It is great to hear of school leaders considering innovative changes to working patterns to alleviate the workload on overburdened and underpaid teachers (Editorial, 3 December). However, there are many forms of flexible working that schools could offer that don’t require such significant changes to the weekly timetable and that are either cost-neutral or very low cost.
Most teachers work in schools where they aren’t allowed to leave the site during their protected planning and assessment time. Many aren’t allowed time off to attend their own children’s school nativity services or class assemblies. We see large numbers of women returning from maternity leave and having their request to work part-time, or finish early a couple of days a week, turned down. Teachers are having their pay docked when they have to leave school early to attend to a poorly family member or when a hospital appointment runs late .
If teachers could be given slightly more flexibility, it would mean the world. Schools are increasingly inflexible compared with other job options. Changes don’t have to be huge to be effective.
Lindsay Patience
Economics teacher and founder of Flexible Teacher Talent
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