Work-life balancing act

The expression 'work-life balance' has really only emerged in the past 10 years. Employers have realised that spending more hours behind your desk or at the chalkface does not equal greater productivity. Indeed, it often leads to burn-out, apathy and even antipathy toward the workplace.

Mindful of this, in January of this year the government, employers and the great majority of the school workforce unions signed a national agreement that will underpin reforms to raise standards and tackle teacher workloads. In addition, a Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group has been set up for signatories that will promote the agreement and help finalise the changes to the teachers' contract.

One key way in which schools are easing teachers' workloads is through the 'Power to Innovate' initiative, which allows schools or LEAs to apply to the secretary of state to lift regulatory requirements for a time-limited period, in order for a school or LEA to pilot a specific innovative proposal.

For Langley Junior School in Plymouth, the new initiative has enabled teachers to be freed from normal teaching duties on Wednesday afternoons, giving them more time to plan lessons and do training. Meanwhile, children have enrichment programmes outside the normal curriculum.

This is an encouraging step towards a crucial part of the agreement, which states that by 2005, teachers should have more guaranteed professional time for planning, preparation and assessment.

"It's made a huge difference to the school," says Sharon James, literacy co-ordinator and classroom teacher at Langley Junior School. "For many of us, it's the only chance we get to meet up and discuss planning or that week's issues."

The introduction of the new work-life balance clauses this year means that schools should also be looking for ways to lighten teachers' workloads to support a reasonable work-life balance. For James Edwards, a Year 3 teacher at Langley, the regular non-contact time he now has allows him to maintain a life outside school. "Having Wednesday afternoons free [from teaching] means I can cut down on the amount of work I take home," he explains. "The new initiative has given me back my weekends."

Quality of life

Grinling Gibbons Primary School in Deptford has also been granted permission through the Power to Innovate to change the times of its school day. Under the new timetable, the school day starts at 8.30am and finishes at 2.30pm, with a reduced lunchbreak. Optional clubs, run by support staff and volunteers, are offered from 2.30-3.30pm.

Year 3 teacher Lisa Willis believes the new arrangement will improve the staff's quality of life and also raise standards of pupil achievement. "The children are more focused before lunchtime," explains Ms Willis. "The extended morning will give us more quality teaching time for literacy and numeracy and instruction-based learning."

Meanwhile, the earlier finish of classes allows teachers more time in the afternoons to schedule in essential staff meetings and planning, ultimately helping ensure an earlier end to their working day. "By 4pm, our staff can go home with a clear conscience," says Ms Willis.

Healthy support

The national agreement states that schools need to reform their use of support staff to facilitate change. As part of the agreement, contractual changes, which will come into force in September 2003, mean teachers will no longer be required to undertake administrative and clerical tasks such as photocopying, record-keeping, and filing and collating pupils' reports.

At Upland Infants School in Bexleyheath, Kent, innovative use of support staff has contributed to the reduction of teachers' workloads. "We've modified the service provided by teaching assistants to allow greater participation in teaching and learning," says Susan Manzi, acting headteacher at the school.

"Our teaching assistants have received training in the school's marking policy, which can cut teachers' marking loads by up to 40 per cent. Typically, an assistant might be responsible for one or two small groups of children, and they can offer useful insight into students' progress. It makes them feel valued and shows that they are vital members of staff.

"For teachers, there is a sense of relief that some of the burden is being lifted and they appreciate that support staff can really help monitor progress. Because they are working with students while teachers might be delivering whole-class teaching, they may pick up on things before teachers."

June Martin, a teaching assistant at the school, currently works with a Year 1 teacher. "I've been a teaching assistant for over 10 years," she says. "But it's only recently that I've started to really feel part of the staff. Before, assistants were often used to wash paint pots or tidy up, but now I've had the opportunity to study for professional qualifications through the Open University, I can be much more involved in teaching and learning.

"It makes the job more interesting, and it's great working alongside teaching staff. In the past, it felt like it was a 'them and us' situation between teachers and teaching assistants. But now I really feel we're working as a team."

Cutting red tape

From April 2003, the Implementation Review Unit - a panel made up of teachers and headteachers - will work to prevent unnecessary bureaucracy in government measures and to cut red tape.

It is another positive step towards reducing teachers' overall hours and achieving a reasonable work-life balance. "We have taken an immense step forward," says Mrs James. "But there are still many things we could do to reduce teachers' workloads. With change, there is always challenge, and we need to make sure we're always looking at new ways to improve."

Further information

For more information and guidance, visit www.teachernet.gov.uk/cuttingburdens or www.teachernet.gov.uk/primaryplanning

For more details on remodelling, visit www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/remodelling

Raising Standards and Tackling Workload: A National Agreement is available from Prolog on 0845 602 2260

This content was published in May 2003 and may not reflect current policy