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Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders
Date: 2021-2026
Author/s: Department for Education, IFF Research and UCL Institute of Education
Keywords: Longitudinal study; teacher retention; teacher satisfaction; teachers’ working lives

Summary:

The WLTL is a five-year longitudinal study of primary and secondary teachers and leaders in England that explores trends in the experience and views of the school workforce, related to supply, retention and recruitment over time. The project has produced a series of reports and report summaries based on survey research with over 10, 000 teachers and accompanying interviews, all of which are available at the above link. It has shown persistent patterns of high workload, work-related stress and the negative impacts of their work on the mental and physical wellbeing of teachers and leaders. Small reductions in working hours and stress levels in the last year of the survey still indicate that high workload is an ongoing problem in the profession.

Reference: Department for Education (2025) Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders wave 4 Research Report. DfE
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