Exploring the reasons why former physics teachers in Scotland left teaching

Abstract

Despite significant effort, recruitment of physics teachers in Scotland has fallen short of Scottish Government targets for many years, but there is little data on the retention of teachers, or what factors influence teachers to leave the profession. This study examines the experiences of 11 former physics teachers in Scotland. Data were gathered using an online survey and a semi-structured interview with each participant. Factors emerging from the data included a lack of career progression routes, excessive workload, poor pupil behaviour, a lack of flexible working, and school leadership often driven by accountability pressures in the education system.