AN expert on workplace satisfaction believes simple changes in behaviour can help prevent large numbers of Bradford's teachers from leaving the profession.

Dr George Madine presented his research into the views of hundreds of teachers in the district to a meeting of Bradford Council's Children's Services Scrutiny Committee tonight. Through surveying teachers from different types of school around Bradford, Dr Madine, a human resource management expert based at the University of Bradford, found that many of them were unhappy in their jobs.

Committee members heard that when asked how likely teachers were to leave their current school in the next 12 months. 27.67 per cent said they were "very likely," with 15.21 per cent saying they were very likely to leave the profession altogether.

He pointed out that teacher retention was a national issue, and his figures reflected problems seen around the country.

Dr Madine said many of the teachers he spoke to worked the equivalent of 12 hour days due to marking and lesson planning, and they felt there was the constant threat of being blamed for pupils not meeting ever changing government targets.

He said: "Once teachers get to these levels of work loads, many feel it is not worth it. They feel there is no work life balance.

"Teachers say they are measured in terms of what they lack, rather than what they are good at. They system only looks at negatives and destroys creativity."

His research found that the groups of teachers that felt worst about their professions were middle aged men and recently qualified women.

Dr Madine suggested several ways moral could be improved in school, including assessments that focused on positives as well as areas teachers need to improve, more support for teachers to improve, while still retaining consequences for those who choose not to take that support, offering the promise to progress in their job, and to make the job rewarding again. He ended his presentation by pointing out that the changes would require minimal cost, but could help Bradford retain hundreds of teachers.

Some of the committee seemed sceptical about Dr Madine's findings. Councillor Jeanette Sunderland (Lib Dem, Idle and Thackley) said: "I think if you take out the word teacher and insert any other profession you would get similar results. There are lots of other jobs where management comes and assesses you two or three times a week. I don't think its particular to teachers."

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, executive for education on the council, said: "I think this is about good management, and that is true of any profession. In our school improvement plan we say we need outstanding leaders. Schools are working together to share good practice."

The committee agreed to share Dr Madine's findings with heads, academies and governors to see how the issue of teacher retention can be improved, and so schools could share advice on how best to manage staff.