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Leadership, workload and pay key drivers of teacher retention, report finds

According to the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), of the 26.9% of teachers considering leaving, only 13.8% of that group subsequently left, while 86% remained in post.

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Leadership, workload and pay key drivers of teacher retention, report finds
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School leadership, workload pressures and pay competitiveness are among the most significant factors influencing whether teachers remain in the profession, according to a report by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).

The study, ‘What helps to improve teacher retention? A pathway analysis of factors affecting retention’, analysed drivers of retention in England’s state-funded school sector using multivariate regression modelling to examine relationships between working conditions, job satisfaction and leaving rates.

Researchers found that teachers’ stated intentions to leave were a weak predictor of actual departures.

Although 26.9% of teachers reported considering leaving, only 13.8% of that group subsequently left, while 86% remained in post.

Trends in leaving intentions also fluctuated more sharply than actual leaving rates, limiting their usefulness as an early warning indicator.

Job satisfaction emerged as a central factor linked to retention, accounting for 49% of the variation in teachers considering leaving.

However, the report cautions that job satisfaction can reflect underlying issues such as workload and pupil behaviour rather than acting as an independent cause.

Supportive school leadership was identified as the most influential workplace factor outside of job satisfaction.

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Teachers who felt valued, involved in decision-making and supported by leaders were more likely to remain.

The report recommended strengthening relational leadership training and increasing teacher engagement in organisational decisions.

Pupil behaviour was also closely associated with retention.

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Teachers working in schools with better behaviour reported higher likelihood of staying, while worsening perceptions since 2021/22 were flagged as a concern.

The report suggested expanding behaviour support initiatives, including Behaviour Hubs.

Pay satisfaction correlated positively with retention, with the analysis noting that teacher pay growth has lagged behind the wider labour market since 2010/11.

Maintaining competitive pay levels was highlighted as important for recruitment and retention.

Workload pressures, including time spent on lesson planning, behaviour management and pastoral support, were linked to higher leaving rates, particularly where teachers reported imbalances in planning time.

Experiences of bullying and harassment were also associated with increased intentions to leave, disproportionately affecting ethnic minority teachers.

Continuing professional development (CPD) was identified as another retention lever.

Teachers who perceived CPD as improving their practice were more likely to remain, prompting recommendations that teachers be more involved in shaping their development activities.

The report called for continued research using longitudinal data to better understand how workplace conditions, leadership and policy interventions interact to affect retention over time.

NFER said the analysis is intended to inform policymakers and school leaders seeking evidence-based approaches to improving teacher retention.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Teacher retention and satisfaction are not isolated concepts.

“They are a reflection of the education system as a whole. With the current system in crisis and schools running on empty, the report findings are no surprise to us.

“For too long teachers and support staff have been raising concerns about pupil behaviour and making the links to the loss of local authority behaviour support teams as well as unmet SEND and mental health need.  

“The previous and current government tried to blame it on Covid but the report findings back the call that the NEU and others have been making for urgent increased investment in school pastoral teams working with support from external specialists.” 

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