The cost-of-living crisis is impacting our infrastructure at every level. Teacher retention has been steadily decreasing, and aspiring teachers are opting for less demanding career paths because the pay simply doesn’t match the workload.
However, in 2024, Labour increased teacher pay by 5.5%, meaning an extra £2500 a year for the average classroom teacher. The government’s 2024 budget announcement suggests that positive change is coming, particularly for SEND provision – an area of education that is widely discussed as being in dire need of funding and support.
So, what kind of challenges are educators left with in the current economic climate, and how does this impact students?
Let’s unpack…
- A regional look at the cost-of-living crisis
- The escalating concern of teacher recruitment and retention
- Is it always a case of ‘peace’ vs. ‘passion’?
- The cost of living’s impact on teaching and learning
- Looking forward to a positive future
A regional look at the cost-of-living crisis in England
As much as the cost-of-living crisis is now a general term for the financial difficulties facing people in this country, when we actually break down what this means for different parts of the UK, we can begin to unpack the problems as they pertain to education.
What the numbers say
The cost-of-living crisis in the UK is not only reshaping households but also leaving a significant mark on the education sector.
Teacher vacancies have been increasing across the country, and the Conservative government missed the target for teacher recruitment for nine of the last 10 years.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) compared data from 2010 to 2023, and here’s what they found:
Let’s take a look at three parts of the UK that are really feeling the impact:
London
- London teachers earn more than their counterparts in other regions, but the average salary of £49,455 is often eclipsed by living costs.
- Rents in London increased by 11.5% in December 2024, leaving many teachers unable to live near their schools.
South East
- Based on the data in the table above, all 19 local authorities in the South East have a 100% higher vacancy rate than in 2010.
- Sunbury-on-Thames saw the largest house price increase in the UK in 2024, with a 12.5% rise.
- Teachers in Surrey and nearby areas feel squeezed by rising costs without the benefit of London pay weighting.
- Budget constraints mean schools struggle to offer competitive salaries, increasing turnover rates.
North West
- There are stark regional disparities between the North and South. For example, in Burnley, the average salary is £29,508.
- Lower regional wages correlate with higher child poverty rates than the south, directly affecting students’ readiness to learn.
Clearly, each region has its own struggles, and it’s important to consider these factors when discussing how the cost-of-living crisis impacts educators and learners.
The escalating concern of teacher retention and recruitment
With the statistics looking quite bleak across the country, it was inevitable that attracting and retaining teachers was going to remain an issue, even after the COVID-19 pandemic.
If we look at the South East, for example, the BBC reported that there were 276 teacher vacancies across the region in 2022 – the worst teacher shortage ever in this area.
It’s difficult to pinpoint whether financial concerns are the exact cause of the difficulty of attracting and retaining teachers, but it definitely has an impact. A 2023 survey from the NEU found that 85% of teachers felt that their pay was unfair based on their skills, qualifications, and workload.
Although there have since been pay increases, they still don’t reflect the increase in the cost of living.
The South East is considered fringe London on the Teacher Pay Scale, but the average house price in the South East is nearly £500,000. So, teachers in the region are on less than their London neighbours, but are facing similarly high house prices.
If a change in salary is to incentivise more people to join the profession, then new analysis reports that this would require a 10% pay rise for two consecutive years, costing the government an extra £4.9bn.
While it’s all well and good saying teachers need to be paid more, it comes at an extortionate cost.
So, if teachers are leaving… where are they going?
Sarah Hussey, former head teacher and Performance Coach at Possibilities & Perspectives
Is it always a case of ‘peace’ vs. ‘passion’?
I spoke to former head teacher and leadership coach Sarah Hussey for her insights into this. Sarah left the profession in 2022 following serious health issues that were brought on from the stress of her career.
“We’ve got really good people that work in schools, who will move jobs for more money but much less stress. And then in those roles, you don’t get those moments where a child writes their name for the first time, or reads their first sentence. Those moments are worth more than money.”
Teachers seem to be trading those priceless moments for roles that arguably less challenging, and therefore less stressful. But in the right school, stress is not something that’s simply embedded into the fabric of teacher life.
“Keeping staff is about culture.
“If you’re a school that’s losing a lot of staff, you have to look at why.”
Money definitely has a role to play, but when it comes to the root cause of teachers being unhappy, it seems like there’s a lot more to unpack.
“No one works in a school for big money. You do it because you want to make a difference. So, it’s about creating an environment where people want to be.”
That environment will look different in every school, but it seems that the best schools take a positive approach. In education spaces, we are often quick to focus on the negatives, but, as Sarah explores, things don’t need to be this way.
“We lose the joy. Sometimes, teaching can be fun! You can run a really good school, be effective, and make really good decisions, but still remember that everyone is human. It’s about relationships. We’ve lost the human side.”
Teaching is a demanding job, with there being an expectation that work will be completed outside of core hours.
This has always been the case, but without these expectations reflecting the changing financial landscape of the country, we can’t expect to get the most from our teachers.
“Working in a school is an incredible job. The wrong school with the wrong culture puts teachers off. And we are losing incredible people.”
The cost of living’s impact on teaching and learning
If you’re a teacher, you’ve probably paid for resources out of your own pocket before.
It’s reported that eight in 10 primary teachers in England spend their own money to help pupils – and this isn’t just on resources. It’s also on food and clothing – essentials that pupils are having to go without.
This shouldn’t be the norm in schools. And, in the wrong school, this extra effort from educators goes unnoticed.
Sarah is currently writing a book about compassionate leadership, and she believes that these expectations are unfair.
“We should be rewarding people. Huge systematic changes and accountability measures are needed. But school-to-school, trust-to-trust, keeping staff is about culture. Putting cakes in the staff room or sending a thank you email on a Friday is not enough.”
Teachers are still paying for resources out of their own pocket. Two thirds of primary school teachers reported spending money on science and art materials, and two in five bought stationery and revision books for pupils.
It’s evident that empathetic educators will do everything they can to support pupils, but it comes at a cost. Seemingly small purchases add up throughout the year, leaving departments struggling to manage. The expectation that teachers pay for basic materials only adds to the pressure already placed on them.
Looking forward to a positive future
While money definitely has an impact on the way schools are run and the way that teachers feel, not all hope is lost.
Sarah believes that things are moving in a better direction.
“I’m still in and out of schools all the time, training staff and working with student teachers, and there are lots of positive schools out there. People enjoy working there because they’re valued. It’s not to do with pay scales.”
Although the cost-of-living crisis has made its mark on teaching, with the right leadership and a positive school culture, we can be hopeful that teacher retention rates will start to increase.
Schools need leaders who will create the best possible environment for their staff to thrive, despite all the pressures that come with the job. This can take years to perfect, but the payoff will be invaluable to the next generation of young learners.
Do you think money is the main reason teachers are leaving?
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