As reported by I-news, the number of teachers choosing to “phase” their way into retirement has more than halved over the past decade, new government figures reveal

Phased retirement allows teachers aged 55 and over to draw up to 75% of their pension benefits while continuing to work and pay into their pension scheme. But take-up has dropped by 51% in ten years – from 955 in 2014/15 to just 468 in 2024/25, according to Department for Education data.

Affordability concerns (cited by 43% of teachers) and a lack of flexible roles in schools (35%) are among the main barriers. To qualify, teachers must reduce their earnings by at least 20% either by cutting their hours or moving into a lower-paid role. However, not all schools permit this, meaning some staff may need to change employers to take advantage of the scheme.

Steven Renfrew, head of education at Wesleyan, who conducted the research, described phased retirement as a potential “win-win” for both teachers and schools.

“Going forward, schools might need to consider how they can create the flexibility phased retirement positions require – something that’s far easier said than done when there are already major workforce pressures. At the same time, teachers need to have support to fully understand what phased retirement might mean financially for them.”