This report gives some initial estimates of retention in the state-funded teaching workforce in England by teacher training route, as a proportion of all those first registering on an ITT course. We illustrate how this varies by region and teacher characteristics. We give lower and upper bound retention rate estimates, reflecting uncertainty inherent in the data. The technical annex discusses data quality issues in the Initial Teacher Training Performance Profiles (ITTPP) and the School Workforce Census (SWC) that are particularly relevant to estimating early career teacher retention.

Given imprecision in the estimates in this report it is important not to over-interpret relatively small differences in retention. However, a few findings are striking enough that they are unlikely to diminish as data quality improves. These are:

• Three regions of England – North East, North West and South West – appear to have large numbers of new qualified teachers who do not join a state-sector school immediately after achieving QTS.
• Those studying on undergraduate with QTS courses have low initial retention rates in the profession, though we cannot know whether this results from subsequent choices made by the individual or recruitment decisions made by schools.
• Teach First has very high two year retention rates, but thereafter their retention is poorer than other graduate routes.
• Ethnic minority teacher trainees have very low retention rates.
• Individuals who train part-time or who are older have much poorer retention rates, which may simply reflect other family commitments that interfere with continuous employment records.