Schools are facing their “greatest crisis” as one in three new teachers quit the profession within five years of qualifying.
Amid warnings that teachers are over-worked and under-paid, government data shows almost a quarter who qualified in the last five years have already quit the classroom.
The Government is being urged to start negotiating with teaching unions to prevent a strike, with the ballot closing on January 13.
Department for Education figures show 26,443 teachers who qualified in the last five years have already left the job.
More than 20,000 new recruits join the profession every year, but around one in eight leave within their first year. After three years almost one in four have quit.
Christopher McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: “This is the greatest crisis in our broken education system.
“Without high-quality teachers schools fall apart. They are the lifeblood of learning.”
Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the National Education Union said: “It is a scandalous waste of talent, time and taxpayers’ money for successive Conservative governments to simply sit back as so many teachers leave the profession.
“The reasons are obvious and have been staring education secretaries in the face for many years. It is high workload, persistently under-inflation pay, and the excessive accountability that clogs up teachers’ daily lives.
“The NEU ballot for strike action for a fully funded, above inflation pay rise closes on January 13.
“Government needs to start negotiating in good faith with the education unions to ensure children get the education they deserve, and teachers and support staff are fairly paid for the vital role they play. This would make an immediate difference to their livelihood.
“We don’t want to have to take this action and we are calling on the Government to negotiate.”
The latest figures for state schools in England show 116,532 new teachers started work in schools in the last five years, but only 90,089 are still there.
It means more than 100 newly qualified teachers leave every week.
An NEU survey earlier this year showed half of all teachers planned to quit within the next five years, half complaining about their workload.
Mr McGovern said: “We need to direct more of the current budget to recruiting and retaining great teachers. The Department for Education does not seem to realise that it is staring into the abyss.”
The Department for Education said: “We are investing an extra £2billion in our schools next year and the year after whilst also providing a real terms pay increase of 8.9% for new teachers and 5% for experienced teachers.”
