In an effort to address the growing teacher retention crisis in the UK, education secretary Bridget Phillipson is advocating for state schools to follow the model of many academy schools by allowing teachers to have the option to work from home on lesson preparation, marking, and pupil assessment tasks. This push for more flexible working arrangements comes as the Department for Education grapples with high numbers of teachers, especially young women, leaving the profession.
Alarming Attrition Rates
Recent data paints a concerning picture of the state of teacher retention in the UK:
- 47% of respondents cited lack of flexible working options as a reason they’re considering quitting teaching in the next year, up from 34% in 2023
- Women aged 30-39, the largest demographic in the teaching workforce, are also the group most likely to leave the profession
- In 2022-23, the equivalent of over 9,000 full-time female teachers left their jobs
Phillipson emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating: “Children’s life chances suffer without world-class teachers in our classrooms – that’s why it’s never been more urgent that we grip the teacher recruitment and retention crisis raging in our schools.”
Empowering Non-Academy Schools
While many academy schools already offer remote working options for tasks that don’t require face-to-face instruction, the government’s new children’s wellbeing and schools bill includes provisions to extend those same flexibilities to non-academy schools. This would allow more teachers to better balance their work and family responsibilities.
“Both [face-to-face teaching time and flexible working] are vital. We need to get both right.”
– Government source
The education secretary acknowledged the importance of protecting teachers’ in-class time with students while still providing more accommodations for work-life balance. One academy trust reported success with allowing teachers to complete more of their planning, preparation, and assessment work from home or other remote locations.
Necessary Step, But More Needed
While teaching unions like the NEU welcome the work-from-home provisions as a “necessary and welcome step,” they emphasize that improved pay and reduced overall workload are also crucial to make a real dent in the staffing crisis. The 5.5% pay rise implemented in September was a start, but the recently announced 2.8% raise for 2025-26 has gotten a much more tepid reception.
“They say, ‘You want me to put children first, but not my children.’ We found that what teachers really value is ad hoc flexibility, when school covers for you because it is your child’s nativity play or the childminder hasn’t turned up.”
– Emma Sheppard, Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher Project founder
Recruitment also remains a major challenge, with job postings frequently getting no qualified applicants at all. The 6,500 new teaching positions funded by putting VAT on private school fees could be largely offset by the over 9,000 experienced women in their 30s who left the profession last year alone if retention issues aren’t successfully addressed.
Transforming School Culture
Some innovative schools are already seeing the benefits of more flexible policies for teachers. Headteacher Andrew O’Neill said he struggled to hire anyone before implementing changes like allowing teachers to start later one day a week and trusting them to do independent work at home.
“In every other profession we are happy for people to regulate themselves. Why does it have to be different for teachers?”
– Andrew O’Neill, headteacher
While remote working alone won’t solve the teacher retention crisis, it’s an important tool that schools need as they compete for talented educators. Treating teachers like the professionals they are and empowering them with more control over their schedules is one key step to transforming schools into places where both students and staff can thrive for the long term.
