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Workload

Squeezed?

Over-burdened by unreasonable planning and assessment, large classes, excessive working hours? You’re not alone. Sarah Lyons, NUT Officer for Employment Conditions and Rights, looks at the results of a recent NUT survey and the workload support offered by the Union.

In a recent online survey of NUT members, respondents were asked to select measures that would reduce their workload and improve their quality of life. For reducing workload, the top five were:

1 Less burdensome planning and assessment requirements.

 2 Enforceable limits to class size for all ages.

3 All teachers to be allocated planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time as 20 per cent of timetabled teaching time.

4 A limit to ‘undirected’ work time.

 5 Effective limits to the number of classroom observations.

For improving the quality of working life, 20 per cent PPA time came top. The issues of undirected time, classroom observation, and planning and assessment were also in the top five.

There was little difference between the priorities for primary and secondary members. For both, the top four were as set out above. Primary members put entitlement to leadership and management time of at least 10 per cent of their teaching timetable as the fifth most important measure, while secondary members highlighted the need for a limit to the number of classroom observations.

Here are some of their comments:

• “’Directed time’ means little – whatever you don’t get done in directed time gets pushed over into your own time anyway.”

• “Class size is the single most important factor in my workload in primary.”

• “More time for planning and preparation is vital… The only way I can do my job and survive is to do some aspect of it badly. This is the case for many teachers I know, especially those in small schools.”

• “An end to schools being able to ask for A4 detailed written lesson plans to be produced for each lesson.”

• “Classroom observations and class size are the two biggest areas that cause stress and pressure (outside of Ofsted’s odious regime).”

• “More time allocated to team planning and preparation in school hours for teachers to be able to share ideas and resources.”

• “Parents evenings to be scheduled immediately at the end of the school day to avoid ‘trapped time’.”

What you can do now

While the NUT will raise these issues with the Government, we must also develop strategies at local level to protect members against unreasonable workload.

All members need to be clear about their rights. If you are unsure what can be required of you, and what protections you have, go to www.teachers.org.uk/strongertogether, where you will find Teachers’ Working Time and Duties – An NUT Guide. This includes details of conditions of service as set out in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, together with NUT policy and advice.

Also at www.teachers.org.uk/strongertogether is Work Your Proper Hours, which includes a timesheet for logging your hours. Encourage other NUT members to log theirs, too, as this may be an issue to raise in a school NUT meeting. Completed timesheets can be presented to your head teacher and governing body as evidence of issues that need to be addressed. Your NUT school rep or local association secretary will be able to offer support.

Experience has shown it is helpful to focus on a specific issue affecting teachers in your school. Focusing on one issue at a time makes it more likely that management will listen to, and act on, concerns. Discuss the matter with your NUT rep and the reps of other teacher unions – a united stand is harder for management to ignore. If your school doesn’t have a rep, why not consider becoming one? Find out more at www.teachers.org.uk. Click on ‘Get involved in the NUT’.