Focus: Teacher retention remains a real challenge for many countries despite concerted effort. To address this challenge, the UK government developed a teacher recruitment and retention strategy (DfE, 2019), incorporating, among other elements, a new induction programme for new teachers and their mentors. This study aims to advance understanding about the extent to which and in what ways teacher induction programmes influence the retention of early career teachers and the role of the school organisation in mediating such influence. Conceptual Framing: The conceptual framing of this research is informed by Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) (e.g., Lent et al., 2002). Exemplifying many of the features of positive psychology (Seligman, 2002), SCCT is rooted in constructivist assumptions encompassed in Bandura’s general social cognitive theory (2012) about the agency of individuals in shaping their own behaviour. A considerable proportion of human behaviour is believed to be explained by an array of beliefs about oneself, influenced by the environments in which individuals find themselves. Research Design: This paper draws on the survey evidence from a longitudinal mixed methods study on teacher retention in England. Using a cross-sectional research design, evidence was provided by responses from a nationally representative sample of 900+ early career teachers. Structural equation modelling was employed to test the direct and indirect effects of school leadership and selected school conditions on early career teachers’ self-efficacy, well-being and job satisfaction, and ultimately retention decisions. Results and Conclusions: Results show that the induction programmes are not the game changer. Evidence points to the importance of the school organisation in creating the necessary intellectual and social conditions that enable early career teachers to benefit from the government funded induction programme. Their programme learning experience is found to have contributed to their self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and wellbeing. However, how satisfied they feel about their job, how well they teach (i.e., teacher efficacy), and how they perceive the quality of their lives in school (i.e., teacher wellbeing) are dependent upon the quality of professional growth opportunities created by school leadership. Findings of the research reveal the limitations of the human capital approach to teacher development. By focussing narrowly on building individual teachers’ learning entitlements, knowledge and skills, external teacher development initiatives are unlikely to bring about their desired results if the integral role of the school organisation in enabling (or constraining) teacher learning has largely been ignored in the programme design.

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