The number of qualified teachers leaving the profession owing to a change of career or joining other education sectors has declined for the first time since the 2011-12 academic year, according to new figures.

In 2019-20, 29,523 (7.9 per cent) qualified teachers left the profession, compared with 34,528 (6.7 per cent) the previous year.

This is the first decline since the academic year 2011-12, when the number of leavers was 26,282 (6.2 per cent of teachers), according to figures published today by the Department for Education.

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The 2011-12 figured signalled a small decline on the previous year (when the percentage of teachers leaving the profession was 6.6 per cent) but the number of leavers steadily climbed until last year.

The percentage of teachers who left the profession overall, including those retiring, was 7.8 per cent in 2019-20, a decrease from the 9.4 per cent of the previous year.

The vast majority of those exiting the profession, accounting for more than four out of five leavers (87 per cent), are those who leave teaching to pursue other careers or move to another education system.

The data shows that retention rates continue to slowly decline for those who are newly qualified: 84.5 per cent of teachers who qualified in 2019 were still teaching one year after qualification, compared with 85.4 per cent the previous year. 

This figure has gradually declined since 2011, when it was 88 per cent.

However, retention of teachers who qualified two or more years ago has slightly increased this year, reversing a long decline. 

Commenting on the data on the school workforce, released today, Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “The school workforce data must be seen in the context of the severe recruitment and retention problems that have developed over the past decade.

“In the years leading up to the pandemic, recruitment targets were missed and the number of teachers leaving the profession increased significantly. Too few teachers were recruited and retained to match pupil number increases, resulting in higher workload and pupil/teacher ratios. 

“Government policy directly contributed to the teacher recruitment and retention problems of the previous decade and is set to make the existing problems worse.

“Pay freezes, pay caps, the imposition of unfair and demoralising performance-related pay, and ever-increasing workload have reduced the attractiveness of teaching compared to other graduate professions.

“The government’s plans to freeze teacher pay again, with inflation rising and pay improving in other professions, will exacerbate these problems. 

“The underlying causes of the severe and persistent teacher recruitment and retention problems remain. Any improvements due to the pandemic will be temporary in nature. The full impact of the pandemic on teacher stress, health and retention has yet to be seen.

“Until the government reverses course to significantly improve teacher pay and conditions instead of planning more attacks on teacher pay, we will continue to struggle to attract and keep the teachers we need to deliver high-quality education and recovery from the pandemic.”