Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Teacher Recruitment and Retention

Monday 22 June 2026 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Department is taking steps to improve teacher pay and address workload issues.
  • DFE report found 1,907 fewer teachers overall since Labour came to power.
  • Government plans to recruit teachers where they are most needed, according to manifesto pledge.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Ian Lavery Lab Blyth and Ashington
Education
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.

Question

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.

Answer from Bridget Phillipson

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.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer does not directly address how the Department is retaining teachers specifically beyond improving pay and addressing workload, without concrete measures or timelines.

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Q2 Sarah Olney Lib Dem Richmond Park
Education
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.

Question

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?

Answer from Bridget Phillipson

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.

Not addressed: The answer avoids addressing the specific steps being taken for teacher recruitment and retention and instead discusses falling pupil numbers.

How: Change Of Subject

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Q3 Ian Lavery Lab Blyth and Ashington
Education
Context

The Department for Education is struggling to retain teachers, with high workload and stress being cited as the most common reasons for leaving.

Question

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?

Answer from Bridget Phillipson

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.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer does not provide specific details about retaining teachers beyond mentioning improvements to pay and addressing workload.

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Q4 Ashley Fox Con Bridgwater
Education Employment
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.

Question

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?

Answer from Bridget Phillipson

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.

Not addressed: The answer does not directly address whether Daniel Kebede is correct, instead suggesting the questioner reads the manifesto.

How: Change Of Subject

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