TEACHERS in England work some of the longest hours in the profession in the developed world, leaving them little time to develop their careers, a new report warns.

The average teacher in this country works 48.2 hours per week but one fifth work at least 60 hours a week, according to the Education Policy Institute (EPI).

Its study looked at 36 countries with England was ranked 30th in terms of time teachers spend on continuing professional development (CPD).

It was found that teachers in this country spend just four days a year on it - less than half the average of 10.5 days.

Only teachers in Japan and the Canadian province of Alberta worked longer hours than those in England.

In Shanghai, China, staff spent 40 days a year on average on their personal development, the study claimed.

The study also found that 60 per cent of teachers in England said their workload represented a significant barrier to accessing professional development, placing the country seventh highest out of the 36.

Peter Sellen, EPI chief economist and report author, added: "Longer working hours are also not reflected in teachers' pay, even when considering the normal hours for other workers in our economy."

He added that the "burn-out" effect in England was shown by a sharp fall in the number of teachers over 50.

Angela Rayner, Labour's shadow education secretary, said: "While the Tories waste time on bringing back failed old education policies, they are ignoring the most important factor in delivering an excellent education for all - great teachers."