NQT Quality Improvement Study for the Training and Development Agency for Schools : Synthesised key findings from all five stages of the NQT Quality Improvement Study

Sheffield Hallam University was commissioned by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) in 2007 to explore whether school leadership teams (SLTs) are able to recruit and retain enough quality Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs). The project was commissioned with the aim of identifying the factors that impact on the recruitment and retention of newly qualified teachers (NQTs), senior leader needs in relation to high quality NQTs and early career teachers (ECTs), their preparation for their role and performance over time and how schools measure the performance and progression of ECTs over time. The study utilises a survey of around 700 school senior leaders and NQTs in their schools (at the start of the project), and 50 case studies in a sample of these schools which included interviews with senior leaders, mentors / line managers and NQTs / ECTs in the NQT year, second and third years of teaching.