PRIMARY NEWS
Primary teachers considering leaving profession due to reform concerns
A survey of 555 primary teachers currently working in schools in England, commissioned by Kapow Primary, found that 90% of primary educators believe cutting subject content would help pupils better grasp basic concepts, with almost half (46%) strongly agreeing this change would improve pupils’ ability to master key ideas.
The survey found that 71% of teachers consider themselves at least “somewhat informed” about the curriculum review, but that they also feel underprepared to make the necessary changes. Only 6% of teachers believe their schools are “very prepared” to implement curriculum reforms, while 22% say they are “not at all prepared.” When asked about the timeline for implementation, almost half (49%) of teachers want any changes to be spread over one to two years, while 28% prefer a longer period of three to five years. A smaller group (17%) would like to see reforms tested in pilot schools before wider introduction. The findings also revealed that teachers are deeply worried about the impact that curriculum changes will have on their professional and personal lives. More than half reported being “extremely” or “very” concerned about increased workload (54%) and reduced work-life balance (52%). More than a third (39%) of the teachers spoken said they were even considering leaving the profession due to reform concerns. And according to the study nearly one in four primary teachers say they are thinking about changing roles (24%), while another 24% plan to reduce their working hours. A smaller proportion (13%) are considering moving to a different school.
The Kapow research comes after the government’s curriculum review
interim report announced it would examine the volume of specified content at Key Stages 1 and 2 to ensure that a good level of breadth across the curriculum is achievable. The interim report, published last month, noted that SATs will remain but improvements to writing and SPAG tests would be considered.
The burden of constant change appears to be taking its toll, with 37% of teachers worried about policy changes without evidence of effectiveness. Beyond workload concerns, teachers cited lack of adequate training (34%) and balancing depth versus breadth (32%) as major curriculum change worries.
Vicky Cottrill-Gray, education content director at Kapow Primary, said: “With more than half of the teachers sharing concerns about the impact any changes will have on their workload, whatever the full outcome of the curriculum review, schools are going to need curriculum and subject leadership support.
“With so many teachers considering leaving the profession, our research points to a potential staffing crisis if schools and teachers are not able to get the support they need to successfully implement an updated curriculum.”
Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders’ union NAHT, added: “Primary school leaders tell us that the current curriculum is overloaded. Reducing that content will not only allow more time for pupils to learn key concepts but will enhance pupils’ experiences of learning, increase engagement, and create flexibility to make sure learning is relevant to pupils in every school community.”
Scotland’s first Passivhaus primary school records outstanding first year energy results
based funding approach over 25 years. Projects receiving funding need to meet a clear delivered energy target of 67kWh/m2/yr for core hour/facilities with energy performance and outcome monitored at set intervals. Where the energy target is not achieved in full, funding is reduced correspondingly.
David Coulter, Associate Engineer and Certified Passivhaus Designer at BakerHicks said: “Achieving the energy target was absolutely crucial both to achieve Passivhaus accreditation and to ensure SFT funding for the Council.
A first-year assessment of Riverside Primary School, Scotland’s first Passivhaus-certified primary school, has revealed actual energy operational performance to be significantly below the Passivhaus primary energy demand target while consistently providing excellent comfort levels.
With an energy assessment of just 43 kWh/sqm/annum, Riverside Primary School is significantly outperforming the classic Passivhaus target of 60 kWh/sqm/annum. Helping contribute to the exceptional standards with energy-efficient hot water provision are Baxi’s Heatrae Sadia point-of-use electric water heaters.
Riverside Primary School is part of Perth & Kinross Council’s capital programme of school upgrades and improvements through hub East Central Scotland Limited. Perth & Kinross Council appointed BakerHicks Motherwell to provide mechanical and electrical design services on the project for principal contractor Robertson Tayside. In Scotland, local authorities are required to pay upfront for the delivery of new schools, with the Scottish Government providing funding through the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) on an outcomes-
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“When designing the system, the hot water strategy was one of the main challenges as we needed to avoid large-scale energy usage and heat losses. We wanted to explore using all-electric point-of- use solutions that would only generate energy when required, for example during break or lunch times, so we spoke to Baxi.” Point-of-use electric water heaters can be an efficient solution to an immediate supply of hot water for washbasins and kitchen areas in buildings like schools. Installing a point-of-use water heater like Baxi’s Heatrae Sadia Multipoint, that incorporates anti-legionella functionality, water pasteurisation and anti-tamper design, ensures water is adequately stored, cycled and distributed. To achieve Passivhaus certification, Riverside Primary School needed to undergo a rigorous quality assurance compliance process to ensure the targets would be met.
Anne Wraith, Head of Commercial Product Sales at Baxi, said: “The very low heat losses of our Heatrae Sadia products were a key component in the overall project. We are extremely proud to have played a part in this ground-breaking Passivhaus primary school and the outstanding energy results achieved.”
May 2025
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