Recruitment
Retention
Wellbeing
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Top takeaways
The EEF’s research summary of findings around recruitment and retention highlights the role of workload, flexible working, leadership culture and benefits. It also stresses the importance of careful implementation processes for any changes. Research conducted in partnership with Teacher Tapp gives insight into recruitment incentives, while this year’s Teacher Wellbeing Index once again paints a worrying picture of a stressed workforce.
Evidence summary: Recruiting, retaining and supporting teachers
The EEF’s Recruiting, Retaining and Supporting Teachers guidance focuses on four areas:
- Teacher workload
- Flexible working
- School leadership, culture and climate
- Financial incentives and other benefits.
There’s a longer document which shares research findings and implications in each of these areas, as well as a section on the importance of implementation processes.
The guidance collection includes a reflection tool with discussion questions and an overview leaflet for a quick read.
Points to note
- For workload, a multi-pronged approach may be best. Teachers in schools with a variety of workload strategies in place report having more manageable workloads.
- Be aware that policy changes may not reduce workload immediately. In fact, it can feel like workload has increased as staff adapt to new ways of working. Plan rollouts carefully and give things time to bed in.
- While there isn’t yet direct evidence to demonstrate the impact of flexible working on retention, teachers consistently link being able to work flexibly to better wellbeing, motivation, and job satisfaction.
- ‘Acts of goodwill’ such as giving staff time off for personal commitments can make a big difference to how people feel.
- A supportive working environment, which promotes autonomy and agency, and prioritises professional development, makes retention more likely.
- For attracting teachers to a school, financial incentives have the strongest evidence of effectiveness. Not always possible though! And for retention, things like working conditions also have an impact.
It is unlikely that there is a single ‘silver bullet’ for solving the teacher recruitment and retention challenge. Multiple factors drive these issues, meaning that schools need to take multiple actions, each contributing incrementally to improvements. (Evidence summary, page 19)
Evaluating recruitment strategies
In this innovative research project, the EEF partnered with Teacher Tapp to explore what makes teachers more likely to apply for one job over another. Teacher Tappers were presented with mock job adverts and asked to choose between them.
What did they learn?
- Teachers care most about tangible, practical improvements to their working lives. For example: 30% PPA time, class sizes capped at 22 pupils, healthcare benefits.
- Headteachers felt that not all these things were feasible financially!
- Commitment to flexible working, healthcare support and onsite childcare were benefits that were both effective and good value.
Their key finding: ‘small, specific promises can go a long way’.
For an overview of the project and findings, read What Really Makes a Teaching Job Worth Applying For?
Teacher Wellbeing index
The 2025 Teacher Wellbeing Index reinforces why thinking about retention is so vital. We have a stressed workforce, with 77% experiencing symptoms of poor mental health due to work.
Culture is still an issue, with 49% of respondents saying their school culture doesn’t support wellbeing.
Senior leaders (who surely have a key role in establishing the culture?) are the most vulnerable to stress and burnout, with 86% reporting feeling stressed.
The survey asked about work intensity and time poverty (the feeling of having too many things to do without enough time to do them in your job).
- 63% of staff overall have too many things to do without enough time to do them for three-quarters or more of the time.
- 81% of senior leaders also experience this for three-quarters or more of the time.
What next? Areas for action and reflection
- Download the EEF’s reflection tool and use some of the questions for discussion in a team meeting. What resonates or provokes? Are there areas you can do more on in your setting?
- What are you doing to reduce stress in your setting? What factors are within your control, and where do you have less influence? For areas within your control, are there actions you can take to ease the pressure? See How to manage stress for ideas.
- Review the wording on your job adverts and other recruitment resources. Are there ways you can make the benefits of working at your setting more tangible? What can you realistically offer?
- ‘Give people an experience that they genuinely enjoy, so they want to stick around.’ Do you agree with headteacher Carl Smith’s view? Listen to the podcast and decide!
Reading and resources
