Teacher Recruitment and Retention
2026-06-22
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
▸
Context
The Department for Education is facing criticism over its inability to retain teachers, with a significant number of teachers planning to leave the profession due to high workload and stress.
What steps her Department is taking to encourage teachers to remain in that profession. The working lives of teachers and leaders study last year showed that almost three in 10 teachers were expecting to leave the profession in the next 12 months, and 90% of the people who have left or are intending to leave cite high workload and stress as the most common reason.
I know that my hon. Friend values the contribution of our teachers as much as I do. High-quality teaching is the single biggest factor in good educational outcomes for our children. We are improving pay and taking action on workload. I am also proud that we are doubling maternity pay—the first major change in maternity pay for teachers in more than 25 years.
▸
Assessment & feedback
The answer does not directly address how the Department is retaining teachers specifically beyond improving pay and addressing workload, without concrete measures or timelines.
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
▸
Context
A Public Accounts Committee report found that the Department for Education lacks a plan to recruit additional teachers as promised in Labour's manifesto, and there are now 1,907 fewer teachers overall since Labour came to power.
Despite the Secretary of State's saying that the Department is on track to meet an already revised and narrower target, this month's DFE report found that there are 1,907 fewer teachers overall since Labour came to power. What further steps is the Secretary of State taking to recruit and retain our teachers?
We have published the delivery plan that the hon. Lady referred to, so I suggest that she goes away and reads it. When she does so, she may also be interested to know that primary pupil numbers have fallen by more than 84,000 since last year, and that that is set to continue until at least 2030.
▸
Assessment & feedback
The answer avoids addressing the specific steps being taken for teacher recruitment and retention and instead discusses falling pupil numbers.
Change Of Subject
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
▸
Context
The Department for Education is struggling to retain teachers, with high workload and stress being cited as the most common reasons for leaving.
There are more teachers leaving the profession than coming into it. What is my right hon. Friend's Department doing to ensure that we retain as many of these fantastic, critical workers in the profession as possible?
I know that my hon. Friend values the contribution of our teachers as much as I do. High-quality teaching is the single biggest factor in good educational outcomes for our children. We are improving pay and taking action on workload.
▸
Assessment & feedback
The answer does not provide specific details about retaining teachers beyond mentioning improvements to pay and addressing workload.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
▸
Context
The Department for Education is failing to meet its promise of recruiting additional teachers, and there are now fewer teachers overall since Labour came to power.
Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the National Education Union, says that the overall fall in teacher numbers makes a mockery of this Government's promise to increase teacher numbers. He is right, isn't he?
I suggest that the hon. Gentleman goes away and has a look at the pledge that we made in our manifesto, which is that we would recruit the teachers where we needed them most.
▸
Assessment & feedback
The answer does not directly address whether Daniel Kebede is correct, instead suggesting the questioner reads the manifesto.
Change Of Subject
Response accuracy