Jessica O'ConnorTeacher and leader workloads have dropped to their lowest levels since 2022, according to Government research.
However, high stress, pupil behaviour concerns, and feelings of being undervalued continued to push nearly a third of the workforce towards the exit.
The Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders: Wave 4 report surveyed more than 10,800 teachers and school leaders and painted a mixed picture of working life in England’s state schools.
Average weekly hours for teachers fell to 46.9, down from 48.1 last year, while leaders’ hours dropped to 55.5.
Teachers also reported spending less time on administrative tasks, marking, and data entry than at any point since the survey began.
Despite these improvements, workload and stress remained the dominant pressures.
Among staff considering quitting the profession within the next 12 months (29%), a staggering 89% cited high workload and 89% cited stress or poor wellbeing as key reasons.
Pupil behaviour was also a growing issue, with 59% of teachers spending “too much time” following up behaviour incidents.
Pay satisfaction improved modestly, with 38% saying they satisfied with their salary, up from just 30% last year.
However, more than half said they still feel underpaid.
Meanwhile, only 7% believed policymakers value teachers’ views.
Flexible working saw notable growth, with 51% of staff now accessing arrangements such as part-time hours or PPA time off-site.
Wellbeing indicators also improved, including higher life satisfaction and reduced anxiety.
However, for those who have already left the state sector, the contrast is stark: 78% said their workload is now acceptable compared with just 26% of those still in teaching.
Only 16% of leavers said they are likely to return within five years.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Clearly, nothing meaningful has changed. Despite numerous promises, teachers and leaders continue to be overwhelmed by unmanageable workload and long working hours.
“Any improvements in 2025 are minor and unlikely to make a significant difference. Full-time teachers still work over 50 hours a week, and full-time leaders work over 56 hours.
“Only one in four believes their workload is acceptable. This is a national disgrace.”
He added: “Eight in ten teachers continue to experience stress at work, and nearly two-thirds say the job leaves them no time for a personal life.
“Their mental and physical health is being sacrificed to a system that refuses to change. This is why 29 per cent of the workforce is considering leaving within a year and why so many actually do.
“Only one in six leavers says they are likely to return. The retention crisis is not improving – it is entrenched.”
Kebede concluded: “Teachers’ typical working hours continue to break the spirit of the Working Time Regulations.
“The government must finally confront the truth: workload is the real crisis. Without concrete measures on Ofsted, flexible working, funding, and pay, our schools will be running on empty. It is simply unsustainable.”
