PRIMARY school head teachers are increasingly leaving their jobs within five years to escape demands that “are simply too much,” the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) revealed today.

Three in 10 primary school heads who were appointed before turning 50 in 2019 had quit by last year, up from 21 per cent who resigned in the five years to 2016, research by the school leaders’ union found.

Of the head teachers who left, 71 per cent said that they had stopped working in primary schools.

In a survey of 1,517 school leaders in England, NAHT found that 65 per cent would be unlikely or very unlikely to recommend being a head teacher to others.

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: “When we have even seasoned head teachers and leaders quitting because the demands of the job are simply too much, it’s little wonder that other senior teachers are thinking twice about climbing the leadership ladder.”