3 proven methods to increase staff retention

Retaining your valuable teaching staff is crucial for maintaining a high-quality education environment and saving on recruitment costs.  

In this year's Tes School Wellbeing report, in a survey of over 6,600 school staff, the feeling of being supported at work varies significantly, with 55% of senior leaders feeling supported compared to just 32% of teachers. With less support comes less motivation to perform and ultimately staff will leave. With those that do leave, this creates a large gap to fill in terms of recruitment, cost, and morale of your school’s community. 

The average school hires c.15 teachers each year. 1 retained staff member could save you around £14,000 in recruitment costs, wage inflation, supply cover, training, etc. 

To potentially help you save your school’s money, boost staff morale, and reduce staff turnover, here are 3 proven methods to increase retention based on research and interviews in Tes magazine.

1. Offering CPD courses

To be able to offer quality CPD is a key factor in keeping staff motivated and progressing in their careers. Whether the school chooses to make training mandatory, or encouraging staff to complete optional professional development courses such as metacognition or retrieval techniques, the benefits and links to retention are well known.

For aspiring leaders, providing a clear route to growth can motivate and encourage staff to develop and gain new experiences. Many schools want to recruit their next leader from within which not can only help to reduce costs but will also prompt more staff to complete CPD. It's a win-win!

How can we help? Within the Staff Management subscription, you can access online CPD courses and unlimited safeguarding training. Making it easy to provide personalised development to all staff boosting confidence, encouraging best practice, and positively impact student outcomes.

2. Giving all staff a voice

Providing a cycle of feedback promotes transparency and an ongoing conversation. Staff will begin to feel more comfortable raising issues or thoughts on how to improve the school environment.  

This can be done through anonymous wellbeing surveys. Gathering quantitative and qualitative data on different questions in different categories of wellbeing can help you drill down into what needs to change.  

How can we help? Inside our Staff Management subscription, we offer an anonymous wellbeing survey platform. With this, you can show that you care about your staff’s opinions and wellbeing with regular short surveys.

Why not speak to an expert about how you can give your school community a voice – book a personalised call today. 

Book a personalised call today

3. Promoting a positive work environment 

Creating a positive and supportive work environment is essential for retaining your staff. A positive workplace culture can significantly enhance job satisfaction, reduce stress, and improve overall staff wellbeing. Some strategies to help foster a positive work environment are:  

• Recognition and rewards: regularly acknowledge and celebrate your staff’s achievements and hard work. Feeling valued boosts morale and encourages staff to stay committed to work. 

• Work-life balance: Encourage a healthy work-life balance by ensuring reasonable workloads and supporting staff in managing their time effectively. Providing opportunities for staff to take breaks, including mental health days, can also make a big difference. 

• Supportive leadership: Ensure that your leadership team is approachable, empathetic, and supportive. Leaders should be trained in effective communication, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence to support their teams better. 

Incorporating these strategies within your school can lead to a more engaged satisfied, and loyal teaching staff. Consider exploring Tes’ Staff Management subscription for additional tools and resources to support a positive work environment. Book a personalised demo to see how these tools can benefit your school.

Retaining valuable teaching staff is key to maintaining a high-quality education environment and cutting recruitment costs. By offering CPD courses, ensuring direct contact with SLT, and promoting a positive work environment, you can create a supportive and engaging workplace. Speak to an expert about how Tes can help you recruit, train, and retain your staff.