At this year’s Labour Party Conference, the Education Policy Institute has partnered with Education Support to hold a public panel on: ‘From Burnout to Belonging: Rethinking headteacher retention’
High-quality school leadership is key to improving outcomes. EPI research finds that pupils under the most effective headteachers are up to three months ahead in their academic progress. This translates to an additional £16,000 in lifetime earnings, and reduces teacher turnover. Moreover, leaders become more effective over time; a leader spending five more years in the same school is equivalent to two months of additional progress for primary schools, and an increase of a grade in two GCSEs and two additional months of progress for secondary schools. Retaining the great leaders we already have is critical.
Retention rates, however, are continuing to fall and headteachers are quitting the profession earlier, particularly secondary heads. These heads are now over five times as likely to quit the profession before retirement as they were 15 years ago. Like teachers, heads report struggling with workload, health issues and the impacts of pupil behaviour on their working lives. Education Support research shows that 39% of leaders are experiencing symptoms of burnout. Tackling the drivers of these challenges is difficult as rising poverty and SEND prevalence increases expectations on schools. Further tension can be created when there’s a mismatch between parental expectations, and schools’ capacity and ability to address these system-wide issues.
The Government’s pledge to recruit 6,500 new teachers is welcome but retaining existing leaders and teachers is vital for achieving positive outcomes for children and young people, and meeting the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity for all. Without stemming the retention crisis, demand will grow and much expertise and experience will be lost.
So how can we retain great leaders? How do we support more teachers and middle leaders to feel comfortable moving up into leadership roles? And are there ways national policy can improve the wellbeing of leaders and teachers, given wider societal pressures?
This panel will bring together politicians, school leaders and sector experts to consider these questions, mapping out the relationship between leadership, wellbeing and retention. Panellists will discuss what is within the gift of schools to improve and what changes are needed from national policy to make a material difference leader wellbeing in the long- and short-term, recognising that many of the pressures on schools need wider policy attention to alleviate.
Speakers will be announced in due course.
** Note: This event will take place in the conference secure zone. To access the secure zone you will need to obtain a pass directly from the Labour Party.**
