ASCL comment on NFER teacher retention report

Commenting on the report by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), ‘Teacher Workforce Dynamics in England’, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“Far too many teachers are leaving the profession too early in their careers and the NFER is absolutely right that more needs to be done to solve this problem. Teaching remains an incredibly fulfilling career, but the government’s relentless programme of reforms over recent years has driven up workload, while its policy of pay austerity has eroded earnings.

“We are pleased that the Education Secretary has promised no more changes to the curriculum or to testing and exams until the end of this parliament. This year’s pay settlement is also an improvement on recent years, although there are significant shortcomings.

“But there is still a long way to go to improve retention, and one crucial factor is the need to alleviate the morale-sapping impact of the school funding crisis.”