are rated Good by Ofsted. For trusts, we manage the administration, funding and compliance requirements, reducing the burden on central HR and CPD teams.

A different starting point

Rather than asking how to recruit more effectively, it can be more useful to ask which members of your current team could be developed into the roles you need. The schools that strengthen their staffing over the coming years are likely to be those that give their people clear reasons to stay.

Your next great hire may already work for you.