Recruiting and Retaining Teachers: Rethinking Best Practice

Liz Gregory, Co-President Elect of the Chartered College of Teaching will be speaking at Westminster Insight’s Independent Schools Conference this March in London. Ahead of the conference, Liz shares her insights on improving teacher recruitment and retention, drawing on the latest research from the sector.

Across the education system, recruitment and retention remain among the most pressing challenges facing school leaders. This is not a crisis confined to one part of the sector; it crosses the maintained-independent divide and affects us all. Recent figures from the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) highlight the scale of the issue: in 2024, more than six teaching posts in every 1,000 were left unfilled – double the vacancy rate before the pandemic. It is hard to disagree with the Department for Education’s statement that “recruiting and keeping great teachers in our classrooms is vital to improving life chances for all children.”

While recruitment often draws the headlines, retention deserves equal attention. The two are inseparable. Schools that retain well can recruit more confidently; schools that struggle to retain inevitably face ongoing recruitment pressures. Drawing on research from Teacher Development Trust, the National Education Union, the Teaching Commission, and, of course, the Chartered College of Teaching, three themes consistently emerge as central to strengthening both recruitment and retention: teacher agency, culture, and the work environment.

These are not offered as definitive solutions. Rather, they are prompts – starting points for reflection and discussion among school leaders seeking to create sustainable, thriving workplaces for teachers.

1. Teacher Agency: Trusting Teachers as Professionals

Teacher agency refers to the ownership teachers have over their professional practice. The research is clear: teachers who feel trusted to make decisions about their pedagogy, to shape their classroom practice, and to respond to the pupils in front of them are more motivated, more engaged, and more likely to stay.

When teachers have space to exercise their judgement, a number of positive ripple effects follow:

They engage more willingly in meaningful CPD.
They reflect more deeply on their practice.
Pupil outcomes improve – academically and socially.
Teachers experience greater job satisfaction, seeing tangible impact from their work.

Many of us entered teaching because we believed in making a difference. Retention improves when teachers feel that difference happening day by day – and crucially, when they feel empowered to shape how it happens. Making teacher autonomy explicit, intentional, and protected may be one of the simplest yet most powerful actions we can take.

2. Culture: Creating Schools People Belong To

Culture is more than ethos statements and values pinned to walls. It is the lived experience of belonging. Research from the National Education Union shows that a strong sense of belonging is critical for both staff and pupils.

A strong staff culture begins the moment a teacher joins the school. Thoughtful induction matters – regardless of whether someone is new to teaching or arriving with decades of experience. Every school has its own rhythms, customs, and idiosyncrasies; assuming a newcomer will simply “pick it up” risks leaving them feeling isolated or unsure.

Some simple but impactful practices include:

A structured induction programme extending through the first term or year, highlighting key deadlines or events such as reports and parents’ evenings or assessment procedures.
Assigning a buddy – not just for early career teachers but for new leaders (middle or senior) too.
Creating deliberate opportunities to integrate socially and professionally.
Clear values that leaders model consistently and that staff can align themselves with.

Culture grows from daily interactions, shared purpose, and visible leadership. When teachers feel they belong, they stay – and they thrive.

3. Work Environment: Balancing Flexibility and Workload

The final theme – work environment – centres on workload and flexibility. Professor Qing Gu’s research (included in the Teaching Commission report) on teacher retention highlights the value of small but deliberate structural decisions. She notes the impact of “stop weeks” – periods with no meetings or evening commitments – giving staff predictable space to breathe and manage their workload.

Similarly, involving staff in planning duties, schedules, and expectations signals that leaders are attentive to their wellbeing. In a school setting, where termly calendars can quickly become congested, this intentionality can be transformative.

Flexible working is also becoming increasingly important. The NFER’s 2024 research recommends that school leaders adopt more flexible working practices, noting the clear link with improved retention. Teach First’s recent analysis of Gen Z motivations echoes this: younger teachers value flexibility, autonomy, and meaningful work-life balance.

This may mean:

More opportunities for part‑time roles.
Allowing teachers to use their PPA time off‑site where feasible.
Creative timetabling to accommodate flexible arrangements such as the opportunity to request a late start or early finish a few times a year.

While such changes require careful planning, the potential gains – in both recruitment and retention – are significant.

A Shared Challenge, A Collective Opportunity

At a time when recruitment pipelines are narrowing and retention pressures are intensifying, schools have both a challenge and an opportunity. By prioritising teacher agency, nurturing a strong sense of belonging, and designing a work environment that is responsive and humane, school leaders can create conditions in which teachers want to stay – and where new teachers are eager to join.

Liz Gregory is co-President Elect of the Chartered College of Teaching and chairs the Finance Risk and Audit Committee. She has been involved with the Chartered College since 2019 as a Fellow and then Trustee. She has taught economics for over 20 years in both maintained and independent sector schools and has an MEd in Educational Leadership and Management. She has been Head of The Maynard since 2022, an all-though girls’ school in Exeter. Previously she has held senior deputy roles with a particular interest in professional development, coaching and evidence-informed practice. She is an accredited Leadership Coach and ISI inspector. Liz has been safeguarding governor for a MAT in the South West since 2019 and has also held leadership positions as a Principal Examiner.

Attend Westminster Insight’s Independent Schools Conference on Wednesday 11th March in London, to hear Liz speak on sustainable workforce strategies alongside an excellent line-up of speakers from organisations including Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA), The Schools’ Enterprise Association, School Partnerships Alliance and Boarding Schools Association Group. View the full agenda and book your place.