Responding to three new reports from the Education Endowment Foundation on strategies to support teacher recruitment and retention, including flexible working, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“Flexible working has the potential to support staff retention, but alone it is not a silver bullet for addressing the growing recruitment and retention crisis. 

"The government should be focused on first-order issues including pay, workload and the  impact of high stakes inspection on health and wellbeing, all of which drive not only teachers, but also school leaders from the profession. What’s needed is a positive proposition to support decades-long careers.

“Barriers to flexible working include the pressures of accountability and inspection, higher staffing costs, and the need to find time for handover and collaboration amid already heavy workloads.