Education leaders are calling for more than £140 million in unspent Apprenticeship Levy funds to be redirected into training and development programmes to help schools retain staff, following a House of Lords roundtable hosted by Commercial Services Group.
The discussion highlighted growing concern about the sustainability of the teaching workforce. Participants noted that four in ten teachers expect to leave the profession within the next decade, with almost a third anticipating departure within three years. Baroness Mary Bousted described the trend as “a challenge of systemic proportions”, arguing that the central question for the sector is how to prevent such high levels of attrition.
Former skills minister Robert Halfon pointed to the apprenticeship levy as an underused mechanism for improvement. Research from LMP Group indicates that schools collectively contribute around £180 million to the levy each year, yet only 22 per cent of those funds are used. Halfon said more effective access to this money could help schools develop staff, improve recruitment and retention, and reduce dependence on agency teachers.
Attendees also discussed wider factors contributing to teacher exits, including workload, limited progression pathways and inflexible working patterns. Several speakers said mid-career teachers, particularly women, face structural obstacles that push them out of the profession. Expanding job-sharing options, flexible contracts and tailored return-to-work support were cited as practical steps that could keep experienced staff in schools.
Schools’ increasing exposure to mental-health pressures and a sharp rise in parental complaints were also identified as significant strains. New research from Commercial Services Group suggests a 66 per cent increase in complaints, alongside persistent wellbeing challenges, has further weakened workforce resilience.
Dr Robin Bevan warned that retention must now be treated as central to education policy. “Retaining teachers is not just a priority — it’s essential to the future of education,” he said.
Participants agreed that reinvesting unused levy funds into leadership development, clear career pathways and wellbeing support could create more sustainable working conditions and strengthen the sector’s talent pipeline.
Closing the session, John Doherty, divisional CEO of Professional Services at Commercial Services Group, said the roundtable had highlighted both the urgency of the issue and the steps available to address it. “Releasing even a portion of the £140 million in unused Apprenticeship Levy funds would let schools act on those insights,” he said, describing it as a practical way to translate discussion into meaningful action.
Commercial Services Group, which is publicly owned, provides services to more than 22,000 organisations and thousands of schools across the UK, reinvesting its surpluses back into the communities it supports.
