We are faced with some worrying retention figures for newly qualified teachers from the Department for Education School Workforce report of 2024. After just one year of teaching 11.3% of teachers who qualified in 2022, left the profession, and after three years of teaching that number had increased significantly to over 25%. Reasons for this have been attributed to many influences, but workload still remains a contributory factor, although it is reported in the NFER Teacher Labour Market Annual Report 2025, that this has improved slightly.

Part of our commitment to training student teachers, therefore focuses on educating our Initial Teacher Trainees on different ways that they can manage their wellbeing and their workload. The new Initial Teacher Training and Early Careers Framework, highlights the need for student teacher to Learn how to Protect time for rest and recovery and being aware of support available to support good mental wellbeing.

In terms of wellbeing, we wanted to use evidence-based methods to support our student teachers during their 80% teaching timetable. We therefore decided to look into the environmental psychology of wellbeing, and found two nature-based wellbeing intervention theories, that resonated with our aims.

You can read more about Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and Stress Recovery Theory and our wellbeing day

In terms of workload, student teachers have been learning from colleagues throughout the year, strategies on reducing workload. We did however want them to gain a greater insight into how technology and AI could improve their workload, so the second stage of their wellbeing and workload programme is to attend a course at the York STEM centre, to find out from experts, some of the strategies that could help them improve their workload, which would support their wellbeing as they enter into the next stage of their teaching career.