Introduction

Retention strategies are the steps a group of schools take to hold onto talented leaders.

Spotting and developing talented leaders is not an effective use of resources if they don't stay long enough to make a difference. Improving the retention of headteachers and other senior leaders is an effective solution to succession issues because it has an immediate rather than a future impact. As well as improving the flow into the leadership pipeline, we must reduce the flow out.

We need to ask two important questions.

Who do we want to keep most? What will most effectively encourage them to stay?