Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve the retention of teachers in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the North East.

We are providing greater support to teachers to tackle the most frequently cited reason for teachers wanting to leave the profession, which is unnecessary workload. We are continuing our extensive work with the profession to remove unnecessary burdens so that teachers can concentrate on teaching and not bureaucracy and paperwork. This includes implementing the recommendations of the three independent review groups from the 2014 Workload Challenge – ineffective marking, use of planning and resources, and data management. We are also encouraging schools to make greater use of the pay flexibilities, including retention allowances.

Although North East teacher leavers rates are lower than the national average for primary and secondary schools (in 2015) we are working with key stakeholders to ensure greater support for schools. This will include supporting schools in each region, including the North East, to ensure teacher retention challenges are addressed.