Teachers with confidence in their abilities find that their students perform better, a new report says.

The study, by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), suggests that countries which want to improve education should focus on teachers’ self-belief.

Published ahead of an international summit of education ministers and union representatives in Canada this weekend, the report finds that teachers with high levels of confidence in their abilities tend to have better results. It says that greater “self-efficacy” among teachers - defined as “belief in their ability to teach, engage students and manage a classroom” - has a positive impact on students’ attainment.

Teachers with a poor sense of self-efficacy, it says, face greater difficulties with student behaviour and tend to be more stressed. 

Education International, the global federation of teaching unions, hailed the findings as the first indication from the OECD that teachers’ confidence is linked to students’ attainment.

For the full story get the 27 March edition of TES on your tablet or phone or by downloading the TES Reader app for Android or iOS. Or pick it up at all good newsagents.

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