Church Times and The Times Educational Supplement have reported that trainee teachers are to be sent into primary schools in more deprived rural areas as part of a plan to tackle recruitment problems

The Rural Teaching Partnership will be run in 10 pilot areas with Teach First recruits starting two-year placements at Church of England primary schools from September next year.

All of the recruits will be enrolled on the charity's training programme and will get specialist support on working in small rural settings – such as training on teaching one class with multiple year groups.

Teach First highlighted the findings of a report on educational isolation, which warned that rural school leaders face greater difficulties with staff recruitment and retention compared with urban schools, as well as many remote and rural schools face an ‘educational isolation’ which is not only geographic but can also be professional, social and economic.

More than half of the Church of England’s 4,644 schools are based in rural areas.

Full articles:

Church Times - Church of England to provide teacher-training in rural schools

The Times Educational Supplement - Teach First to send recruits into poor rural areas