Support or Surveillance? – Mapping the Experiences of Beginning Teachers Working Within the Early Career Framework

This study discusses the experiences of new teachers in England since the introduction of the Early Career Framework (ECF) (DfE, 2019). The research is contextualised in a review of current figures on the recruitment and retention of teachers. The reasons that attracted new entrants to the profession and the reasons that lead to many leaving or considering leaving are discussed, and the ITTECF is problematised. The research, building on a previous study (Perryman & Calvert, 2020), involves former PGCE students at our university, through surveys and interviews. We find that new teachers entered the profession inspired by a love of their subject and a desire to make a difference, but that they experience a lack of intellectual stimulation, few opportunities for creativity, a lack of appropriate support, little voice or agency, isolation, and excessive workload; and that the one-size-fits-all ECF is ineffective in supporting their development needs. We hence suggest a novel approach to supporting new entrants to the teaching profession, arguing for research into the formation of what we term Holocratic Communities of Practice (H-CoPs). We suggest that H-CoPs may help new teachers develop a rich, holistic skill set that is fundamentally inter-personal in nature, such that they become public pragmatic intellectuals (PPIs), able and enthusiastic, well-prepared to navigate and commit to a career in schools, thus ultimately strengthening the education system.