A FOUR day week for teachers could solve the school recruitment and retention crisis, say campaigners.

Trials of the shorter working week have had successful outcomes for both teachers and pupils, a report by the 4 Day Week Campaign and thinktank The Autonomy Institute said today.

The report suggests ambitions for“fixing our broken schools” need to move away from a narrow focus on simply hiring more teachers and offering better pay, to include real efforts to improve work-life balance.

It said the pilots outline a blueprint for much wider adoption of a shorter working week in the education sector.

4 Day Week Campaign director Joe Ryle said: “A four-day week for teachers could solve the severe recruitment and retention crisis being faced in our schools.

“Unless we tackle work-life balance for teachers, the government's pledge to recruit 6,500 more teachers in England will be meaningless.

Autonomy Institute director of research Will Stronge added: “To tackle the huge job retention and recruitment crisis, governments should encourage and support more pilots of a four-day week, shorter working week and nine-day fortnights in schools, building on the promising findings from trials that have already taken place.

“This will support an evidence-led approach to future reform.”

Department for Education figures show nearly as many teachers left the profession in England last year as entered it.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said last month that all state school teachers should be allowed to work on certain tasks from home to improve the profession’s recruitment and retention crisis.