The two largest teaching unions in the UK – the NASUWT and the National Education Union – met for their annual conferences over Easter. Dorothy Lepkowska and Pete Henshaw report

Teachers are calling for “urgent action” to tackle the age discrimination being faced by older colleagues in schools, with many being “hounded out of their jobs” because they are “too expensive”.

As the NASUWT met for its annual conference in Belfast last month, delegates once again raised concerns that schools are pressuring older teachers to take early retirement.

A motion debated by union members raised concerns about the “large numbers of experienced teachers leaving the profession”. It blamed “highly pressurised and stressful working environments” that are leading to burn-out and forcing many teachers into early retirement. This in turn leaves many facing financial hardship as a consequence of substantial actuarial reductions to their pensions.

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