Recruiting Teachers with a Strong Focus on Student Voice and Agency
Why schools should look beyond subject expertise and consider how prospective teachers empower pupils to take ownership of their learning.
The role of a teacher has always extended beyond delivering curriculum content. Today, schools are increasingly recognising the importance of developing young people who can think independently, communicate confidently, make informed decisions and take responsibility for their own learning.
Central to this ambition are two closely connected concepts: student voice and student agency.
For Headteachers, the challenge is not simply introducing these principles into school policies. It is ensuring that the teachers they recruit have the skills, mindset and classroom practices needed to make them a meaningful part of everyday school life.
This raises an important recruitment question:
Are we assessing candidates solely on what they can teach, or are we also considering how they empower pupils to learn?
Understanding Student Voice and Agency
Although frequently discussed together, student voice and student agency are not quite the same thing.
Student voice involves giving pupils meaningful opportunities to express their views, contribute ideas and influence aspects of their educational experience.
Student agency goes a step further. It concerns pupils developing the confidence, skills and opportunities to make choices, take initiative and assume responsibility for their learning.
In practice, this might involve pupils helping to shape learning activities, evaluating their own progress, setting personal goals or contributing to decisions about school life.
Importantly, this does not mean relinquishing classroom authority or compromising curriculum expectations.
Effective student agency operates within a carefully structured environment in which teachers maintain clear expectations while gradually developing pupils’ independence.
The strongest candidates will understand this balance.
Why Student Voice Should Influence Recruitment Decisions
Schools often assess teaching candidates against familiar criteria: subject knowledge, classroom management, examination performance, safeguarding awareness and professional experience.
All remain essential.
However, a candidate’s ability to encourage pupil participation and independent thinking deserves consideration alongside these traditional measures.
Teachers who successfully incorporate student voice into their practice can help create learning environments in which pupils feel listened to, understand their responsibilities and recognise that their contributions matter.
For schools, this can support several important educational objectives.
1. Developing independent learners
Teachers who encourage pupils to set goals, reflect on feedback and evaluate their progress help develop habits that extend beyond individual lessons.
2. Strengthening engagement
Providing meaningful opportunities for pupils to contribute can help them develop a greater sense of ownership over their learning.
3. Supporting inclusive classrooms
Effective student voice creates opportunities for quieter pupils and those with different learning needs to contribute, rather than allowing participation to be dominated by the most confident individuals.
4. Preparing pupils for life beyond school
The ability to communicate ideas, exercise judgement, collaborate and take responsibility is valuable in further education, employment and wider society.
These outcomes are not guaranteed simply by introducing pupil choice. They depend heavily on the quality of teaching, the school’s culture and how effectively student participation is implemented.
This is precisely why recruitment matters.
What Should Headteachers Look for in Candidates?
A commitment to student voice is easy to express during an interview.
Demonstrating how it translates into effective teaching requires more careful assessment.
Rather than asking candidates whether they believe in student agency, schools can explore the practical evidence behind their approach.
Five interview questions worth asking
Practical questions to help school leaders assess how candidates approach student voice and agency.
1
How do you give pupils meaningful choices without compromising curriculum objectives?
Look for structured autonomy, clear expectations and purposeful lesson design.
2
Can you describe a time when pupil feedback changed your teaching approach?
Explore whether the candidate listens, reflects and acts on feedback.
3
How do you ensure quieter or less confident pupils have a voice?
Consider inclusive strategies rather than relying solely on volunteers or class discussions.
4
How do you help pupils take responsibility for their progress?
Listen for examples involving self-assessment, goal-setting and effective feedback.
5
How do you measure whether your approach is making a difference?
Look for thoughtful use of pupil work, participation, feedback and progress evidence.
The objective is not to find candidates who can repeat fashionable educational terminology.
It is to identify teachers who can demonstrate how their approach contributes to effective learning.
Looking Beyond the Traditional Interview
Recruiting for student agency also requires schools to consider how they assess candidates.
A conventional interview may reveal a teacher’s educational philosophy, but a lesson observation or carefully designed practical exercise can provide further insight.
For example, schools might examine whether a candidate:
- Creates opportunities for pupils to ask questions, explain their thinking and contribute ideas.
- Uses formative assessment to help pupils understand their next steps.
- Encourages independent problem-solving while providing appropriate support.
- Adapts teaching in response to pupil understanding and feedback.
- Maintains clear expectations while promoting participation.
Schools should also consider the context of any observed lesson. A candidate teaching an unfamiliar class for 30 minutes may not be able to demonstrate the same degree of pupil independence that develops through established relationships and routines.
A combination of structured interviews, lesson observations and relevant references will generally provide a more rounded picture than any single assessment.
Student Agency Starts with School Leadership
Recruiting teachers who value student voice is only part of the equation.
Schools must also create environments in which those teachers can put their principles into practice.
If teachers are expected to develop independent learners but operate within a culture that discourages professional judgement, experimentation or constructive feedback, meaningful implementation becomes more difficult.
Headteachers therefore have an important role in establishing a shared understanding of what student agency should look like across the school.
This may involve developing consistent approaches to pupil feedback, providing professional development, encouraging collaboration between departments and creating opportunities for pupils to contribute to appropriate aspects of school improvement.
Recruitment and school culture need to reinforce one another.
A candidate who demonstrates a strong commitment to pupil participation should understand how that commitment aligns with the school’s curriculum, pastoral expectations and wider educational philosophy.
The Recruitment Opportunity for Schools
As schools consider how best to prepare young people for an increasingly complex world, the qualities they seek in teachers may need to evolve.
Subject expertise, safeguarding, behaviour management and academic standards will always remain fundamental.
However, the ability to develop confident, reflective and independent learners is another important dimension of effective teaching.
For Headteachers, this presents an opportunity to refine recruitment processes and look more closely at the impact prospective teachers have on the pupils they teach.
The question is no longer simply whether a candidate can deliver an excellent lesson.
It is also whether they can help pupils develop the confidence, judgement and independence to become increasingly active participants in their own education.
Ultimately, recruiting teachers who understand student voice and agency is about more than adopting a particular teaching philosophy. It is about identifying professionals who can combine strong teaching with the ability to develop capable, confident and responsible young people.
Founder & Search Director
ED Recruit Ltd