Page 2 | How many teachers tend to leave at the end of the school year?

SundayNightBluesAreHere · 2025-07-12T05:49:05+00:00

If your child attends, or you work in a primary school of approximately 600 pupils, how many teachers tend to leave each year? There seems to be an influx of teachers leaving my DC’s school this year and I’m just wondering what is usual. Many parents are concerned about certain matters and I’m beginning to wonder if there are wider issues.

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MrsSmiff · 14/07/2025 01:09

I work in an independent school and we’re constantly sent CVs from teachers who work in the state sector and are desperate to leave. It seems to be the increasing class sizes and demands on staff that you just don’t get in the independent sector as you’re allowed to do your job and teach, without being micro-managed. It seems to be getting worse with budgets being reduced and teachers losing or not being able to keep their TAs.

Annony331 · 14/07/2025 01:20

Seldom leave except for promotion.

WearyAuldWumman · 14/07/2025 01:27

modgepodge · 12/07/2025 07:27

It varies hugely. I worked in a school with a crazy head and turnover there was huge, it had 10-12 classes and 3-4 people leaving each year was common (plus it was expanding to manage increasing numbers of children so they needed a new teacher every year for the extra class anyway!)

I then worked in a tiny prep where most years no one left. Then one year 4 or 5 left the same time but that was extremely unusual!

My experience was the secondary sector. Turnover increased when a Nutjob was placed in charge of our school.

I finished up retiring two years early. My late husband was unwell, and the HT had refused my request for a jobshare. I can't give too many details without outing my school, but the jobshare would have been easy to set up - it's quite normal in our LA as part of a wind-down to retirement.

I was in middle management and I've been gone 7 years now. I have had six replacements.

The last I heard, the school had restructured, so my post no longer exists. I'm told that there are now only two part-time teachers in my old department. I'm assuming that they'll have 4 NQTs next session.

MadameWombat · 14/07/2025 18:33

My son is at a four-form entry school, and there have been more than the usual number of teachers leaving. I can't pinpoint why, but we are in London, and there is also a lot of movement with students as people are moving out and the lower birth rate. They are also moving down to 3 forms due to the low birth rate, so maybe people moved before they were pushed? The reasons given in the newsletters were all reasonable things like retirement, moving location, and promotion.

Lazytiger · 15/07/2025 12:35

SundayNightBluesAreHere · 12/07/2025 07:22

It’s a 3 form entry. Converted to an academy in a religious trust a couple of years ago. Headteacher left to be the CEO of said trust. Deputy head took over.

6 leaving this year (plus some TAs), 4 left last year. The majority of the staff who are leaving are long serving, some having been there 10+ years. A mix from year groups - reception, year 3, year 5, year 6, pastoral, PE.

3 have already left mid way through the year (one for medical reasons).

Parents are concerned about behaviours not being managed/their child having continued problems with other children/SEN being missed and nothing much seems to change. Parents who have friends who do supply teaching and have worked there briefly have reported that they wouldn’t want to go back.

I work in the education field with lots of experience with rubbish leadership so I know how it can affect staff morale, but it just seems to be a shame that many of the children’s favourite teachers are leaving. I have much sympathy with them as I’ve seen the behaviours from children (and parents!) that they have to deal with every day.

Same. 1 form primary. 2 retiring, 1 leaving after a couple of years. Think moral is as good as it can be and this is the school pushing teachers out.

Seem to be losing 2-3 every year over last 3 years (an in a 1 form school that is quite a turn over). Usually an experienced teacher leaves for private/abroad or retires and an ECT who wasn't very good gets canned after their 2 years position.

DC (yr3) started nursery with a school full of experienced teachers (head even said 'I only employ experienced teachers') but since Covid, inflation, Labour policies, the decline in birth rate and exodus from London the class sizes are getting smaller and outgoing bigger. The school is now stuffed with ECTs. All the experienced teachers (3 of them who maybe have 5 or so years experience) are on SLT. Until one of them leaves I can't see any of the ECTs being kept on. Most will be canned to make way for new ECTs.

A friend (52) who is a long time secondary teacher is looking to retire soon as they are changing the pension rules so if you are 55 before April 2028 then you can retire but if you don't then you must wait until 57 or 58. Might not be impacting much now but i imagine April 2028 will see teachers retire or reduce their hours.

Pupils seem to be leaving in large numbers too this year. A certain level of movement in London is expected with home owners selling up and moving to the country or to another country. But it's the ones on benefits. They are moving (being moved?) up North. Never head that before in any of the year groups. Might be co-incidence and might be their choice to get a bigger property but I've never witnessed 3 families on benefits leaving, it's always been the home owners cashing in.

Lazytiger · 15/07/2025 12:44

WearyAuldWumman · 14/07/2025 01:27

My experience was the secondary sector. Turnover increased when a Nutjob was placed in charge of our school.

I finished up retiring two years early. My late husband was unwell, and the HT had refused my request for a jobshare. I can't give too many details without outing my school, but the jobshare would have been easy to set up - it's quite normal in our LA as part of a wind-down to retirement.

I was in middle management and I've been gone 7 years now. I have had six replacements.

The last I heard, the school had restructured, so my post no longer exists. I'm told that there are now only two part-time teachers in my old department. I'm assuming that they'll have 4 NQTs next session.

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You have been gone a while. It's ECTs now 😃

WearyAuldWumman · 15/07/2025 12:50

I have indeed! It's been 7 years since I quit my post, and over a year since I've been in on supply. I had to Google...

The dept that I was last in was still using 'NQT', but I see that the new term began to be used in Scotland in '23.