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Retention among teachers in England’s primary schools is becoming a serious problem. Against the backdrop of increasing worries about workload and staff morale, there has been a high number of teachers quitting the profession (Arthur & Bradley, 2023). The previous government’s teacher recruitment and retention strategy (DfE, 2019) stated that leadership plays a critical role in determining whether teachers stay or leave the profession. Using a single case study from an English primary school, this blog post discusses how system leadership can be utilised in addressing staff morale and, most importantly, teacher retention.

The problem and its understanding: Workload and morale

Teachers’ workload has significantly increased. Reports refer to excessive organisation planning, marking and administrative activities as among the key causes of stress, while unmanageable workload is the most cited departure reason by teachers (DfE, 2019). In its most recent report on the teacher labour market, the National Foundation for Educational Research revealed that teachers’ working hours are higher than for similar graduates working in other jobs (on average five hours more per week) and concluded that ‘very little progress has been made on improving teacher retention or reducing teacher workload since 2019’ (McLean & Worth, 2025). The same message is clear in this case study: the teacher interviewed reported workload as the primary cause of dissatisfaction, stress and possible turnover.

What is system leadership and why does it matter?

System leadership is a distributed leadership model in which members share responsibilities in different teams. This approach contrasts with typical top-down management, and aims to establish confidence, foster collaborative decision-making and build resilience within an organisation (Gichuhi, 2021). My case study suggests that system leadership provides a buffer to low teachers’ morale: efficient communication, being open in decision-making and having a shared responsibility is what makes teachers feel valued and increases their morale and determination.

Issues of system leadership implementation

The system leadership approach can be productive and challenging (Macdonald & Stewart, 2018). In this single empirical case study with one primary school teacher in England using a semi-structured interview, the study highlighted three major barriers to system leadership within the school: 1) staff resistance to change because of habits; 2) scarcity of resources; and 3) a lack of trust based on past leadership styles. Such issues are representative of more general obstacles within UK primary education, where accountability forces may militate against collaboration in leadership.

‘Practices of system leadership should be integrated into everyday activities, be enshrined in policy, and benchmarked against outcomes in wellbeing and education.’

Broader national evidence

A recent National Education Union survey revealed that 44 per cent of teachers considered moving to a new position because of workload (NEU, 2024). According to the survey of more than 8,000 teachers, 41 per cent found workloads ‘unmanageable’, while 37 per cent said  their workload was ‘just manageable’; meanwhile, inspection pressures, poor work–life balance, insufficient staffing and accountability demands were raised as major stress factors. Teachers also reported that a significant factor in terms of wellbeing would be a reduction in workload, once again highlighting the necessity of leadership intervention to boost morale.

Policy and practice implications

The future of collaborative leadership is promising; however, its ability to succeed is limited to practical assistance specific to English primary schools. Key actions are:

Leadership training: Emphasis on distributed leadership, mutual decision-making and efficiency tips for workload reduction. Leaders should be trained to share responsibility and develop trusting relationships across teams.

Workload relocation: Automate work processes, streamline reporting and hand over non-teaching work to support staff, freeing teachers to teach and care about pupils.

Culture change: Build on open communication, respect and ownership of school goals to improve staff morale and resilience.

Constraints and plans

This single-case empirical study, though reflecting national concerns, is not generalisable as it involved only one primary school teacher. Broader, longitudinal research is needed to clarify links between leadership and staff morale. Still, its findings offer valuable insight into primary teachers’ daily lives and how leadership can shape retention and wellbeing across England’s primary education settings.

Conclusion

The possibility of improving staff morale and retention in English primary schools is created by the leadership. Schools can assist teachers in both professional and personal ways, collaborating with them, lessening isolation and developing collective responsibility. To become influential, practices of system leadership should be integrated into everyday activities, be enshrined in policy, and benchmarked against outcomes in wellbeing and education.

References

Arthur, L., & Bradley, S. (2023). Teacher retention in challenging schools: Please don’t say goodbye! Teachers and Teaching, 29(7–8), 753–771.

Department for Education [DfE]. (2019). Teacher recruitment and retention strategy.

Gichuhi, J. M. (2021). Shared leadership and organizational resilience: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 10(1), 67–88.

Macdonald, I., Burke, C., & Stewart, K. (2018). Systems leadership: Creating positive organisations. Routledge.

McLean, D., & Worth, J. (2025). Teacher labour market in England: Annual report 2025. National Foundation for Educational Research.

National Education Union [NEU]. (2024). State of education: Workload and wellbeing [Press release].