Bradley Fage: Teachers are voting overwhelmingly on the left, but that could, and should, change

Bradley Fage is a Senior Researcher at City Hall Conservatives and a current School Governor.

New polling released last month reveals a striking and largely overlooked reality – the Conservative Party is now only the fifth most popular party among teachers. It is one of the most alarming political findings I have seen in years. The data suggests that a historic eight in ten teachers would vote for parties on the left of British politics, even Reform now poll ahead of the Conservatives.

For anyone who cares about the future of our education system, this should serve as a wake-up call.

For decades, teachers have overwhelmingly backed Labour and other left-wing parties. But this has not always been a simple left versus right narrative. In the late 1970s, around 60 per cent of primary teachers and 45 per cent of secondary teachers planned to vote for Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives. The profession was once far more politically competitive. These voters can be won back with the right policies for schools – and Labour’s offer has not kept pace.

Schools are facing their biggest challenges in a generation. There are more than 400 fewer full-time equivalent teachers than in 2023, over 100 private schools have closed since Labour’s “schools tax”, and recruitment and retention continue to deteriorate. At the same time, smartphones, social media, and online culture are reshaping classroom life at extraordinary speed. Behavioural standards are harder to maintain. Authority is more fragile. The demands on teachers grow year by year.

As a school governor and former chair, I have seen these pressures first hand. Conversations in governing body meetings are no longer just about improvement and aspiration, but about staffing gaps, budget strain and how to manage the growing complexity of pupil behaviour in a digital age.

And yet the political conversation feels strangely muted, with little in the way of decisive, practical solutions.

Teachers are not searching for ideology. They are searching for certainty, protection and policies that allow them to do their jobs well. That is where the Conservatives are beginning to make a serious case.

First, smartphones in schools. Constant access to devices undermines attention, disrupts lessons, and fuels behavioural problems. Years of non-binding Department for Education guidance have failed to shift the dial. Under the leadership of Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott, the Conservatives have backed a clear, enforceable smartphone ban – giving schools legislative backing rather than leaving heads and teachers to fight this battle alone. This is not about control for its own sake; it is about restoring calm, focus and authority in classrooms. Labour, by contrast, has largely sidestepped the issue, offering little beyond warm words for guidance that many teachers regard as ineffective.

Second, school autonomy. Labour’s proposed Schools Bill risks capping the size of successful schools, preventing popular and high-performing institutions from expanding while effectively steering pupils towards weaker alternatives. At a time when pupil numbers are falling and schools should be adapting flexibly to demand, this approach appears counterproductive. Conservatives have pushed back against such restrictions, defending the principle that good schools should be allowed to grow. Teachers want the freedom to lead thriving institutions without being suffocated by bureaucracy – and that freedom matters.

Finally, Labour’s decision to impose VAT on private schools – often described as the “schools tax” – risks destabilising the wider education system. Many teachers rely on private schools for additional employment, specialist training or professional collaboration. Early indications point to school closures and pupil displacement, placing additional strain on an already stretched state sector. A policy designed to draw political dividing lines does little to improve classroom conditions. Conservatives, by contrast, argue for strengthening the system without creating new pressures elsewhere.

The lesson is clear.

Teachers are not voting Conservative – not yet. But the argument for doing so is stronger now than at any point in a generation. While Labour and the Greens rely on historic loyalties and rhetorical positioning, Conservatives are advancing concrete proposals: enforceable rules on smartphones, protection for school autonomy, and maintaining private provision as a choice for parents and pupils.

For teachers, the choice is becoming less ideological and more practical. Which policies will make classrooms safer, schools stronger and the profession sustainable?

If you care about certainty in your classroom, freedom for your school and serious answers to the challenges education now faces, it may be time to reconsider old assumptions. The Conservative Party is no longer simply an alternative – it is positioning itself as the only party offering the clearest response to the problems teachers confront every day.