Pupils behaviour, the workload for teachers, enormous new initiatives and low salary levels are now forcing teachers out of the profession

Gethin Lewis, NUT Cymru

The NUT says the loss of experienced teaching staff who are retiring, on top of an ever increasing number who resign early is a growing problem which needs to be tackled.

In the summer term this year, across England and Wales, more than 15% of teachers left their jobs - up four per cent on the previous year.

Gethin Lewis of NUT Cymru said: "Pupils behaviour, the workload for teachers, enormous new initiatives and low salary levels are now forcing teachers out of the profession.

"We have been concerned about how we recruit people into the profession but now their is growing concern that people are leaving after being trained, after the investment, after receiving training salaries in some instances and then deciding to leave for better paid and less stressful work outside teaching."

Welsh teaching staff are under acute pressure

During the 1970s a large number of teachers were recruited in Wales following an independent inquiry which set salary levels at a comparable rate to other professions.

Half of these teachers are expected to resign within the next decade, and coupled with the current resignation rate, this is expected to affect staffing levels in Welsh schools.

Former Cardiff teacher Sara Barton left the profession three years ago to take up a higher paid job in the pharmaceutical profession.

Speaking to Radio Wales she said: "I know you don't go into teaching for the money, but at the end of the day, I thought there would be better conditions in teaching.

"I was very lucky my class size was limited to 30 but in general class sizes are not necessarily small enough."

The NUT is now calling for the issue of teacher retention to be given as high a priority as recruitment.