Making the grass greener for teachers

Sometimes we are prone to thinking that the grass is greener elsewhere, but in terms of flexible working practices, the verdancy is more striking in the wider workforce compared to working in schools. Teachers have worked this out; more than six out of ten have said they are highly likely to leave teaching in order to be able to work more flexibly in other sectors.

Teacher recruitment and retention are in crisis. Recruitment targets for teacher training were unmet again last year and many of those who enter the profession do not stay. We cannot afford to lose those teachers at the rate we currently do. One in four teachers do not stay in the profession beyond three years, and only six out of ten are still teaching after ten years. As educators we know the reasons behind this crisis are complex. So how do we get teachers to stay?

This won’t be easy. Teaching is competing with other sectors for graduates who expect flexibility in the ways they work, and as a profession we are falling behind in this recruitment race. As educators, we all recognise that our role is student or pupil-facing: working flexibly might not be straightforward, but we can try and be as supportive of it as we can. This is the aim of the Effective Flexible Working in Schools Practitioner Network, which I established and lead at the Sheffield Institute of Education.

Since its inception in 2022, we have welcomed a range of excellent and knowledgeable speakers to meetings, including leaders of Flexible Working Ambassador Multi-Academy Trusts and Schools (FWAMS), authors, colleagues in school responsible for the timetable, researchers and grassroots organisations. Following their inspiring talks, we ask questions, share good practice, network and support one another. My knowledge and understanding have grown as a result of working with these experts who are generous with both their time and expertise. Network members have said the same.

The online network is free-to-join and open to anyone who is keen to support flexible working in schools. Colleagues who are further down the road of embedding flexible working practices within their schools are as equally welcome as those who are making more tentative steps around working in this way. We would love you to join us! I am also keen to give the network a greater online presence, so if you wish to get in touch or share ideas, please connect with me via my LinkedIn page where future events will be advertised.


Dr Suzanne Brown is a Senior Lecturer in Initial Teacher Education at the Sheffield Institute of Education. Her research interests and publications are around flexible working in the teaching profession as part of improving teacher recruitment and retention. She has written about the relationships between part-time working and career progression for women teachers, as well as flexible working as a means of helping women teachers manage their menopausal symptoms as part of supporting the retention of teachers in mid-life. Suzanne established the Effective Flexible Working in Schools Practitioner Network which provides opportunities for the sharing of good practice around flexible working. Please do connect Suzanne (Suzanne.brown@shu.ac.uk) if you wish to be part of the network.