What makes a good teacher? It’s a difficult question, because it in many ways depends on the person, the school, the students - even the time of year.

But are there certain personality traits that would mark someone out as a future teacher? Research suggests that it is possible, and, if this is indeed the case, it raises a whole lot of questions about teacher recruitment.

If schools could screen recruits to ensure they have the right character for the job, it could improve retention and boost pupils’ attainment.

But Marc Smith, a chartered psychologist and teacher, sounds a note of caution. While studies point to the possibility of a “teacher personality”, the science so far raises more questions than answers. And, in the grip of a recruitment crisis, would we want to limit the pool of applicants based on perceived personality traits?

And what would a personality test for teachers look like? As Smith points out, a simple multiple-choice quiz is “easily faked”. (We know this to be true - we retook a Buzzfeed quiz on “What Sort Of Cheese Are You?” until we ended up with our true choice of Camembert, rather than the ridiculous first assessment of Roquefort.)

Smith writes: “It’s not as easy as it might seem. Certain traits can be taught. And we now need to consider how stable personality traits really are. If we were to test for a teacher personality at 18, could we be reasonably confident that any positive ‘teacher traits’ would still exist by the time that person retired?”

He also says that the idea of a personality test “implies that certain people may lack the capacity to develop the skills to thrive in the profession, and there is a danger that some schools could reduce the level of support for teachers if they believe that staff have the innate capacity to thrive”.

So, what is Smith’s recommendation for school leaders who are looking for the most effective way to recruit the best teachers? Simple, if not scientific: “Trust your gut.”