Teachers are leaving over workloads and stress, Yorkshire union rep warns, as poll finds nearly half plan to quit within five years

Dedicated teachers are being pushed out by poor pay, long hours, and a relentless drive over data, a Yorkshire union rep warns, as polls suggest nearly half are looking to quit within five years.

Today’s State of Education report, published by the National Education Union (NEU) at the start of its annual conference, outlines a raft of challenges over retention and wellbeing.

As many as 44 per cent of state-school teachers in England intend to leave the industry within five years, survey findings outline, while two-thirds feel stressed at least 60 per cent of the time.

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As union leaders call for change to “right the ship” before it’s too late, district representatives warn that dedicated teachers are being pushed out by poor pay, long hours, and a relentless drive over data and inspections.

A poll shows nearly half of England's teachers plan to quit within the next five years. PA images.A poll shows nearly half of England's teachers plan to quit within the next five years. PA images.
A poll shows nearly half of England's teachers plan to quit within the next five years. PA images.

Sally Kincaid, joint district secretary of Wakefield NEU, said it was a “tragedy” to see talented school staff increasingly re-thinking their futures.

She said: “Teachers go into teaching because they are dedicated to our young people’s education - what they are getting is a constant drive over data.

“The priority should be the education experience and the learning for our young people - and not the inspector calling. Something has got to change.”

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The wider NEU report, based on a survey of 1,788 state-school teachers in England, found that one in five (22 per cent) intend to leave industry within two years.

Schools are struggling to fill vacant posts, the findings suggest, with 73 per cent of respondents stating this has worsened since the start of the pandemic. It also highlights a “significant trend” towards ‘doubling up’ workplace roles to make ends meet.

More than half of teachers said their workloads were unmanageable or too high most of the time, with this given as the primary reason that many wanted to leave.

Unions

The Government must reflect on a “failure of successive education secretaries” to get a grip on issues, education leaders have warned. Dr Mary Bousted, NEU joint general secretary said the current predicament for teachers was “unsustainable” and could only lead to burnout.

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She added: “The Government would do well to not just accept that high workload is a problem, but that they have played a starring role in many of the contributing factors.

“Our survey findings show that whether it be recruitment targets missed, talented teachers leaving the profession, the pernicious effects of a punitive and deeply flawed inspection system, or the effect of real-terms cuts to pay over many years, a national policy decision is always the villain of the piece.

"The Department for Education must take steps to right the ship, which is currently shedding too many staff and not finding enough to replace them.

“This is to a very large extent because the job is made unattractive and unsustainable.”

Government response

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A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We recognise the pressure that staff in schools and colleges have been under and are enormously grateful to them for their efforts, resilience, and service now and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Teaching remains an attractive and fulfilling profession. The number of teachers in our schools remains high, with more than 461,000 teachers working in schools across the country – 20,000 more than in 2010.

"We have taken and will continue to take action to improve teacher and leader workload and wellbeing, working proactively with the sector to understand the drivers behind such issues and improve our policies and interventions."

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