The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and Ipsos have been appointed by the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver the next phase of the Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders study.
The study will run from 2027 to 2031 and will provide robust, policy-relevant evidence on teacher recruitment, retention and progression across England. Building on the success of the previous study, the research will gather insights into the experiences, attitudes and behaviours of teachers and school leaders, helping to strengthen the evidence base on the teaching workforce and support future workforce policy development.
The appointment brings together NFER and Ipsos’ combined expertise in education research, survey methodology and delivery, longitudinal research and statistical analysis.
A key strength of the work is its longitudinal design, which will enable researchers to follow participants over time and provide deeper insights into how experiences, attitudes and career decisions evolve throughout teachers’ and leaders’ careers. The study will also explore the experiences of those who leave the profession, helping to inform understanding of the factors that influence teacher retention.
Evidence will be collected from a large and representative sample of teachers and leaders, ensuring the findings provide a robust picture of the profession, enabling analysis of change over time and comparisons between groups.
Jack Worth, NFER Education Workforce Lead and the study’s Policy & Analysis Lead, said:
“We are delighted to be involved in delivering the Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders project, the flagship study on the teacher workforce in England. We will bring new insights and high-quality data and analysis to inform a deeper understanding of teachers’ working lives.”
Laura Thomas, DfE Research Lead at Ipsos, said:
“Ipsos is excited to continue to strengthen our partnership with NFER on this important project, on behalf of the DfE. This partnership leverages our strengths to deliver robust research findings that will enhance insights into the experiences of teachers and school leaders.”
The first wave of data collection will take place in spring 2027.