ASCL responds to NFER research on teacher attrition in England and Wales, particularly on pay and workload

ASCL response to NFER research on teacher attrition in England and Wales

Commenting on the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) comparison between teacher leaving rates in England and Wales, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“This is an interesting piece of research and the finding that teacher leaving rates between England and Wales are not uniform in one direction deserves further analysis to better understand the underlying reasons.

“However, what is certain is that in both jurisdictions the overriding reasons for teacher attrition are similar – pay and workload. Teacher pay has been eroded over the course of the past decade by government-implemented below-inflation pay awards which have made salaries increasingly uncompetitive.

“At the same time, school funding is wholly inadequate in both England and Wales and this means schools cannot afford the number of staff they need which impacts on workloads.

“In other words, staff are being asked to do more for less. This is a completely unsustainable situation.

“Teacher pay and school funding must be improved to encourage recruitment and retention and ensure that schools have enough money to pay for the staff they need.

“Teachers are the lifeblood of education. It is crucial to education standards in both jurisdictions that schools are able to recruit and hold on to teachers in order to give their pupils the full range of educational opportunities and support they need and deserve.”