Historically, the turnover rate for classroom teachers in London has tended to be higher than elsewhere in England
| Year | Inner London | Outer London |
| 2016/17 | 14.9% | 12.5% |
| 2017/18 | 13.1% | 11.9% |
| 2018/19 | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2019/20 | 9.9% | 8.4% |
| 2020/21 | 11.1% | 9.6% |
| 2021/22 | 12.8% | 11.1% |
| 2022/23 | 12.3% | 10.7% |
| 2023/24 | 12.5% | 10.7% |
Source DfE evidence to STRB October 2025 Data annex
In 2016/17, turnover for classroom teachers in the Inner London boroughs reached 14.9%, or around one in seven classroom teachers either leaving the profession or moving school. Three years later, in the year where covid disrupted the summer term, turnover rates dropped below 10% for the only time in the last eight years. Once the pandemic subsided, turnover quickly returned to over 12%, or one in eight teachers.
In Outer London turnover rates have followed a similar pattern to those in Inner London, but a couple of percentage points lower than in the Inner London boroughs.
By way of contrast, in the North East, during 2023/24 turnover for classroom teachers was just 7.7%, some 4.8% lower than in Inner London schools.
Leaving aside the two years where covid affected the recruitment round (2019/20 and 2020/21), the national turnover rate for all levels of posts (classroom, leadership and headship) has generally been between 9-10%, but has been falling. In 2023/24 it was 9% compared with 10.6% in 2016/17.
Rates of turnover for assistant head and deputy heads probably reflect demand side issues more than what is happening on the supply side. When school rolls are rising, new schools may be created increasing demand: falling rolls may mean posts are cutback, and demand reduced, so less turnover.
Headship turnover is very closely linked to the age profile of headteachers. When a cohort of new younger headteachers has replaced a generation that has retired, turnover is likely to fall for a few years. However, turnover tends to be within a narrow range of between 9.5-10.5% per year. There is now no discernible London effect on headteacher turnover, as there used to be many years ago when headteacher salaries were more tightly controlled.
Might we now be entering a period of stability, with lower turnover rates for classroom teachers , especially should the possible upheaval in the graduate job market created by the AI revolution coincide with the period of stable rolls in the secondary secto,r and falling rolls in the primary sector?
| Year | Primary | Secondary | STEM subjects | Non-STEM | All Teachers |
| 2016/17 | 86.35 | 83.1% | 81.2% | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| 2023/24 | 90.0% | 89.4% | 88.0% | 90.2% | 89/7% |
The table taken from various tables in the DfE evidence to the STRB shows a consistent trend of improved retention for teachers at the end of the first year of service. However, the same tables show that there is still a job to be done to retain these teachers in larger numbers beyond their first few years of service. The government needs to be aware that teaching is now a global career, and teachers from England can easily find work overseas.
John Howson 