Responding to the initial recommendations by the Workload
Reduction Taskforce to reduce workload for teachers and school
leaders, NASUWT General Secretary Dr Patrick
Roach said:
“The recommendations from the Workload Reduction Taskforce are a
helpful first step, but much more will need to be done to deal
with the workload crisis engulfing schools.
“We welcome that the misguided decision by the Government a
decade ago to remove from the teachers’ contract the list of
illustrative administrative and clerical tasks that teachers
should not be required to undertake will now be reversed.
We now expect rapid action to get this updated version
of the list reinstated formally.
“Teachers and school leaders deserve protection from the workload
burdens associated with these and other tasks and to
be freed from the distraction they cause to their core
professional responsibilities for teaching and for leading
teaching and learning.
“It is also extremely welcome that the Taskforce has recognised
and recommended the scrapping of PRP which has proven to be
highly workload intensive and resulted in significant and
widespread unfairness. We look forward to agreeing with the
Government new guidance for schools to ensure that teacher
performance is managed fairly and transparently.
“The latest evidence from teachers indicates that there remain a
raft of other areas requiring action on workload reduction, not
least to minimise the impact of inspection and accountability on
the work of school leaders and teachers. Our members will also be
looking to the Taskforce in its next phase of work to have the
courage to bring forward recommendations that will enable and
empower teachers and headteachers to be able to take control of
their working hours.
“It is widely recognised that teachers in England already work
the longest hours in the OECD. Long working hours are exhausting
and contribute to high levels of work-related stress, burn-out
and premature exit from the profession.
“We will be looking to the Government to demonstrate that it is
serious about tackling excessive working hours by scrapping the
open-ended working time expectation and agreeing a 35-hour
working time limit for teachers as is already the case in other
jurisdictions.”
