Oral QuestionDepartment for Education

What steps her Department is taking to improve teacher retention.

Tabled: 13 January 2026Answered: 19 January 2026

Asked by

Caroline Voaden

Liberal DemocratSouth Devon

Answering Minister

the Secretary of State for Education

Answer from Hansard

The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)

Labour is boosting teacher recruitment and retention in order to put 6,500 new expert teachers in front of our classrooms. We have boosted teachers’ pay by nearly 10% and have taken action to improve wellbeing, and we continue to offer the targeted retention incentive, which is worth up to £6,000 after tax. Under the Tories, teachers were leaving schools in droves; under Labour, we have seen one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010.