Time for a limit on teachers' working hours

A national contractual limit on teachers’ working time must be introduced to tackle stress and burnout within the profession, the NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union has argued today.

The Government’s failure to tackle longer hours and unstainable workloads is fuelling teacher shortages, with the consequent adverse impact on pupils’ education, the Union has told TUC Congress in Liverpool.

From next week the NASUWT is beginning a programme of work to rule industrial action in schools across England in which NASUWT members will limit their working time.

NASUWT research published earlier this year found that teachers report working on average 54 hours a week, with an average of 13 of these hours falling outside of the standard school day.