What would it take to make teaching a career people are proud to stay in? In this powerful thinkpiece, Dame Alison Peacock, CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching and FED Ambassador, reflects on why a long-term, system-wide approach is essential to build a profession that is trusted, supported and inclusive. Drawing on key insights from the FED and Teaching Commission reports, Alison argues that purposeful professional development, teacher agency, inclusive leadership, and a culture of belonging are not optional extras – they’re the foundation of a thriving education system. A must-read for anyone who believes in the transformational power of teaching.
How can we make teaching a desirable career where people feel supported, valued and proud to stay and grow?
As CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching, I believe that teaching is the most transformative and influential profession. Every day, education professionals work incredibly hard to teach and support their students, not just to learn, but to thrive – laying the foundation for a flourishing, inclusive society in which all children have a quality school experience.
But with so many teachers leaving the profession, it is clear that something isn’t working. While government action is needed to address workload, funding and accountability, we, as a profession, also have the opportunity to reimagine what it means to teach, lead and learn
The vision set out in the latest report from the Foundation for Education Development (FED), Education at the crossroads: Shaping a system that works for everyone, resonates with the Chartered College’s mission to empower a knowledgeable, confident and respected profession. It aligns too with the Teaching Commission’s report Shaping the Future of Teaching. I am proud to have contributed to both of these influential reports. Both call for a long-term, system-wide approach to building a workforce that feels supported, has agency, and is able to grow.
Teaching is an extremely complex and intellectually demanding job. In a recent Chartered College roundtable, members told us that this complexity – solving problems, understanding pupils and their contexts, refining pedagogy – is part of what makes the job meaningful. That is why purposeful, high-quality professional development must be at the heart of our efforts to retain and develop teachers.
At the Teaching Commission, I was dismayed to hear of teachers who feel ‘CPD-ed out’ – not because they feel they have nothing to learn but because the CPD on offer is of poor quality or too prescriptive. In contrast, Chartered Teachers who gave evidence to the Commission spoke powerfully about the value of choosing their own areas of study, learning with peers and being supported to think rigorously. This agency builds confidence and impact.
Teachers want to know that the work that they do and the learning that they undertake is making a difference to their pupils. Both the FED and the Teaching Commission call for greater collaboration and co-design in professional learning. As FED Futures 2025 sets out, development pathways must reflect teacher choice and autonomy. The Commission similarly urges us to meet teachers’ professional aspirations and build in time and space for meaningful learning.
An enabling school culture is vital for teachers to continue to grow. Chartered College Fellows told FED that professional development is most effective when it is sustained over long periods of time, embedded in peer support and part of a wider culture of improvement. School leaders are crucial here. Their values and vision shape whether a school is a place of belonging. That is why we must do more to support leaders with professional development that helps them build inclusive, psychologically safe environments, for staff and students alike.
We also need to work harder to create an inclusive profession. It is unacceptable that the system loses so many Black and Global Majority teachers, at every stage of the pipeline, from ITT to leadership. Our current project with Chiltern Learning Trust and Being Luminary, funded by Mission 44, aims to support ITT providers and placement schools to reflect on their processes for tackling racism and addressing bias. The enthusiasm and openness from schools and providers has been encouraging but there is much more to do. If we want an inclusive profession, we need to create the conditions for honest professional reflection and challenge.
It is energising to see the profession come together – through FED, the Teaching Commission, and the Chartered College – to advocate for a better future. If we want a system that truly works for all children, we must build one where teachers feel trusted, connected and proud to belong.
The impact on pupils of a knowledgeable and respected profession will be nothing short of transformational.