The Liberal Democrats have warned that schools face an "existential crisis" in teacher retention, with nearly half of educators surveyed saying they intend to quit within five years as workload and stress push them from the classroom.
The party's analysis of responses from more than 900 teachers, headteachers and Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) across England reveals a profession in distress. Almost half of those currently employed said they were considering leaving teaching within the next five years, while one in ten planned to spend less than a year in the job. More than three quarters of respondents, including former teachers, reported feeling "frequently or constantly burnt out" during their time at work.
The findings arrive as the new academic year approaches and come amid broader concerns about teacher supply. According to a 2026 teacher wellbeing report, 71% of educators now describe their workload as unmanageable, with 83% identifying workload as their leading source of stress. The same research found that only 3% of teachers are able to keep their work within contracted hours, and 18% regularly work more than 60 hours per week.
What are teachers citing as reasons for leaving?
Respondents to the Lib Dem survey pointed to excessive marking, lesson preparation and administrative tasks as the primary culprits, saying these demands left them with insufficient time for actual classroom teaching. The workload burden has become so acute that research from the National Foundation for Educational Research shows teachers are 11 percentage points more likely than similar graduates to want to work fewer hours, underscoring how the profession's demands have become uncompetitive compared to other graduate careers.
This pattern echoes earlier findings. In 2019, a national broadcaster's report found that 4 in 10 teachers were planning to quit over "huge workloads and excessive accountability", demonstrating that retention pressures have persisted for years despite repeated policy interventions.
What solutions are the Lib Dems proposing?
The Liberal Democrats are calling on Education Secretary Lucy Powell to implement an emergency package of measures beginning immediately. Their proposals include full government funding of the 3.5% teacher pay increase scheduled for September 2026, plus the additional 3% rise planned for the following year. Currently, schools are expected to fund half of the pay increase from their existing budgets, a practice the party argues diverts resources from teaching and support services.
The party is also demanding proper enforcement of teachers' legally mandated working hours, the introduction of reasonable limits on overtime, and a requirement that all schools adopt flexible working policies. However, the Lib Dems have not specified where funding for these measures would be sourced.
What is the government's position?
The Department for Education acknowledged the challenge but pointed to recent progress. An education department spokesperson stated:
We know teachers do an incredible job and we're determined to make sure that dedication is matched with the right support. Last year saw one of the lowest rates of teachers leaving the profession since 2010, and a record number of teachers returning to the classroom, but we know there's more to do.
The department highlighted its announcement of pay awards totalling almost 17% over two years, funding improvements to maternity pay, and targeted support to normalise flexible working and manageable workloads. The government previously accepted the School Teachers' Review Body's 2025/26 recommendation and implemented a 4% pay award from September 2025, with Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR) payment rule changes scheduled to take effect from September 2026.
Who else is calling for action?
The survey was conducted with support from the National Education Union (NEU) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), both of which have amplified the retention crisis message. Daniel Kebede, the NEU's general secretary, stated:
After over a decade of austerity and chronic underfunding in our schools the system is on its knees. The new academic year is the perfect time for Andy Burnham to signal a fresh start for our schools. That means fully funding the pay award and properly funding all our schools and colleges to stem the recruitment and retention crisis and give children the education they deserve.
Caroline Voaden, the Liberal Democrats' schools spokesperson, characterised the government as unresponsive to teacher concerns.
We rely on teachers to educate our children, the least we can do is make sure they want to come back after the summer,she said, adding that
As Lucy Powell enters her first term as education secretary the Liberal Democrats are calling for her first act to be to introduce an emergency package of 'back to school' measures to face this crisis head on.
What does the broader evidence show?
Research into teacher labour markets reinforces the urgency of the workload issue. Analysis from the National Foundation for Educational Research indicates that sustainable workload is a key factor in retaining teachers, and that insufficient lesson-planning time is linked to higher exit risk. This suggests that addressing the structural causes of burnout—rather than pay alone—may be essential to stemming departures.
What happens next?
The immediate policy moment arrives in September 2026 when schools return for the new academic year. TLR payment changes are scheduled to take effect at that time, according to the government's 2025 written statement. Education Secretary Lucy Powell now holds responsibility for teacher quality, recruitment and retention in her current government brief, positioning her to shape the response to these pressures in the coming months.
Key Facts:
- Nearly 50% of teachers surveyed by the Lib Dems said they plan to leave the profession within five years
- 71% of teachers describe their workload as unmanageable, and only 3% can keep work within contracted hours, according to 2026 research
- The Lib Dems are calling for full government funding of teacher pay increases and enforcement of working-hour limits
- The Department for Education reported the lowest teacher exit rate since 2010 in the previous year, but acknowledged more action is needed
- TLR payment rule changes are due to take effect from September 2026
