AN increasing number of teachers at Island schools are quitting their jobs and leaving Jersey, new figures have shown.
Data released under the Freedom of Information Act reveals that 20 primary-school teachers and 22 secondary-school teachers resigned in 2024, substantially more than the year earlier and three times as many as in 2022.
The resignations came in a year that saw a long-running pay dispute between the government and teachers, which brought schools to a standstill in a series of strikes.
Asked about the statistics, Education Minister Deputy Rob Ward confirmed that there had been a “low gradual increase” in the number of teachers retiring, relocating, or moving to private schools since 2022, including those on permanent and fixed-term contracts.
He said that the most prominent reason teachers gave for leaving the profession was “leaving Jersey” and speculated that the economy could be to blame.
“This suggests that personal circumstances and wider economic factors are increasingly influencing teachers’ decisions to relocate,” Deputy Ward said in a statement.
The JEP has asked for statistics on staff turnover broken down by school, but the Education Department says that the data “is not readily available”.
“While we do not maintain detailed records of the specific reasons staff choose to leave the Government of Jersey, it is important to note that the overall number of leavers remains low in comparison to the number of teachers working for government schools,” Deputy Ward said.
“The low number of leavers does not give us significant cause for concern and indicates a relatively stable workforce from an attrition perspective.”
In 2022, a survey in Jersey revealed that 60% of teachers had considered leaving the profession, blaming work-life balance, stress, and anxiety. Fifty per cent reported being verbally abused by pupils, and 22% had been threatened with physical harm.
But when asked what was most concerning about their jobs, 59% said the volume of work, 47% complained of long hours and 36% said pressure to achieve results.
In August 2024 it was revealed that 9,000 women aged between 30 and 39 had left the teaching profession in England between 2022 and 2023 compared with 3,400 men of the same age.
In his statement, Deputy Ward said: “It is important to highlight that since 31 August 2022, we have seen an increase in both headcount and full-time equivalents in our teachers’ workforce. The growth is a direct result of planned investments aimed at addressing the identified needs of children and young people with additional requirements in our education system.
“These efforts align with the recommendations outlined in the Inclusion Review and involve direct funding for schools, restructuring initiatives, and the expansion of existing provisions, as well as the development of new resources.
“We have successfully increased and stabilised specialist resources for inclusion across all schools. This is reflected in the increased teaching roles established, which contributed to the figures reported in the Freedom of Information release.”
Are you a teacher who is thinking of leaving the profession or has left recently and want to share your views with the JEP in confidence? Please contact orlando@allisland.media.
