We all remember a teacher who lit a spark for us and inspired a passion which stretched beyond the school gates into adult life. But how many children could soon miss out on that opportunity? Sadly, quite a few, if my recent research on teacher retention is anything to go by. This summer, I surveyed nearly 1,000 teachers about their thoughts of the profession. What came back was deeply worrying. It painted a picture of a sector ridden with stress, with teachers overworked, under-supported and bogged down in unnecessary bureaucracy which keeps them out of the classroom. Almost half said they were considering leaving teaching in the next five years, while 10 per cent plan to spend less than a year in the job. More than three quarters said they felt frequently or constantly burnt out, with pastoral care, lesson preparation, admin and much more keeping teachers at work for an average of 54 hours a week. Shocking What’s shocking is that I have heard similar statistics before. The education select committee, which I sit on, held a session last year about the dire crisis in teacher retention. Back then, we were told 9 per cent plan to leave the profession within a year. Regardless of whether it is 9 or 10 per cent, both figures are far too high, equating to as many as 46,000 teachers leaving in the next 12 months. Unless we tackle the reasons for teachers leaving, we will not have a stable, effective and consistent workforce. It does not matter how many teachers we recruit if we cannot hold on to them after just a few years. But the government is frighteningly nonchalant about the issue. It beggars belief, but the last teacher recruitment and retention strategy was published in 2019 by then education secretary, Damian Hinds. Eight other politicians have held the post since then. Among that report’s promises was a pledge to eradicate unnecessary workloads. Given the statistics mentioned above, I don’t know whether teachers will want to laugh or cry at that. Outdated strategy In the time since the strategy, the landscape for teachers has changed beyond recognition. We have had the pandemic – the repercussions of which are still being felt in the classroom today – the proliferation of AI and a massive increase in the number of children with SEND. The demands on teachers have never been greater, yet the strategy we are using to support them is woefully outdated. What’s worse is these demands are set to increase. The embrace of technical education and the pledge to include SEND children in mainstream education are commendable, but both plans rely on having teachers ready to implement them. As Lucy Powell enters her first term as education secretary, tackling the teacher recruitment and retention crisis must be a priority. She cannot be like her predecessors and just pay lip service to the issue. To stem this crisis, we need firm action. For me, that begins by properly funding teacher pay awards. To that end, I was relieved to see the government finally make an announcement on funding for the recently announced teacher pay rise – although it would appear this isn’t new money but rather a clever manipulation of figures. Initially, the government planned to force schools to cover half of the rise themselves, potentially exacerbating the retention crisis. But schools can’t constantly go through repeated cycles of worry when a government decides whether to accept a new pay award. We have always called to make this body independent, and its recommendations binding. Another measure that could alleviate the situation is properly enforcing legally mandated working hours and introducing new guidance on flexible working. Funnily enough, supporting flexible working was flagged within the 2019 strategy. In the seven years since its publication, nothing has translated those words into action. Now the time is long overdue to bring teachers’ working lives into the 21st century. Listen to teachers More than anything else though, what my survey makes clear is the government must change how it treats teachers. Teachers don’t feel listened to. For years, they have raised the alarm about their workload. But instead of acting, the government has piled more pressure on to their plate. I truly hope this is a watershed moment for the sector. By focusing on retention, flexibility, and proper support for the profession, I believe we can create the conditions teachers deserve and need to thrive, not only for their benefit but for pupils and families as well. Let’s hope the education secretary not only listens to the sector, but acts.