Two years on from Education Support’s teacher retention commission, the urgency of the issue remains.
While there have been some positive policy developments, efforts to improve teacher retention are still too fragmented and too slow.
We need a coherent strategy that reflects the scale and complexity of the challenge. That’s a missed opportunity, not just for the profession, but for the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity for children and young people.
Teacher retention is not just a workforce issue; it’s the cornerstone of educational quality and equity.
If we cannot retain an engaged, skilled workforce, we cannot deliver high standards for children and young people. If we are serious about breaking down barriers to opportunity, retaining talented teachers must be the foundation.
Yet the evidence remains clear: teachers and leaders are not well. Next month, the Teacher Wellbeing Index will once again paint a troubling picture. Stress, work intensity, and poor overall wellbeing are still driving people out of the profession, and we must fix it.
This is not about privileging the needs of adults over those of children. It is about creating the conditions in which the system can function as it should. Where children and young people thrive because the adults around them are supported to do their best work.
‘Improve the drivers of workplace wellbeing’
Workplace wellbeing is a major driver of education staff attrition in England.
That’s why our latest paper, Revisiting the teacher retention crisis: recommendations for change, takes a wellbeing lens to the issue.
We believe this approach offers real value, not just in improving retention, but in improving recruitment, performance, and outcomes for children.
The logic is simple: improve the drivers of workplace wellbeing, and you improve the sustainability of the workforce.
Our paper sets out a multi-faceted approach, grounded in evidence.
Using the twelve drivers of workplace wellbeing identified by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, we’ve mapped a series of policy and practice recommendations that, taken together, will significantly move the dial on retention.
These include reforming accountability to rebuild professional trust, reviewing the 1,265-hour rule to tackle overwork, and ensuring pay progression is possible without leaving the classroom.
We also highlight two areas that deserve greater attention: relational leadership skills and reflective practice.
‘School leaders manage increasingly complex relationships’
School leaders are managing increasingly complex relationships with staff, parents and carers, external agencies, and wider communities.
Yet many tell us they feel underprepared for this aspect of their role. Investing in relational skills like communication, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution is not a luxury. These are essential tools of the job.
They are central to building positive organisational cultures, which in turn make schools attractive places to work. We support calls to include relational leadership development in future NPQ content and see this as a key pillar of any retention strategy.
Reflective practice is equally vital. Too many educators are stuck in firefighting mode, with little time or space to think creatively about the challenges they face.
Professional supervision, coaching, and mentoring provide that space. Our work shows supervision has a significant impact on emotional wellbeing, self-efficacy, and retention among the school and trust leaders who participate.
‘Recruitment targets alone are not enough’
A serious retention strategy must include funded provision of professional supervision (or other evidence-based forms of reflective practice) for all who need it, especially those in emotionally demanding safeguarding or SEND roles.
We also repeat our call for a retention KPI. Recruitment targets alone are not enough. We must measure and value the system’s ability to keep talented people in the profession. Without this, we risk continuing to pour water into a leaky bucket.
The Government’s opportunity mission depends on a stable, skilled, and supported teaching workforce. That will not happen by accident. It requires a coherent, long-term strategy that recognises the centrality of workplace wellbeing and sets clear goals for improvement.
There’s a lot to do, but the evidence is clear: teachers who are happy in their jobs deliver better results for children and young people. Our report offers a practical roadmap, and we’re ready to get to work. Now is the time to act.
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