Commenting on the latest school workforce in England figures, James Zuccollo, Director for School Workforce at the Education Policy Institute said:
“Despite a slight fall this year, the number of classroom teachers and headteachers quitting their roles ahead of retirement remains high and headteachers are nearly four times more likely to quit their role for careers outside of state schools than they were in 2010.
The loss of experience in teaching and leadership is particularly concerning because of the effect it may have on the quality of teaching. Our research shows that attainment remains lower, and the disadvantage gap wider, than before the pandemic so keeping experienced teachers in the profession is critical for the years ahead.”
There is some cause for optimism in rising retention rates for early career teachers, who are now staying in the profession longer than they were before the pandemic. There are also more teachers returning to the profession than previously, which suggests that it is becoming more attractive. It will be crucial for the government to understand what has led to these improvements and build on that success as they develop their teacher workforce strategy.”
