Achi news desk-
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) published the results of the 2024 Teacher Workload Research Report on Thursday.
Commissioned by the EIS, the work was carried out by a team of researchers from the University of the West of Scotland, Birmingham City University and Cardiff Metropolitan University.
The research saw over 1,800 teachers across all 32 local authorities taking part in a week-long workload diary exercise, with a further 40 teachers taking part in in-depth follow-up interviews.
One of the report’s key findings is the amount of time teachers spend working out of hours, at weekends, and beyond the terms of their contract. According to the 2001 Teachers Agreement, teachers should expect a 35 hour working week.
But the new research showed that participants worked over 46 hours a week on average, 11.39 hours beyond their contract.
Some of the main contributors to increased workload for teachers found in the report included:
- Conflicting pressures on non-teaching time which mean that core activities – planning, preparation and marking – cannot be carried out within contractual hours
- More pupil behavior and attendance problems
- The needs of more diverse learners require personal planning
- Increasing and more complex Additional Support Needs
- A reduction in support for learning Not enough money to support increased demand for jobs
Class teachers reported that they spent two thirds (68%) of their teaching time on learning.
Meanwhile, a combination of “minor disruptions and significant behavioral interventions” took up between 14.7% – 28.6% of all face-to-face teaching time in schools.
Teachers said they were forced to spend extra time on home lessons for students who were persistently absent.
The Behavior in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR), commissioned by the Scottish Government in 2023, found that most teachers said there was “generally good behavior among most or all pupils in the classroom (65%) and around the school (85%).”
But the report also highlighted concerns about how the behavior of other students was having a disproportionate impact on the classroom experience and teachers’ workload: 38% of primary teachers and 48% of secondary teachers spent between one and three hours dealing with the same pupils who present a challenge. behavior.
Read more: MSPs ‘plan for a plan’ to tackle school behavior in Scotland
According to the Teacher Workload Research, teachers “consistently reported greater use of instructional time to address low-level and severe disruptive behavior.”
Teachers who took part in the research said that extra pressure and responsibilities during class time and the course of the normal school day caused them to spend more time working outside of hours.
The tasks that accounted for the majority of out-of-hours work were lesson planning and preparation (2 hours and 15 minutes), resource preparation (1 hour and 50 minutes), and marking and feedback for pupils (one hour and 30 minutes ).
The report found that work beyond contracted hours, particularly weekend work, was the “strongest predictor of perceived stress,” and added that there was a direct relationship between job satisfaction and the amount of work done at night and on weekends.
Professor Moira Hulme from the University of the West of Scotland, who led the academic research collaboration, said Scottish schools were dependent on the well-being of their teachers.
But the report found evidence that increasing workloads were threatening that well-being, Professor Hulme added.
“Teachers in Scotland are working well beyond their contractual hours and working hours are increasing.
“Teachers’ workload has intensified as they tackle the diverse needs of learners and increase behavior and attendance issues with contracting resources.”
Dr Jeffrey Wood, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Birmingham City University, said:
“The biggest problem is that teachers don’t have time to plan and prepare resources while at school. They are constantly working hours they shouldn’t be, and that fact tells how stressed they are in every aspect of their daily lives – not just at work.”
Read more: Annual EIS conference to discuss teachers’ concerns
Commenting on the results of the research, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said that schools should be fostering places for students and staff. But the report’s evidence suggests that “unmanageable workloads” are affecting health, safety and teaching time in schools, he added.
“This must be taken seriously and addressed immediately, by local authorities and the Scottish Government, to ensure that teachers have manageable workloads and can stay healthy at work.”
“This research, and subsequent published reports, show that teachers’ workloads are being influenced by a number of growing concerns that require urgent action.
“The impact of fewer teachers and support staff, together with an increasing diversity of learner needs, increased pupil behavior and attendance problems, unnecessary bureaucracy, a cluttered curriculum, and expanded pupil welfare duties, confirm the teaching workload crisis.
“The Scottish Government’s manifesto identified a number of actions – in particular 3,500 additional teachers, and a reduction in class contact time to 21 hours – but these promises have yet to come to fruition.”
“We will share the results of this independent research with the Scottish Government and all local authorities in Scotland.
“Teachers, and all who work in schools, have a right to expect action to address the workload challenges outlined in this research report.”
At the AGM in Dundee this week, EIS representatives will discuss a set of 70 proposals, many of which will deal with concerns arising from the increasing workload of teachers.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said:
“The Scottish Government is committed to working with the Scottish Teachers’ Negotiating Committee (SNCT) to take forward the commitment to reduce classroom contact time and is determined that planning for this is based on sound evidence.
“Scotland currently has the highest number of teachers per pupil in the UK and school education expenditure per person is higher than in England and Wales. In addition, general teacher pupil ratios remain at their lowest level since 2009 and our teachers are the highest paid in the UK.
“Councils are also being supported with an extra £145.5 million this year to protect growing numbers of teachers.”