Why Are 42,000 Teachers Leaving England’s Classrooms?

England has lost 42,000 teachers in the last year alone. That’s a staggering number — roughly equivalent to entire towns losing their entire teaching workforce. Many headlines blame low pay, and while that’s part of the picture, it’s far from the whole story.

As someone who has both trained to be a teacher and currently works with children who cannot attend mainstream schools due to mental health or neurodiverse conditions like autism and ADHD, I can tell you the reasons teachers leave go much deeper. It’s a perfect storm of overwhelming workloads, impossible demands, classroom complexity, unsupportive environments, and emotional burnout.

The Classroom Has Changed — But Support Hasn’t

When I was training, I quickly realised that classrooms today are no longer simple places filled with rows of kids absorbing lessons in neat rows. Instead, each class is a complex mix of students with widely varying needs.

Some students speak little English. Others have sensory challenges linked to autism or ADHD, meaning that a noisy classroom or a bright light can be overwhelming. There are children struggling with mental health challenges that make concentration difficult or impossible. And yet, one teacher is expected to deliver an hour-long lesson to this diverse group — often without the support of teaching assistants or specialists.

This means teachers are constantly forced to choose: Do I slow down for the few who need more help? Do I push ahead and risk leaving those behind? Do I spend my energy on behaviour management or on teaching content? There is simply no way to cater to every child’s needs properly when the system is structured around uniformity and speed.

Falling Behind and the Emotional Toll

The children I currently teach often cannot attend mainstream schools precisely because their needs aren’t met there. Many are years behind their expected levels academically — even when they’ve just recently left mainstream school. The system’s rigid schedules and one-size-fits-all approach mean these children fall behind quietly, unnoticed, and unsupported.

It’s heart-breaking to watch students who want to learn but are trapped in a system that moves too fast and is too rigid for them. Teachers want to help, but the structure doesn’t allow it.

When Perfectionism Overrides Progress

One moment during my training stuck with me. I sat in a meeting where my mentor, a hardworking, compassionate teacher, was criticised — not for failing her students, but because the children’s exercise books weren’t “neat enough.”

In a job already demanding intense emotional labour, countless hours of prep, and endless patience, teachers are sometimes judged on trivial standards like handwriting or the appearance of notes, rather than the genuine progress and wellbeing of the children.

This kind of micromanagement sends a clear message: the system values appearances over impact, ticking boxes over real learning.

The Invisible Workload

Teaching hours on paper rarely reflect the true reality. Many teachers stay on site for hours after the last bell, preparing lessons, creating resources, designing PowerPoint presentations, and planning interventions. They attend parents’ evenings, run after-school clubs, and respond to emails late into the night.

All this unpaid, unseen work chips away at their personal time and mental health. No wonder so many feel burned out and exhausted.

And yet, despite this heavy workload, teachers are often expected to remain on site beyond their contracted hours. For many, it’s a daily grind with no end in sight.

The Toxic Culture Behind the Staffroom Door

The drama and cliques that exist among students unfortunately also infect staffrooms in some schools. There seem to be two types of teachers: those who got into the profession to shape and nurture young minds, and those who seem to relish the power and authority the job gives them.

For the former, schools dominated by the latter can be lonely, demoralising, and toxic environments. Navigating these politics adds another layer of stress that chips away at job satisfaction.

When Parents Aren’t on Your Side

Anyone who’s worked with children knows behaviour in school often mirrors what’s happening at home. Children who lack supportive, consistent boundaries outside school will often struggle to respect boundaries in the classroom.

Unfortunately, many teachers face unsupportive parents who either dismiss their concerns or refuse to work with the school to help their children.

This leaves teachers feeling undermined and isolated — tasked with fixing problems without the tools or support to do so.

What’s the Solution?

No single fix will solve this crisis. Yes, better pay is important — teachers deserve to be paid fairly for their skills and dedication.

But more than money, teachers need manageable class sizes, specialist support, and realistic expectations. They need leadership that values their wellbeing, parents who collaborate, and a culture that respects teaching as a complex, challenging, deeply valuable profession.

If England wants to stop losing tens of thousands of teachers every year, we must start listening to their stories — the struggles behind the headlines — and commit to meaningful change.