The Government has received 44,000 responses to its enquiry into teachers’ workload. The research findings have been published this week (Research and analysis - Workload challenge: analysis of teacher responses) and it makes and interesting read. What did teachers say? Here are a few of the responses:

‘Most tasks are not unnecessary but with so many students and so many classes it all aggregates into an unmanageable workload. Marking, tracking, recording poor behaviour, reporting, planning - all of it becomes difficult to achieve when classes are so large and we have so many classes.’

Classroom teacher, secondary

‘We are expected to input data for data collections 7 times a year for Y11, 5 times a year for Y10, Y12 and Y13 and 3 times a year for Y7 and Y8. This includes an effort score, predicted grade, controlled assessment grade and a comment on general approach/targets for each student in our class. We are also expected to input data for our class work in terms of recording controlled assessment scores and mock exams scores.’

Middle leader, academy

‘Peer marking is an effective policy for reducing excessive marking, and reinforcing the skills developed through homework. It also gives students the ability to measure themselves against peers, rather than just teacher models. ‘

Classroom teacher, secondary

‘Having printable marking stickers for 'what went well' and 'even better if' comments. I realised that I was writing the same (or very similar) comments on pupils’ marking stickers, so started to type my comments on my laptop and print them off. It was criticised for 'not being personal' to each pupil, but the comments are still selected to suit each pupils targets and it saves me about an hour on each set of books when marking’

Classroom teacher, secondary/academy

What is the government now planning to do with all this evidence? Nicky Morgan (Secretary of State) and Nick Clegg (Deputy Prime Minister) have published their views on changes they are proposing:

1. Ofsted will not change the school inspection handbook or framework during the academic year; Ofsted will publish a document outlining what they expect to see when inspecting a school; Ofsted will review a sample of reports to check it is not adding to the burden on teachers;
    
2. Government policy changes will be phased in more carefully to allow teachers the time to implement change; qualifications and the curriculum will not be changed whilst pupils are in the middle of a course; DfE will discuss with serving teachers the practicalities of implementing new policy;
    
3. Best practice will be shared more easily between members of the profession; lesson plans and worksheets, for example, will be made available across the country so that teachers can easily access resources;
    
4. Headteachers will be supported to carry out their demanding jobs and manage their staff well; all leadership training will be reviewed and good quality coaching and mentoring employed;
    
5. Surveys will be carried out every two years to ensure these proposed changes really do lighten teachers’ workload.

The Ministers say ‘No education system can be better than its teachers, and no teacher can perform at their best when they’re so tired, they can’t think straight. Today’s plans offer every teacher in the country a new deal’

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