Latest government figures have revealed of the 21,400 new teachers who began teaching in 2010, by 2015 30 percent (7,230) had left the profession to pursue a different career. These figures are a “damning record” of Michael Gove's term as education secretary says the Liberal Democrats and warned that ministers must work with teachers to deal with the factors that make the profession feel "demoralised and under-valued". Nick Gibb presented these figures in a written parliamentary answer to a question from Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland. A more worrying revelation is that 13 percent of had dropped out of the profession in their first year. After just two years this rises to 18 percent and after three years to 23 percent.  

Long hours and high workload leads to no job satisfaction
These numbers reflect the growing number of teachers who say their job has become less satisfying. In July this year, findings from the latest "Barometer of the Teaching Industry" conducted by TLTP found 61 percent felt that their job as a teacher had got less satisfying over the last twelve months and over 55 percent said they would not recommend teaching as a career. The main reasons were down to excessive paperwork, working long hours, worsening student behaviour, too many changes in policy, lack of resources and the struggle to fill vacancies.   Stressed and reduced to tears Many teachers are still not getting the help or support they need leaving them work/life balance many teachers have opted to take huge pay cuts and instead work as teaching assistants rather than contend with the vast workload expected of them. Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the NUT, said it was “deeply regrettable” that such high numbers were leaving teaching, and he called for ministers to take “immediate action.” Excessive workloads and attacks on salaries are responsible for driving teachers away from the profession.

Mr Courtney added that schools have become “more difficult and less rewarding places” to work in in recent years. For this we can thank Michael Gove,” he said, “who as Education Secretary routinely denigrated the profession, questioning their capabilities and worsening teachers' lot through higher workload and real terms pay cuts, freezes, and, for good measure, a sledgehammer to pensions.”

“They [ministers] need to face the fact that schools have become more difficult and less rewarding places in which to work. Intense workload and the demands of high-stakes testing‎ create an environment where job satisfaction is becoming rarer,” Mr Courtney said. “As a result of staffing problems, many schools are relying on desperate solutions: overuse of supply teacher agencies, and asking teachers to cover roles outside their specialism. The quality of provision is being lowered - and ministers must take responsibility for this.”

Michael Gove was Education Secretary from 2010 to 2014 and is being blamed for demoralising the teaching profession[/caption]   Liberal Democrat education spokesman John Pugh also blames Mr Gove, who turned more than half of secondary schools into academies, reshaped the curriculum and rewrote the exam system. It is bad enough that dedicated teachers are being driven away from the profession they love, but this is also laying the foundations for a disastrous teaching shortage in years to come if we cannot train new teachers fast enough to replace the ones which leave,” he added. “The Government must urgently work with the teaching community to address the many factors which are making teachers feel demoralised and undervalued, as well as reversing their devastating cuts to school budgets which are putting increasing pressure on teachers and schools.”  

A Department for Education spokesman insisted that teacher retention rates had been “broadly stable” for the past 20 years and pointed out that British teachers enjoyed higher salaries than the average in OECD countries. “Teaching remains an attractive career and we have more teachers entering our classrooms than those choosing to leave or retire,” he added. “We want every child to have access to great teachers that aren’t weighed down with unnecessary workload so they have the time and freedom to do what they do best – inspire the next generation. We recognise teachers’ concerns and are continuing to work with the sector to find constructive solutions to this issue.”