Two fifths don't expect to stay in education beyond 2024

A National Education Union survey of more than 8,000 teachers, school leaders and support staff has shown that two fifths of respondents (40 per cent) predict they will no longer be working in education by 2024, and almost one fifth (18%) expect to be gone within two years.

For those with between 2-5 years’ experience, 26 per cent intend to leave education in the next five years. For those with less than two years’ experience, 15 per cent intend to leave in that time.

When asked why they would be leaving, workload was cited as the reason by 62 per cent and the accountability regime was a reason for 40 per cent.. These answers are more pronounced amongst those respondents with less than five years’ experience; workload and accountability rise to 77 per cent and 45 per cent respectively.

Fifty-six of respondents believe their work-life balance has got worse or much worse in the past year, and 31 per cent believe it has stayed the same, while 12 per cent think it has got better or much better.

Commenting on the survey results, Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: "Damian Hinds has made many of the right noises about fixing the problem, but he and his predecessors have achieved very little.

“The fundamental problem, as the results of our survey shows, is one of excessive accountability brought on by the DfE and Ofsted. The blame is at their door. So long as the main drivers of a performance-based system are still in place, schools will continue to be in the grip of a culture of fear, over-regulation, and a lack of trust.

“We need drastic action and a major rethink from Government if we are to stop the haemorrhaging of good teachers from the profession. Action so far – including clarification documents endorsed by the NEU – has not made the difference. It continues to be a case of fiddling at the edges.”