Community launches education campaign Retention, Retention, Retention

Community Union has formally launched our new education campaign, ‘Retention, Retention, Retention’.

Our Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid and MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, Adam Jogee, were among the speakers at our launch on Sunday evening, which took place inside Liverpool’s Pocket Café Bar.

The new campaign builds on Community’s recent policy report with the Fabians – Learning Lessons – which focuses on how the UK and devolved governments can stem the tide of qualified teachers leaving the profession.

The research shows that 1in 12 full-time teachers in England have left the workforce since 2024/2025, while a third of all teachers leave English schools within the first five years of qualifying.

Something must be done and this is why we are calling on the UK and devolved governments to take action to end the teacher and support staff retention crisis across our four nations.

Our asks of the UK, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments are this:

Workload

• Make commitments to increase protected planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time and work alongside unions to develop a comprehensive workload reduction plan.

Behaviour

• Work with teaching unions to develop comprehensive strategies to tackle poor behaviour. This should include behaviour management training for early-career teachers; investment in support roles (such as counsellors, family support workers and psychologists); and the provision of specialist behaviour support teams for schools.

Assessments and inspections

• Make plans to remove KS2 SATs, which place an unnecessary burden on teachers, parents and pupils, and work to reduce the frequency of inspections for schools where there are no safeguarding or performance concerns.

Wellbeing and reward

• Work with unions and school leaders to develop flexible working strategies within education and aim to increase non-front-loaded financial incentives for teacher retention across the UK.

When it comes to education, the priority of governments across the UK should be simple: Retention, Retention, Retention.

Community’s Director of Operations and National Secretary for Education & Early Years, Helen Osgood, said:

“Unlike many other sectors, those working in education and early years are often expected to manage heavy workloads, a lack of flexible working and, at times, verbal or physical abuse. These unacceptable conditions can have serious consequences, contributing to burnout, poor wellbeing and a high level of staff turnover within schools.

“While recruitment has improved somewhat over the past couple of years, retention is still lacking and our members have told us of the overwhelming workload they face. Our ‘Retention, Retention, Retention’ campaign is zeroing in on the conditions that feed into this crisis.

“We cannot build a thriving education system without meeting the needs of the staff who put so much of themselves into their work. Achieving this requires a genuine commitment from the UK and devolved governments to ensure staff are properly supported and valued.”

Community Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid said:

“Working in an education setting can be very fulfilling, but the research we conducted alongside the Fabian Society shows many find it to be unsustainable. Low morale, heavy workloads and a stagnant pay packet mean educators are leaving the sector in droves.

“This is why we have launched ‘Retention, Retention, Retention’, a campaign which makes the case for increased financial incentives, flexibility and access to well-being support. Fixing the retention crisis isn’t just about keeping staff in their roles but making sure they can thrive long-term.”

General Secretary of the Fabian Society Joe Dromey said:

“Working in education is not just a job; it is a vocation. People are drawn to it by the passion for learning, and the desire to change lives.

“But schools are facing a workforce crisis. Our research found that tens of thousands of teachers leave the workforce early every year, due to excessive workloads, endemic stress, and lack of flexible working.

“We need to tackle the roots of this crisis and ensure decent work for all in the sector. That’s why this campaign is so important.”