Teachers and school staff are working excessive hours on unnecessary tasks driven by the assessment and accountability regimes.
At the moment, teachers and school staff are working excessive hours on unnecessary tasks driven by the assessment and accountability regimes, funding cuts and Government education reforms; this work does not help children learn and is contributing to a teacher recruitment and retention crisis which is set to worsen.
The aim of the NEU’s workload campaign is to bring about a sustainable reduction in the workload of education workers. We want teachers to have time for teaching to ensure they can give each child the education they deserve.
It’s time to take back your time for teaching.
In the recent publication of the Department for Education’s second teacher workload survey, on average, teachers reported working 49.5 hours per week. This is a reduction from the last survey, but it’s still nearly a 50-hour week and more than the Working Time Regulations maximum of 48 hours.
While some teachers said their school had taken steps to review planning, marking and data policies, many said this had either added to or not changed their workload.
32% of teachers reported new data tracking/monitoring of students’ progress had added to their workload, 37% of middle leaders and 23% of senior leaders.
Most respondents said they could not complete their workload within their contracted hours, that they did not have an acceptable workload, and that they did not achieve a good work-life balance. The stats are:
Proportion of teachers and middle leaders “strongly disagreeing” or “tending to disagree” with statements
|
Statement |
Primary |
Secondary |
|
I can complete my assigned workload during my contracted working hours |
91% |
94% |
|
I have an acceptable workload |
65% |
79% |
|
Overall, I achieve a good balance between my work life and my private life |
69% |
74% |
It is clear the Government has much more to do. Read National Education Union joint general secretary Dr Mary Bousted's comments in the press release below.
It is good that teachers are spending less time on marking and planning, but the numbers for time spent on data collection are still stubbornly high.
Thanks to your campaigning, the government has published a workload reduction toolkit - and written to all headteachers with advice on how to take action. Find out what you can do now.
Ofsted have been clear about the work that they do not expect to see, but some teachers are still being asked to provide this evidence by inspectors.
Members at an Oasis academy school in London have made real progress in tackling workload.
Workload in schools has reached unprecedented levels. The National Education Union (NEU) continues to work for change at a national level, putting pressure on the Government to reduce this.
Our workload guidance will help you identify tasks or activities which are unnecessary, have no education benefit and cause the most stress.
The Independent Teacher Workload Review Groups were established by the DfE to report on, and suggest solutions to, unnecessary burdens associated with marking, planning and data management.
When you begin your NQT year, you are taking a big step up in the amount of face to face teaching you are doing, and the level of responsibility you hold.
As an NQT you are a qualified teacher on induction. You will probably be teaching many more face to face hours than you did during your training.
To aid with their continued professional development Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) have slightly different working conditions to other teachers.
Workload in colleges and schools has reached unprecedented levels. Take action on workload in sixth form colleges today.
Ninety-five per cent of SENCOs told us that they need adequate protected time to carry out their role, which means the government must fund schools properly so that heads can provide it.
Any actions to tackle excessive workload and working hours will be more effective if taken together, with staff and leaders working collaboratively to make a positive change across the whole workplace
