Can AI Help Stop Teachers Leaving the Profession?
Published: May 2025
Summary
A new report by the UK’s National Audit Office has raised an urgent alarm: teacher recruitment and retention are under growing strain, with workload burnout cited as a leading cause. In response, schools are increasingly exploring artificial intelligence tools as a way to lighten the burden — particularly in time-consuming tasks like grading and assessment.
One standout example is No More Marking, an AI-assisted tool that helps evaluate student writing. Pilots have shown that the tool can assess work rapidly and reliably, freeing teachers from stacks of essays and enabling them to focus on lesson planning and one-on-one support.
Recognizing the potential, the UK government has allocated £1 million to further research and expand AI’s role in marking. While still in its early stages, this investment signals a shift toward practical applications of AI in everyday classroom administration.
Reflection
As a teacher, this lands close to home.
Marking can consume hours every week — hours often stolen from evenings, weekends, and precious downtime. If AI tools like No More Marking can take the edge off without compromising educational integrity, it feels like a no-brainer.
But there are caveats.
AI marking systems raise important questions:
- Can they detect nuance, humour, or creativity?
- Will over-reliance deskill teachers over time?
- Are we risking student trust in the marking process?
Still, it’s encouraging to see AI being applied in supportive rather than replacement roles. In this case, AI isn't trying to teach — it's helping teachers stay in the classroom. That’s a win.
I’ll be watching this closely, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing similar pilot programs crop up here in Australia in the next year or two.