What changes would significantly reduce your workload?

[Postapocalypticcowgirl]

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/02/15/teachers-workloads-could-cut-bid-halt-strikes-schools/

I can't read the full article because it's behind a paywall, but my understanding is that the DfE are looking to cut admin tasks, rather than something like a proper commitment to more PPA which would make a real difference to teacher workload.

For me, the biggest creator of regular admin tasks that take up all my time is definitely reports. But would parents accept less reports, or more basic reports from secondary schools? And really, it would probably only free up a few hours 3 times a year for me.

The other big creator of admin for me is teaching a BTEC, but I don't think the DfE will be able to make that less admin heavy!

If I could have another non-contact period each week, that would be major, but we are all timetabled to the max, so it's impossible. If I could have smaller class sizes, that would also be significant- but again, it requires more staff.

Last year, the biggest driver of my workload was setting cover for classes where we didn't have a permanent teacher.

The connection isn't being made that staffing shortages and funding cuts lead to high workload.

But does anyone disagree? Are there things your school could get rid of, which would significantly reduce your workload but not impact students or cause parents to be unhappy?

I don't know how I could reduce my workload without not teaching all that's required of me.

I teach in primary and a morning is

• early morning task whilst we sort out register/ lunches/ swap reading books
• phonics for half an hour
• guided reading for 20 minutes
• English
• break
• maths *lunch
• worship (we cover once a half term)
• foundation subjects - all come with prep of some sort

All of the above need preparation, resources gathering etc. We also cover a break once a week so that day is crazy.

We also are expected to do an after school club - often needing preparation depending what it is. Staff meeting on a Monday.

We have reduced our marking which is good but I'm still in school 7.30 to 4.30 and often bring stuff home to sort.

Removing or substantially reforming Ofsted would massively decrease my workload! It would save money, too!

Otherwise, I can’t imagine what will be said that will actually help. Increasing PPA and decreasing class sizes would cost too much money and it is clear that the government don’t want to do anything that costs money. I am still in a school that insists on learning objectives and photos of children doing of practical activities to be stuck in books, so actually being told by Ofsted/the government that this is a BAD thing that must not be done, might stop my SLT demanding it, but otherwise it will continue to be expected!

I would be intrigued to see if Gillian Keegan actually has any useful suggestions.

We've stopped sticking learning labels/ objectives in books apart from English. The only thing we mark in English is the big write.

We have a large books for things like PSHE and RE where we stick children's post it notes of ideas and one page of mixed photos.

This does mange workload.

Ofsted can go as far as I'm concerned. Not worth what they're paid.

Never forget the Ofsted inspector who came into my EYFS lesson and said and he hadn't got a clue what he was observing as he was previously a high school geography teacher 🤷‍♀️ this was 18 years ago so I know things are better regarding this.

I'm not defending Ofsted at all, and I agree they should go, but what work do people specifically do for Ofsted eg week to week? I know it might be different in eg small primaries.

I do think that over the last few years I've wasted time including inset days and gained time on stuff "for Ofsted" but I don't think it's causing me workload week to week? I don't think all the scrutiny built into school cultures would magically disappear.

Every week I spend time on enormous documents for the 4 subjects that I lead. These were still not enough for an Ofsted deep dive.

Not teaching 2 year groups would help. Also not having to do so many playground duties, assemblies, covering dinners because we don't have any middays etc.

Sorry, didn't see this before starting my thread!

The Telegraph article says "It is understood that digital marking tools for subjects where there is only one correct answer, such as maths, will be considered. Teachers could also be told to stop spending hours recording unnecessary evidence of learning because of fears of the outcome of Ofsted inspections.

Prof Geraint Jones, of the National Institute of Teaching and Education, said that in some schools: "Teachers have to almost justify every single ounce of progress that’s being made in their lessons and somehow try and quantify that, so leaders can demonstrate to whatever stakeholder that learning is effective in school.”

He said he had seen instances where schools are making teachers complete data charts and tables to quantify pupils’ progress.

“Everything is being geared towards a number, digit or letter and that is just ridiculous,” he said."

and that's it. Nothing that would actually make that big of a difference.

We are a small primary-the time we have all spent preparing for Deep Dives has been huge.

It’s more than that though, it’s the stress it’s causing whilst waiting for Ofsted to come. We were last done in October 2017 so are due any day now. Absence levels are huge amongst children and staff and the anxiety levels on those of us left are high. Nobody has any qualifications in any subjects they have been told to lead, there is no time, courses or money allocated to anyone for their subject. There have also been some changes in subject leads recently caused by maternity leaves/staff off with WRS and several members of staff now have 2/3 new subjects to lead. Teachers should be left to teach their classes, not worry about rewriting curriculums, progressive frameworks and topic vocabulary progression for Ofsted. If the National Curriculum isn’t adequate as a curriculum, then it needs to be reformed. Expecting every primary school up and down the school to spend hours creating their own documents over the last year has been a monumental waste of time and stress, when we barely have enough teachers left to put in each classroom.

We only write written subject reports for y11-13. Other years get data reports and a generic report written by the form tutor.

That made a huge difference.

We don't do written subject reports for any year group. It was a massive waste of time.

Abolishing Ofsted would be the single biggest thing they could do to reduce workload. All the scrutiny/data drops/pressure cooker environments in schools are being driven by fear of the visit. The Ofsted deep dives have been a nightmare and the inevitable mock deep dives performed by overpaid moonlighting inspectors creaming money off the top of stretched school budgets would disappear overnight if they were to go. I left teaching last year due to this - tentatively back now in a different school but it’s safe to say teaching is in meltdown and tinkering around the edges is not going to cut it. If they got rid of Ofsted they could probably afford to give us a pay rise too!

the inevitable mock deep dives performed by overpaid moonlighting inspectors creaming money off the top of stretched school budgets would disappear overnight if they were to go

Definitely. There are a lot of people in suits out there, who don’t teach, making a lot of money out of schools by telling people who teach in them every day, that they aren’t working hard enough. That money would be far better spent on staffing or books.

Our advisors told us we were definitely Good. Ofsted inspected us and graded us RI. Advisors came again and said everything seemed to be Good. What is the point in these people?!

Change OFSTED to be supportive of improvement not punitive in curriculum terms.
OFSTED focus on safeguarding.
More support staff
Secondary here and core subject teacher - one more teacher in our department enabling us all to drop a group would make a huge difference.
And a difference to well being but not workload would be an acknowledgment that at secondary not all workloads are equal. In our school English has highest workload in year 10/11 and Maths in Years 12/13. One of our Year 10 options runs with 3 students. I value that luxury in curriculum terms but would appreciate longer turnaround for my subject in mocks/end of years.

I agree that Ofsted should inspect Safeguarding, and then just give some general pointers for improvement and celebrate the good bits. No grading, no Deep dives, no pointless paperwork.

Let teachers teach.

1FE Primary KS1 teacher

Subject Lead = massive additional workload, and all for Ofsted. Action plans, reviews, budgets, resourcing, book looks, observations, children interviews, developing and monitoring schemes of work, developing vocabulary, planning and leading CPD sessions (what used to be staff meetings) and I have 2 subjects and 1 morning release time for both across each full term, so 3 a year.

SEND provision and monitoring = massive additional workload. In a class of 30 children I have over 50% who are 'below' expectations, 2 children with EHCPs and 6 working towards getting EHCPs for a variety of learning needs from ASD, global developmental delay to ADHD and anxiety. We have huge issues with speech and language too. I have 2 TAs supporting the class, which is fantastic, but comes with additional workload. Provision maps and IEPs need reviewing and updating every short term, interventions need to be planned, monitored and reviewed every short term. Daily curriculum adjustments in planning and resourcing need to be done to meet the needs of a wide range of learners. It all has be evidenced. Meetings with parents scheduled regularly etc etc

Then there is the normal daily planning, resourcing, teaching and marking load - phonics, English, Maths, handwriting, guided reading, and all the Foundation subjects, many of which are constantly changing and need adjusting and re-planning as we try to develop our curriculum in line with Ofsted expectations. Much of the weekly 2.2 hours PPA I get is spent trying to jigsaw everything into a weekly plan as the curriculum coverage expectation is so ridiculously huge that it doesn't fit at all, but needs to be done 'creatively' so that it does. Add in 2 after school meetings a week, 2 playtime duties and an hour before school and all lunchtime spent photocopying, prepping resources, clearing away the mornings learning and setting up for the afternoon (no TA support doing any of this anymore as they are too busy on interventions) and I regularly work a 60+ hour week.

Oh and reports. Twice a year, one long format that takes at least an hour per child, and a shorter one that takes about 30 mins per child, so an additional 45 hours work that has to be squeezed into evenings and weekends that are already full. And termly data drops and Pupil Progress meetings.

I used to love teaching (been doing it for over 30 years) but I am now suffering anxiety and insomnia, mainly due to work-related stress and I wish I could retire. I will as soon as I am financially able to.

I just seem to have had a huge moan but didn't say what would reduce my workload...

Get rid of ridiculous curriculum focussed Ofsted inspections and expectations for Primary, and reduce the Primary curriculum coverage in all subjects, especially for KS1.

Have budgets to employ more TAs, and pay them properly, not just to support children, but so that they also have time to do the 'traditional' TA jobs that support class teachers in preparation and sorting classrooms and resources.

Increase budgets for CAMHS, family support services, Speech and Language therapist etc so that the specialists can support children properly rather than class teachers and TAs picking up the huge workload that it creates when those services simply aren't available.

Increase PPA time and fund it in school budgets, preferably to at least 20% in a whole block, so that teachers can plan, assess and prepare within a time frame that doesn't mean working evenings and weekends.

20% PPA. And extra time for subject leadership. But that would cost a lot of money, wouldn't it? The government needs to fund schools properly and make the job less stressful. Our recruitment and retention is absolutely dire.

I get that the new Ofsted framework has put a huge burden on primaries especially small primaries.

And I get the pressure put on people when Ofsted is "due".

But I think schools are so used to asking staff to do XYZ and having external monitoring in all the time, just abolishing/radically changing Ofsted wouldn't reduce workload that much.

Day to day, I do think the big time sinks I face are pastoral issues, and supporting students who've missed chunks of school to "catch up". Or maybe I just resent them more because it gets in the way of doing things I actually want to do, like teaching my classes?

Definitely extra PPA would make a huge difference- but it would probably cost more than the pay rises the unions are asking for. If we doubled PPA, then I think that would be an extra teacher needed in our department, so you're talking probably 35k+ by the time you consider pension contributions etc. which could instead be spread between the equivalent of 7 full time members of staff- a £5000 pay rise each would be more than 10%.

I'd rather have the pay rise, but I know a lot of people would rather have the PPA.

Get rid of all the extra pastoral load that you have to do as a form tutor (which virtuallly everyone is). It's just too much pressure. And now we have to log all those conversations .... (I just haven't got the headspace.)
Smaller classes (mine are all mid 30s)
An end to constant homework / constant assessment / constant reports
I have 4 'frees' a week. Usually spend 3 of them doing cover.
I have 4 duties a week, all on the Monday and Tuesday. I always breathe a sigh of relief once I reach Wednesday.

Are your "frees" actually PPA- because if so you shouldn't be spending them doing cover? You shouldn't be doing lunch duties either?

I agree, being a form tutor is often a huge time sink these days- about 3 of my tutees take up at least an hour every week. I believe we ought to get extra PPA for being a tutor.

Mid 30s is also way too large in terms of class sizes.

I get that the new Ofsted framework has put a huge burden on primaries especially small primaries

Yes, the subject Deep Dive focus is overwhelming a lot of primary teachers at the moment-there’s just no need for it and it’s a distraction from what’s important right now. I’m guessing it’s less of an issue in secondary-is it only heads of department this extra paperwork affects?

Thinking over the last 3 years, I'd say the extra work I've done as a classroom teacher "for ofsted" was helping to rewrite our scheme of work when we moved to a 2 year KS4.

I think maybe in a lot of secondaries, the sort of thing needed for a deep dive already exists to some extent?

But I can see how it's a huge additional burden on primaries.

I'd happily abolish Ofsted, btw, but I'm just not sure it would actually reduce my workload across the year so much?

I think that the burden of Ofsted on classroom teachers tends to come from SLT, so the more confident SLT are in the school, the less pressure on bog standard classroom teachers. A lot of classroom teachers won't even be seen during an inspection.

The pressure on heads and the leadership who will definitely be interviewed, commented on in the report and whose responsibilities go far beyond that of a classroom teacher (e.g. safeguarding procedures, SEN provision) must be intolerable.

pressure on bog standard classroom teachers. A lot of classroom teachers won't even be seen during an inspection

Yes, I can see that would be really different in a secondary. In a primary-especially when you’re small-people wear so many hats that the likelihood you’re in charge of a subject about to be Deep dived, or questioned about safeguarding or SEN is pretty high.

We are in the Ofsted window and we are barely getting through a day without one of the (fantastic/experienced) teachers dissolving in tears. We could get the phone call tomorrow, it could be in a year but everyone is clock watching and breathing a sigh of relief when it gets to 1pm each day, (and a big breath when it gets to Wednesday lunchtime!). It’s no way to live-stress levels are massively higher than I’ve ever seen in 25 years of teaching.

And none of our teachers-apart from the HT and DHT-get any additional money for leading subjects. No TLRs, no SEN allowance, no subject time.