In recent years, the conversation about strengthening the education system has increasingly centred on one key truth: improving the quality of teaching is the single factor that can make the biggest impact.

The government’s White Paper, Every child achieving and thriving, takes this to heart by placing the quality of teaching at the core of its long‑term strategy to raise standards, improve inclusion and build a stable, expert workforce.

How far, though, does this extend to new teachers? As someone who has long championed the importance of early career teachers (ECTs) - and who knows from my membership of the Headteachers’ Roundtable how important they are for schools - I was curious to see how prominently ECTs would be featured in the document.

Supporting early career teachers

One of the strongest themes in the White Paper is the commitment to high‑quality professional development.

For ECTs, this is particularly significant. The early years of teaching are formative, shaping not only classroom practice but also long‑term career confidence, professional agency and, therefore, retention.

As such, the White Paper’s confirmation that the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE), which started delivery in September this year, will be reviewed in 2027, is a welcome commitment.

There is often much to learn from new programmes (as we saw from the review of the Early Career Framework) and so ensuring regular analysis of the ECTE so that ECTs’ first experiences of professional development empower them and build confidence will be key.

Development plans

More broadly, plans for improved entitlements to professional development for all teachers could also benefit ECTs, especially in light of other White Paper reforms.

For example, the paper has a big focus on improving inclusion within mainstream schools, and training in special educational needs and disabilities will be vital to help ECTs ensure that they can adapt their teaching - something many of their colleagues will be doing as well.

We know this is a big issue, with teachers reporting SEND as their top priority for professional development. So the plan for a £200 million funding pot for SEND CPD will be vital for all teachers, but ECTs especially.

New training for Reception classroom teachers to help ensure that every child gets the best possible foundation in their first year of school could also play a big part in helping ECTs in early years settings to feel secure in the work they are doing.

Finally, plans to reform national professional qualifications (NPQ), including introducing inclusive teaching and inclusive leadership programmes, could be key in helping more ECTs see a path to leadership that works for them, even if such a career move is a few years away.

Collaboration and school structures

The White Paper’s focus on creating a more collaborative system, with all schools expected to join strong trusts, could benefit ECTs, too.

Trusts are positioned as engines of professional development, offering structured pathways, shared expertise and consistent induction support, as well as a wider network of teachers - both fellow ECTs and experience practitioners - to lean on.

This could all mean more coherent mentoring, better access to specialist expertise and a stronger sense of belonging within a professional community.

These are all factors consistently linked to improved retention and job satisfaction, which is vital if we are to stop losing so many ECTs after just one year of teaching.

Maternity pay and flexible working

Meanwhile, while it may not be a change that immediately benefits most ECTs, improvements to maternity pay could help new female teachers feel more confident that teaching is a career that can work if they choose to start a family - something Headteachers’ Roundtable member Helena Marsh wrote about recently.

This could also play a part in enticing more people into the profession - as part of the government’s commitment to recruit 6,500 more expert teachers - by showing the sector is becoming more family-friendly.

Plans to further help schools embrace flexible working could help, too.

Building a strong foundation

Overall, although many of the initiatives in the White Paper are not aimed specifically at ECTs, there is a sense that much of what has been outlined will benefit all teachers, regardless of career stage.

This is important because supporting new teachers should not be seen as a separate initiative - they are the foundation on which the future of the profession rests, and so any measures that improve teaching should include them, too.

If these commitments are realised, ECTs could enter a profession that feels more coherent, more supportive and more sustainable than ever before, and their early years could be about being able to thrive not just survive.

Professor Samantha Twiselton is the director of Sheffield Institute of Education at Sheffield Hallam University and a special adviser to the Headteachers’ Roundtable