

Coronavirus: leadership and workload
Leadership, Workload and Covid-19
Our workload guidance will help you identify tasks or activities which are unnecessary, have no education benefit and cause the most stress.
A THIRD OF members say their workload is never manageable, a recent National Education Union survey has found, and more than a quarter are working between six and 10 hours during evenings and weekends each week. These are the initial findings from our workload survey, which took place in October.
Tackling workload requires change throughout the system, and the National Education Union will continue to put pressure on the Government for change at the national level. But immediate improvement can be secured at school level by members working collaboratively. So we have put together a set of tools and advice that members can use to improve work-life balance, including a toolkit on identifying problems and securing change, and advice on implementing the 2016 teacher workload review reports.
The DfE set up the Independent Teacher Workload Review Groups to report on, and suggest solutions to, unnecessary burdens associated with three areas – marking, planning and data management.
Their reports, published in March 2016, made recommendations to the Government, Ofsted, school leaders, governing bodies, local authorities and multi-academy trusts, and teachers, and were accepted in full by the then education secretary. They debunked myths, highlighted Government failures and set out what must change. They can, if implemented, go some way to reducing your workload.
Too often, it is marking itself that is monitored by leaders, rather than pupil outcomes and progress as a result of quality feedback.
Could you stop written marking – for a week, for a phase, for a subject, forever (some schools have)? If so, use the time to engage in the following challenges:
Case study
In a secondary school in the north west of England, members concerned about unreasonable appraisal targets and excessive monitoring of pupil data refused to accept appraisal objectives and to carry out tasks linked to pupil data tracking. After one month, concessions led to the settlement of the dispute.
Too often, planning is taken to mean the production of daily written lesson plans that function as evidence for an accountability ‘paper trail’, the report found, rather than the process of effective planning for pupil progress and attainment.
Case study
In a primary school in south Wales, excessive scrutiny and an overbearing management style led members to threaten strike action. The management style improved, and teachers were trusted once again and subject to less scrutiny.
Used well, data can have a positive impact, helping teachers to teach and school leaders to focus on the right issues. The Government report identifies how it has become a burden rather than a benefit, and what needs to change to reduce the load on teachers.
Stop collecting data if the burden of collection outweighs its use. Don’t collect summative data more than three times a year per pupil. Don’t collect formative data. Instead, use the time to engage in the following challenges:
A whole-school approach is best, where school leaders and staff work together to identify pressures and find solutions that work for everyone. Make time for meetings, surveys and discussions together to make the most difference. However, if senior leaders are still not engaging with the recommendations in these workload review reports, or the collaborative approach outlined in our toolkit below does not succeed, the National Education Union will support members to ballot for industrial action to resolve matters, continuing the successful approach pursued previously by ATL in Northern Ireland and by the NUT in England and Wales.
National Education Union members have reduced workload in many workplaces using the strategy set out in this section. Punitive appraisal policies, unacceptable pay policies and excessive observations have all been successfully resisted.
You can use this approach to tackle just one workload concern or more than one, and the more members who participate, the greater the impact will be.
Case study
In a growing number of areas, originating in Nottingham, workload charters have been negotiated. These mean schools have undertaken that staff can expect a fair and reasonable workload, with policies on marking, planning and data management subject to regular review and workload impact assessment, and high-quality training and professional development opportunities.
Strengthening our influence in schools and colleges lies at the heart of the creation of the National Education Union. Bringing together strong and inclusive rep teams will help build a representative and influential union, and will enable members to challenge and change the culture of excessive and unnecessary workload. Reps can use this new toolkit and advice to work together to tackle workload with members. If there isn’t a rep, members can elect a National Education Union rep or team of reps.
Workplace reps work together to organise and represent the views of members in discussions and negotiations with leaders.
Health and safety reps lead on issues that impact on the health and safety of staff, and work with staff and leaders to ensure the workplace and workplace practices are risk-assessed and safe.
Learning reps lead on issues around professional development, working with members and leaders to ensure colleagues have access to high-quality CPD to continually develop knowledge and improve outcomes for pupils. When someone new takes up the role of rep in your workplace, email us with contact details.