The Guardian reports that of just under 270,000 teachers who qualified in England between 2011 and 2020, more than 81,000 have left the profession. That's every 3/10.
13% of teachers in England who have qualified since the last general election in December 2019 quit in the subsequent two years - about 3,000 in total.
These numbers are revealed after the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) highlighted a decline in SEND staff last year. NDCS research showed a 17% drop in the number of qualified Teachers of the Deaf across the UK, and that over half of Teachers of the Deaf are due to retire in the next ten to fifteen years. The research also found that the vast majority (85%) of Teachers of the Deaf say their workload has increased since 2014. 87% are working additional hours to keep up with their workload and 96% say they feel stressed in their job role. More than 60% of Teachers of the Deaf are working the equivalent of a whole extra day per week, unpaid, just to catch up - and, as a result of this under-resourcing - 17% of Teachers of the Deaf said they were considering leaving the profession.
Bethany Bale, DR UK Policy and Campaigns Officer, said "teachers leaving the profession is an unsurprising consequence of chronic underfunding and overworking. Education needs urgent investment so that every child can reach their full potential."
