While it is healthy and desirable to support teachers to move on to pastures new for personal reasons or to serve career motivations, the number of teachers leaving the profession entirely is of great concern, as is the number who have seriously considered doing so.

It is clear from responses to numerous surveys that a key issue is that teachers are not prepared to sacrifice their personal lives and wellbeing. Nor should they be expected to.

Thus, while recruitment schemes and initiatives may keep staff numbers buoyant, they are ultimately short-term fixes unless we address the pervading issues in the education system.

We must help teachers to maintain the fulfilment that brought them into the job

We must instead look after schools’ most important resource: its staff.

At the heart of retaining capable teachers is providing the conditions and climate in schools that make them positive and rewarding places to work.

The well-established Gallup employee engagement survey highlights key elements that contribute to individuals’ personal job satisfaction and loyalty. These centre on clear employer expectations, the resources to do a job well, regular support and praise, opportunities for personal development, an authentic sense of involvement and voice, and positive relationships with colleagues.

As school leaders, we need to provide these conditions for our staff and make sense of external challenges to minimise collateral damage. Here’s how I have approached this.

Tackle workload

1. Make sure that policy expectations are clearly communicated and realistic

Evaluate using the recommendations from the Department for Education Workload Challenge reports. Are marking expectations manageable and meaningful? Are data input requirements minimal? Is planning prioritised over plans? Calculate the number of hours a week a full-time teacher would take to complete requisite tasks to gauge whether policy expectations are achievable.

2. Protect colleagues from unnecessary and burdensome distractions

Test whether teachers’ workload has the best interests of children and learning at its heart, rather than providing an accountability trail for others. Minimise and streamline administrative tasks and email traffic, and ensure that new initiatives are workload neutral or, even better, lead to reduced workload.

3. Provide staff training and opportunities to share workload strategies

The “tyranny of stuff” can be overwhelming. Support your staff to schedule, manage and prioritise their workload, time and energy. Learn to spot and address any perfectionism in colleagues.

Trust, listen to and invest in your staff

1. Give meeting slots and training days over to teams to allow them time to collaborate on departmental developments

In times of significant curriculum change it is important to carve out and create opportunities for colleagues to plan together.

2. Avoid overly prescriptive whole-school mandates or hijacking departmental time with whole-school directives

Allow teachers to lead as subject specialists and provide mechanisms for staff to contribute to, and be consulted on, school priorities and direction.

3. Ensure that tight budgets do not lead to decisions to sacrifice professional learning and working environments

While spending will need to be prioritised, teachers will plateau unless they are given opportunities to grow and develop. They will also feel frustrated if they don’t have the basic tools to be able to teach effectively. Give teachers choices about their training and invest strategically in material resources.

Create a culture of positivity and mutual support

1. Resist passing on pressure

School leaders set the tone in their schools; they can choose whether to project frenzy or calmness. Middle leaders have a significant influence on the morale in their teams. Use line management and meetings to support other leaders to manage change effectively.

2. Role-model job satisfaction and a commitment to staff wellbeing

A good sense of humour and perspective are essential traits for successful school leaders. We must help teachers to maintain the fulfilment that brought them into the job in the first place and look out for those who are struggling. Support to deal with challenging behaviour is essential.

3. Create opportunities and conditions for informal collaboration and peer support

Encourage staff to use collective spaces to develop reflect and share. Staff social events and opportunities for promoting wellbeing also help to build relationships and generate a positive, professional climate.

Helena Marsh is executive principal of the Chilford Hundred Education Trust and principal of Linton Village College, an 11-16 comprehensive school in Cambridgeshire. She tweets as @helenamarsh81