Workforce Retention: Key Messages for School and Trust Leaders

Last week, we brought together school and trust leaders to explore the ongoing challenge of workforce retention and, crucially, what can be done about it in a cost‑pressured environment.

The current picture

Retention remains a significant challenge across the sector, with implications for educational outcomes, staff wellbeing and financial sustainability. Around 9–10% of teachers leave each year, and one in three leave within their first five years.

The picture is even more stark for support staff, where around 20% have left in recent years, and there remains no national strategy or consistent framework for tracking retention.

Challenges are particularly acute in secondary schools, STEM subjects and disadvantaged contexts, highlighting the need for targeted local approaches.

Why staff are leaving

The session reinforced that the key drivers of turnover are largely within organisational control.

For teaching staff, the main factors include:

• Workload pressure – often exceeding comparable professions and remaining the top reason for leaving
• Culture and leadership – including limited access to flexible working
• Pupil behaviour and SEND pressures, increasing workload and stress For support staff, while similar themes emerge, pay is a dominant factor, alongside feeling undervalued and limited career progression. Importantly, research highlights that very few staff leave because the profession itself is unsuitable—indicating that retention solutions sit within schools and trusts.

What works: practical strategies

The workshop focused on high-impact, low-cost actions that leaders can take:

1. Strengthen culture and leadership

• Build a listening culture through surveys, focus groups and regular check-ins
• Act on feedback and communicate “you said, we did”
• Prioritise wellbeing and transparent leadership

2. Embed flexible working as a strategic priority

• Treat flexibility as part of your retention toolkit, not an exception
• Take a whole-school approach aligned to staff needs
• Evidence shows flexible working improves wellbeing and increases intention to stay

3. Tackle workload systematically

• Use structured approaches (e.g. identify → address → evaluate)
• Streamline administrative tasks and focus on “stop/start/continue”
• Engage staff in co-designing solutions and track impact

4. Support key retention groups

• Target support for early career teachers and parents returning from leave
• Provide access to CPD and career pathways for support staff

5. Address pupil behaviour proactively

• Involve staff in shaping behaviour policies
• Invest in training, coaching and pastoral support
• Use data and staff feedback to identify recurring challenges

A practical approach for schools

Leaders were encouraged to apply a simple diagnose–design–act model:

• Diagnose why staff leave using data, exit interviews and staff voice
• Design targeted interventions (many low or no-cost)
• Act quickly, testing small changes and building momentum

Key takeaways

• Retention is a leadership priority with direct impact on pupil outcomes
• Most drivers of turnover are within schools’ control
• Small, consistent actions often make the biggest difference
• Staff voice and data are essential to early intervention
• A clear, embedded people strategy is critical for long-term success

If you’d like support with your organisation’s first people strategy or updating your current one, our Head of HR is running a remote workshop on 22^nd May, book via the link here Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams, this can also be delivered on-site for your senior management team.