Factors affecting teacher retention and what does the future hold?

Being a teacher is tougher than ever.

Source - https://www.thewrap.com/adolescence-cast-characters-guide/

Before we begin, let’s take a moment to consider a scene from Netflix’s gripping drama Adolescence. The show offers a raw, unfiltered glimpse into the lives of inner-city teenagers in the UK, and in episode two, detectives Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters) and Mischa Frank (Faye Marsay) visit a local school as part of a criminal investigation. After a long, chaotic day, DI Bascombe grimly refers to the school as a “holding pen” where “students don’t learn anything.”

As a viewer, the moment hits hard. It captures - perhaps too well - the daily struggles teachers face in an education system strained by societal pressures, the rise of social media, and systemic underfunding. It’s a stark reminder that teaching today is more than just delivering lessons - it's navigating a minefield of challenges.

This article is written with those educators in mind. We’ll explore the real-world factors that drive teacher attrition, drawing on the latest research. And importantly, we’ll ask: can technology - and the rise of AI - offer genuine solutions to ease the load for our nation’s teachers?

Teacher retention trends (post 2020)

Multiple indicators show that teacher retention has worsened in the early 2020s, despite a brief improvement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Official retention rates published by the Department for Education (DfE) reveal a steep decline over the first few years of a teacher’s career.

Source – Educationstatistics.gov.uk

These figures show the cumulative loss of teachers over time. The annual workforce turnover is equally telling. In the latest year for which data is available (20222/23), nearly 40,000 teachers in England quit state-sector teaching (excluding retirees), which equated to 8.8% of the teaching workforce leaving in a single year.

The overall number of teachers has grown only slightly in recent years, not keeping pace with rising pupil numbers, causing pupil-to-teacher ratios to worsen (from 17.1 pupils per teacher in 2010 to about 18.0 in 2022)​.

​This means heavier workloads and larger class sizes for remaining staff, creating a vicious cycle affecting retention.

In an effort to combat the factors affecting teacher retention, Government policies and funding decisions in the past few years have directly targeted this issue. Let’s explore some of the key policies.

#1 Recruitment & early-career support

In 2019, the DfE launched a Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy – which led to the introduction of the Early Career Framework (ECF) - which was fully rolled out in 2021/22. The ECF entitles new teachers in England to a two-year induction with structured training and mentoring. This also includes a funded 5% reduction in timetables in the second year.

There are signs this may be helping (albeit slightly). Early career retention rates in 2024 remained above the record low seen in 2017.

Beyond the ECF, the government and schools have also expanded professional development opportunities (e.g. National Professional Qualifications for teachers and leaders) to encourage teachers to stay and progress in their careers.

#2 Financial incentives

A host of financial incentives have also been introduced to tackle both recruitment and retention. For recruitment, the DfE offers tax-free bursaries and scholarships (up to £27,000) to attract trainees in subjects like maths, science and languages.

For retention, early-career retention payments have been piloted since 2018. For example, maths and physics teachers who stay in certain schools for a set period receive additional payments.

Currently, a ‘targeted retention incentive’ offers £3,000 - £6,000 to early-career teachers in subjects like science, computing, maths and languages who teach in disadvantaged areas, payable in year 3 and beyond.

The Government also introduced a student loan reimbursement pilot for teachers in some subjects/regions.

These incentives acknowledge that pay and financial considerations are important for keeping teachers, especially when competing with other career options for STEM graduates. However, these incentives aren’t without their limitations. They are focused on specific subjects and within early-career stages. It’s important to recognise that retention issues span the workforce.

#3 Pay increase

In 2023, following nationwide teacher strikes over pay, ministers agreed to a 6.5% pay increase for 2023/24. While this is welcomed, unions note that it only partially closes the real-terms pay gap. The School Teachers’ Review Body reported that teacher pay was cut by around 5% in real terms in 2022 alone, the largest single-year drop since the 1970s.

#4 Workload reduction initiatives

In 2023, the Education Secretary formed a Workload Reduction Taskforce with the goal of cutting teachers’ and leaders’ workloads down by 5 hours per week within three years. Initial recommendations include restoring a list of 21 administrative tasks that teachers should not be expected to do, and strengthening the implementation of workload review group recommendations.

The DfE also introduced an Education Staff Wellbeing Charter and disseminated best-practice resources for marking, planning and data management to help schools streamline workload and tasks.

#5 Accountabilty and Ofsted

Recent discussions in policy circles have considered reforms to make accountability regimes less punitive and more supportive for staff wellbeing. For instance, the workload taskforce is making recommendations to both government and Ofsted on reducing burdens. This comes amid evidence that accountability pressures contribute to teachers’ intentions to quit.

To sum up…

The policy landscape has begun to respond to the teacher retention crisis through ECF, financial incentives, pay reforms, workload reduction and consideration of system pressures. These initiatives are still evolving, and only time will tell us the long-term impacts these changes may have.

While policy change helps, day-to-day working conditions and personal factors largely contribute to the factors affecting teacher retention. Recent research highlights several interlinked factors.

#1 Excessive workload & hours

Workload is consistently the number one reason teachers consider leaving. In a 2023 national survey, 94% of teachers who were thinking of quitting said “high workload” was an important factor in that decision.

Teachers in England work long hours relative to international norms. In 2023, full-time classroom teachers reported working 52.4 hours per week on average. Senior leaders work even more (often 55-60 hours per week).

73% of teachers also say their job doesn’t leave enough time for their personal life.

#2 Stress and wellbeing

In the DfE’s 2023 working lives survey, a large majority of teachers agreed that their job negatively impacts their mental and physical health​.

​Symptoms of stress – anxiety, exhaustion, and even depression – are commonly reported. While most teachers still say they find personal satisfaction in teaching and value its purpose, the toll on wellbeing is causing some to conclude it’s “not worth it.” It is telling that despite more than one-third of teachers saying in 2022 they were considering leaving within a year, 88% of those had not actually left a year later​. Many stay due to commitment to the job or lack of alternate options, but this can include a cohort of “frustrated stayers” who feel trapped.

#3 Pay and cost of living

As previously mentioned, pay and financial rewards in teaching have not kept up with inflation, and with other careers. 63% of teachers who reported considerations of leaving cited ‘dissatisfaction with pay’ as a key reason.

Stagnant pay, combined with the recent cost-of-living crisis (spiking energy and housing costs), means many teachers feel financially strained. New teachers in high-cost regions like London struggle to afford rent on a teacher’s salary. Surveys by unions found nearly 90% of teachers worried about their financial situation​.

#4 School culture, leadership and support

The environment in each school plays a role. As noted, supportive leadership can buffer against other stresses. Conversely, poor school culture (e.g. lack of support, bullying, excessive monitoring, or unrealistic expectations on teachers) drives people away. In the 2023 survey, one-third (34%) of those inclined to leave cited lack of support from their superiors as an important factor​.

Opportunities for career progression also matter: while the government has introduced more training, 32% of would-be leavers said a lack of progression opportunities influenced them.​

Ensuring teachers feel they have a future (whether via promotion, specialisation, or growth in their role) can encourage them to stay. Some schools have mentoring, clear pathways to advance, and a positive, collaborative ethos – these tend to retain staff better.

#5 Student behaviour and parental pressure

Difficult classroom environments can be a breaking point, particularly in secondary schools in areas with high levels of deprivation or behavioral challenges. 41% of teachers weighing an exit cited pupil misbehaviour as an important factor, and an equal 41% cited the challenges of dealing with pupils’ parents or carers​.

Persistent disruptive behaviour, or incidents of violence/abuse, understandably drive some teachers to leave for their own safety and sanity. Likewise, dealing with angry or unsupportive parents (which has reportedly become more common) adds to teachers’ stress. Schools with strong behavior policies and parental engagement strategies may retain teachers better, whereas those where teachers feel constantly undermined by poor discipline or hostile parent interactions will see higher turnover.

#6 Lack of flexibility

The pandemic normalised remote and flexible working in many professions, but teaching largely returned to the old normal. Teachers generally must be in school for set hours, with little option to work from home except for rare remote-learning situations. NFER research points out that teachers’ ability to work from home or flexibly remains very limited, which could be a disadvantage in retaining staff in an era when other jobs offer flexibility​.

As the UK education system grapples with persistent retention challenges, the path forward depends on both systemic reforms and technological innovation. While recent policy efforts like the Early Career Framework, workload taskforces, and pay uplifts have begun to address some pain points, they will need to be scaled and sustained to see long-term impact.

Meanwhile, emerging technologies - particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and automation tools - offer real potential to reduce burdens on teachers, if implemented thoughtfully.

Reducing administrative burden through AI and EdTech

A major opportunity lies in streamlining time-consuming tasks such as planning, marking, and data entry. Many teachers cite these duties as more draining than actual classroom teaching.

AI-driven tools and platforms are already being trialed in UK schools for:

• Lesson planning and resource generation: AI assistants (like generative tools similar to ChatGPT or Canva Magic Write) can help teachers create differentiated resources quickly, saving hours each week.
• Assessment and feedback: Tools like auto-marking systems and intelligent feedback generators are beginning to handle low-stakes testing, quizzes, and even written feedback — freeing up time without compromising quality.
• Data analysis and reports: AI tools can help interpret pupil data and generate reports, progress tracking, or parental updates, reducing the cognitive load on teachers.
• Behaviour monitoring and logging: Smart systems can flag patterns in student behaviour or SEND needs more efficiently than manual logs.

If scaled correctly, this could reduce teachers’ workload by 3–5 hours per week (aligning with the DfE’s workload reduction target) — a tangible shift in day-to-day working life. However, implementation needs careful planning to ensure:

• Usability: Tools must be intuitive and genuinely time-saving.
• Training: Teachers need support and CPD to adopt them effectively.
• Safeguards: Ethical use of data and privacy protections must be embedded.

Flexible and remote-enabled working models

While most teaching must happen in person, technology can support more flexible working in other areas:

• Remote planning and marking days (using cloud-based systems).
• Hybrid roles (e.g. part-time classroom with online curriculum development).
• Job-share models enabled by shared digital systems.

This could help retain teachers who might otherwise leave due to caregiving responsibilities, commuting issues, or burnout. A shift toward more flexible structures — where possible — would align teaching with other professions increasingly offering hybrid options.

The role of national policy in scaling innovation

For these benefits to reach scale, the DfE and school leaders must:

• Provide funding for digital transformation, particularly for under-resourced schools.
• Invest in edtech training and infrastructure, not just tools.
• Ensure equity of access, so technology doesn’t widen disparities between schools.

The Workload Reduction Taskforce, alongside the government’s EdTech Strategy, could spearhead pilot schemes that test the real-world impact of AI on teacher hours, paving the way for a more efficient profession. Collaboration with edtech companies, unions, and researchers will be vital to ensure solutions are teacher-led and evidence-informed.

High workloads, stress, stagnant pay, limited flexibility and challenging school environments are all very real factors affecting teacher retention.

While government policies and incentives have been introduced to tackle this issue, the long-term solution lies in systematic reform and the integration of technology.

With the emergence of AI, does part of the answer to an easier work life balance for teachers lie there?

Only time will tell.

Here at Access Education, we offer a ‘Thriving People’ software bundle – which provides schools and trusts with all their people management tools (like managed payroll, employee recognition, on-demand pay and more) with one, east to manage ‘per school’ price.

While this won’t have an immediate impact on the teacher retention crisis, these tools are designed to reduce administrative burden and simplify the amount of technology used within schools. If you want to find out more, head over to our Education Software Bundles page. Alternatively, you’re more than welcome to look specifically at our HR and Payroll solution.