Teacher resignations in England well above international rate

Teachers in England work longer hours than other graduates with a similar level of education, the OECD Education at a Glance 2026 report also finds

29th September 2026, 10:00am

Jabed Ahmed

The teacher resignation rate in England far outstrips the global average, international data shows.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Education at a Glance 2026 report finds that 7.2 per cent of fully qualified primary and secondary teachers in England resigned from the profession in 2024-25, compared with an average of 4.2 per cent across OECD countries.

Overall, 7.9 per cent of fully qualified teachers in England left the profession during the year, including as a result of retirement, compared with an OECD average of 6.4 per cent.

High number of resignations in England

Some 91 per cent of teacher departures in England were resignations, compared with an average of 55 per cent across OECD countries.

However, England’s data collection period ends before many teachers reach retirement age, meaning the the figures may underestimate the proportion of retirement departures, the OECD said.

A teacher leaving does not always represent a permanent loss from the workforce, the OECD added, noting that returning teachers account for 41 per cent of new teachers in England.

Teachers work longer than other graduates

Teachers in England also reported longer working weeks than similarly educated employees in other occupations.

Primary, secondary and vocational teachers reported just under 44 hours per week, compared with 40 hours among other workers with Bachelor’s or Master’s-level qualifications.

Across the OECD, teachers reported working 40.8 hours a week, slightly below the 41.5 hours reported by similarly qualified employees.

Larger secondary year groups in England

England had the largest average “lower-secondary school” size among comparable OECD countries.

The OECD defines “lower secondary” education as the three years following primary school - Years 7 to 9 in England.

The median school in England had 166 lower-secondary students per grade, more than twice the OECD average of 72.

The OECD measures school size by the number of students per grade - usually the size of a year group - rather than the total number of students in a school.

There is also a wide variation within England, according to the OECD, with year group sizes in lower secondary ranging from 49 to 215.

English primary schools were much closer to the international norm, with a median of 31 pupils per grade compared with 27 across the OECD.

Teachers earn more over career

Secondary teachers in England earn more on average over their career, but the top of their pay scale is lower than the OECD average.

The report uses a purchasing-power-adjusted measure for salaries, meaning it compares the costs and standards of living between countries.

At the start of their careers, lower-secondary teachers in England earn $47,897 (around £36,100) - when adjusted to this definition - compared with an OECD average of $49,712 (£37,500). After 15 years, teachers in England can earn $73,914 (£55,800) versus $66,583 (£50,200) across the OECD.

However, the top of the salary scale in England is $73,914 (£55,800), compared with an OECD average of $79,800 (£60,200).

Actual secondary teacher salaries in England are about 16 per cent above the OECD average - when no attempt is made to factor in the relative costs and standards of living in each country - according to the report. There is little difference between English primary teachers and their OECD peers.

And lower-secondary headteachers in England earn more than twice as much as the average full-time worker in England with a university-level education, compared with an OECD average of 1.39 times as much.

However, the OECD said the earnings benchmark used to compare England with other graduate workers was based on UK-wide earnings.

England’s accountability system

England stands out for its “highly structured” school accountability system, the OECD said.

Ofsted usually inspects a school every four years, unlike equivalent inspection systems in other OECD countries. But England does not have a national requirement for schools to carry out formal self-evaluations.

While inspections in England are recorded against compliance with rules, the quality of teaching, the curriculum and school leadership, the OECD said that the Ofsted inspection framework does not look at financial management.