Head teachers at the same post or higher
Primary schools
Head teacher retention rates at the same post or higher in state-funded primary schools have declined since 2010.
It is important to note, however, that the School Workforce Census does not cover centrally employed staff in academy trusts (MATs), and may be more likely to have missing data for executive leaders working across multiple schools (academies or LA maintained), if no individual school reports them. The growth of MATs and executive leadership roles in recent years would cause fewer leaders to appear as being retained in the state-funded sector than is truly the case.
For example, if a head teacher in a state-funded primary school moves to become a centrally employed executive head or CEO of an academy trust, they would be appear to not be retained.
Exploratory analysis of Teacher Pension Scheme (TPS) data supports this and suggests that the number of head teachers still in service but not being reported in the School Workforce Census has been increasing in recent years, substantially impacting the trends seen in this release.
In the latest year of data:
- 9 in 10 (89.7%) primary school head teachers remained in the same post or higher after 1 year
- 8 in 10 (79.3%) primary school head teachers remained in the same post or higher after 3 years
- 7 in 10 (70.0%) primary school head teachers remained in the same post or higher after 5 years
Secondary schools
Head teacher retention rates at the same post or higher in state-funded secondary schools have declined since 2010.
It is important to note, however, that the School Workforce Census does not cover centrally employed staff in academy trusts (MATs), and may be more likely to have missing data for executive leaders working across multiple schools (academies or LA maintained), if no individual school reports them. The growth of MATs and executive leadership roles in recent years would cause fewer leaders to appear as being retained in the state-funded sector than is truly the case.
For example, if a head teacher in a state-funded secondary school moves to become a centrally employed executive head or CEO of an academy trust, they would be appear to not be retained.
Exploratory analysis of Teacher Pension Scheme (TPS) data supports this and suggests that the number of head teachers still in service but not being reported in the School Workforce Census has been increasing in recent years, substantially impacting the trends seen in this release.
In the latest year of data:
- Over 8 in 10 (85.6%) secondary school head teachers remained in the same post or higher after 1 year
- Almost two thirds (64.7%) of secondary school head teachers remained in the same post or higher after 3 years
- Over 6 in 10 (62.5%) secondary school head teachers remained in the same post or higher after 5 years
Head teacher retention at any teaching post within the same phase
Primary schools
Head teacher retention rates at any teaching post within state-funded primary schools have declined since 2010, though this is more apparent for head teachers between 3 and 5 years since being new to post.
It is important to note, however, that the School Workforce Census does not cover centrally employed staff in academy trusts (MATs), and may be more likely to have missing data for executive leaders working across multiple schools (academies or LA maintained), if no individual school reports them. The growth of MATs and executive leadership roles in recent years would cause fewer leaders to appear as being retained in the state-funded sector than is truly the case.
For example, if a head teacher in a state-funded primary school moves to become a centrally employed executive head or CEO of an academy trust, they would be appear to not be retained.
Exploratory analysis of Teacher Pension Scheme (TPS) data supports this and suggests that the number of head teachers still in service but not being reported in the School Workforce Census has been increasing in recent years, substantially impacting the trends seen in this release.
In the latest year of data:
- Over 9 in 10 (95.6%) primary school head teachers remained in the same school phase at any teaching post after 1 year
- Over 8 in 10 (86.9%) primary school head teachers remained in the same school phase at any teaching post after 3 years
- Almost 8 in 10 (78.7%) primary school head teachers remained in the same school phase at any teaching post after 5 years
Secondary schools
Head teacher retention rates at any post within state-funded secondary schools have slightly declined since 2010.
It is important to note, however, that the School Workforce Census does not cover centrally employed staff in academy trusts (MATs), and may be more likely to have missing data for executive leaders working across multiple schools (academies or LA maintained), if no individual school reports them. The growth of MATs and executive leadership roles in recent years would cause fewer leaders to appear as being retained in the state-funded sector than is truly the case.
For example, if a head teacher in a state-funded secondary school moves to become a centrally employed executive head or CEO of an academy trust, they would be appear to not be retained.
Exploratory analysis of Teacher Pension Scheme (TPS) data supports this and suggests that the number of head teachers still in service but not being reported in the School Workforce Census has been increasing in recent years, substantially impacting the trends seen in this release.
In the latest year of data:
- Over 9 in 10 (93.5%) secondary school head teachers remained in the same school phase at any teaching post after 1 year
- Almost 8 in 10 (78.1%) secondary school head teachers remained in the same school phase at any teaching post after 3 years
- Almost 7 in 10 (69.8%) secondary school head teachers remained in the same school phase at any teaching post after 5 years