Researchers at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) have released a new report on teacher retention. Here are the key findings: 

1. Part-time secondary school teachers are more likely to leave the profession

The leaving rate among part-time teachers in secondary schools (19 per cent) is higher than among full-time secondary teachers (11 per cent) and part-time teachers in primary schools (14 per cent).

One in four (25 per cent) primary school teachers are part-time, compared with one in six (17 per cent) in the secondary sector.

Some of this gap is due to there being a greater proportion of female teachers in primary schools, but a disparity persists even when accounting for differences in age, gender and the number/age of children, researchers say.

The report suggests that primary schools may find it easier to accommodate part-time working in their timetabling than secondary schools - and that part-time teachers in secondary schools find it more difficult to sustain the demands of part-time working alongside their other responsibilities.

In light of the projected increase in secondary school pupil numbers, the NFER has called on the government and stakeholders to urgently identify ways to help secondary schools accommodate more part-time teaching and to improve the retention rates of teachers who are already part-time.

And the report adds that further research identifying secondary schools that have successfully found solutions to accommodate part-time working - including overcoming the barriers presented by timetabling, and identifying best-practice - would provide a valuable resource for schools.

2. Increased workload pressures are encouraging older teachers to leave

Between 2010 and 2015, there was a large reduction in the proportion of teachers aged between 51 and 59, which was due to a larger than average cohort at the start of that period, and a higher rate of older teachers leaving.

The increased propensity for teachers to leave before normal retirement age could be for a number of reasons, the report says, but the major reforms to the curriculum, the accountability system and qualifications are seen as likely to have increased workload and encouraged teachers to leave. 

The leaving rate is highest among teachers aged between 55 and 59, particularly those who teach non-EBacc subjects.

The researchers conclude: “This might indicate that older teachers teaching these subjects have been incentivised to retire early, or that they have become more frustrated or disaffected at their subject receiving less priority.

“More experienced teachers tend to be more expensive for schools to employ than younger teachers, so providing an incentive to these teachers to enter early retirement might be an attractive option for schools.”

The report warns that the trend - which comes as the demand for secondary school teachers is growing - could increase the scale of the challenge.  

The NFER has called on the government to explore why the rate at which older teachers have been leaving the profession increased between 2010 and 2015 and explore whether they could be incentivised to stay in the profession longer, particularly in subjects with teacher shortages.

3. The teacher supply challenge is ‘particularly acute’ in London

London has considerably more teachers leaving the profession compared with other areas, including other large cities such as Birmingham and Manchester, the study finds.

The report concludes that there “is something unique about London that makes the teacher supply challenge particularly acute”, which could be due to there being more alternative opportunities and careers available to people in the capital - or it may be linked to higher housing costs. 

Although London schools attract a small net gain of teachers in their twenties from other areas, they lose 1 per cent of teachers in their thirties and 0.6 per cent of teachers in their forties each year.

This comes at a time when pupil numbers are rising faster in the capital than other areas. Forecasts show that the secondary school population in London is expected to grow by 23 per cent between 2016 and 2023, compared with 18 per cent in the rest of England.

NFER researchers have called on policymakers to look at how support, such as housing subsidies, could help to retain teachers in high-cost areas.

4. There is little evidence that academy chains are better at retaining teachers

There appears to be little evidence to date that multi-academy trusts (MATS) are better able to retain their teachers by giving them opportunities to move within their organisation, the report says.

The researchers have called on MAT leaders to do more to promote the benefits of working in their organisation to teachers - such as raising the profile of the MAT as the structure that teachers belong to, and promoting career paths for teachers to develop and progress within the MAT.

5. Staff in ‘inadequate’ schools are more likely to leave

The report says that the lower the Ofsted rating, the higher the proportion of teachers both leaving the profession and moving school, particularly for schools rated as being “inadequate”.

Inadequate schools have much higher rates of staff turnover than other schools - and schools with this rating in two consecutive periods are associated with high rates of teachers moving school. 

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “There are now a record number of teachers in our schools - 15,500 more than in 2010 - and overall the number of new teachers entering our classrooms outnumbers those who retire or leave. Last year more than 14,000 former teachers returned to the classroom, an increase of 8 per cent since 2011.

“We continue to invest significant sums in teacher recruitment, with £1.3 billion up to 2020 being invested in teacher bursaries to attract the best and brightest into the profession.

“We recognise there are challenges facing schools and we are taking significant steps to address them. We have established a £75 million fund to support high-quality professional development in those schools where teacher retention is an issue, and we are making it easier to advertise vacancies.

“In addition, we are working with Ofsted to tackle workload and will continue to engage with the profession to better understand the specific challenges and how we can address them.”

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