Review of the Excellent Teacher Scheme
Funded by:
Department for Children, Schools and Families
Timescale
April 2008 - March 2009
The Excellent Teacher Scheme (ETS) came about as a result of the January 2004 Pay Agreement for teachers, and commenced in September 2006. It provides a new career route for experienced teachers and is an alternative to management and leadership posts. The aim of the ETS is to allow teachers to concentrate on using their pedagogic skills in ways which will have a positive impact improving pupil attainment across the whole school. This means that in addition to their normal classroom duties, ETs will be role models for less experienced teachers providing demonstration lessons and helping their colleagues to improve their effectiveness for example through coaching and mentoring.
It was envisaged that over time some 20% of eligible teachers would be employed as ETs. In its first year of operation it was anticipated that there would be between 3,000 and 5,000 ET posts established but that has not proved to be the case. To date there are less than 100 Excellent Teachers posts in England and Wales.
The aims of this research are:
- to review the Excellent Teacher Scheme, exploring the extent to which it is contributing usefully to the career paths available for teachers and is meeting the needs of schools;
- to examine the reasons for its low take-up, identify strategies that might increase this, and provide case study material of schools where ETs are in post that could be used in publicising the scheme.
The research involves interviews with headteachers and teachers n schools that do not have Excellent Teacher posts, and case studies of schools that do, together with a survey of teachers to explore their perceptions of the scheme.
Publications
All publications related to this project
The final report, published by the DCSF, as well as a summary of the research, can be accessed here: final report; summary
Project team
Merryn Hutchings
Ayo Mansaray
Sarah Minty
Sarah Smart
Marie-Pierre Moreau
Contact
Merryn Hutchings - m.hutchings@londonmet.ac.uk
