When I look back at our recent pay dispute, I remember the commitment of our members not only to the children they teach and their ambitions for them, but also their frustration with workload intensity and extremely long working hours.
Full time leaders work an average of 57.5 hours per week, while full-time teachers average 51.9 hours per week (Adams et al, 2023) – it is not surprising that workload is the number one reason given by educators for leaving the profession.
The recruitment and retention crisis would appear to be unending. It is damaging learning every day and making it harder for schools to deliver consistent learning and to employ or replace teachers qualified in the subject they teach.
It is a waste of talent and taxpayers’ money to allow this situation to continue.
