In a recent survey, we asked senior leaders in English state schools which factors would prompt them to consider leaving the teaching profession.
The most common response was exhaustion and fatigue (68%), followed by unsustainable workload and working hours (67%). I am sure that, alongside pay, many classroom teachers would say something similar because of the pressures that plague the education system.
These pressures are, of course, chronic underfunding – with demands on schools far exceeding the affordable level of staffing – persistent staff shortages, and a punitive regime of inspections and performance tables which drives stress and anxiety.
But it is another common response to this survey question that I am going to focus on in this article – the lack of recognition and respect from the government, which 57% of respondents cited as a factor which prompted them to consider leaving the profession.
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