CR19067 NFER Teachers Voice

*The contract was award directly without prior publication against PCR 2015, Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) *

On OME's behalf, it is intended that NFER will ask several questions relating to teacher retention via their omnibus / syndicated survey of teachers, known as 'Teacher Voice'. In effect, OME would be buying question space on this survey. NFER would then provide the resulting data to OME for additional analysis to support the independent School Teachers' (Pay) Review Body (to which OME provides secretariat services).

The School Teachers' Review Body would welcome more robust teacher retention data, especially when it can be used to provide insight into possible trade-offs between, for example, teachers' pay and other aspects of the teaching role that may be key in influencing existing, fully-trained teachers to leave the profession prematurely. Simply raising pay may not always be the most appropriate, effective and efficient way of retaining quality staff, and making pay recommendations to Government is the core of the Review Body's role.

This survey uniquely meets the School Teachers' Review Body's requirements due to: • its cost-effective, robust and large sample of teachers (a well-designed specialist omnibus survey is a much cheaper way of securing good quality survey data than designing an ad hoc sample survey from scratch); • its unique links to wider data with which the survey can be linked; and • the high status it commands in the educational research community.