Responding to the working lives of teachers wave two summary report released by the Department for Education today, Paul Whiteman, General Secretary of NAHT, said:

“The data published by the DfE shows what school leaders have been warning for years – workload and wellbeing issues are spiralling out of control, and the situation is getting worse, not better. The reset of the relationship promised by Labour cannot come soon enough - the new government is grasping the nettle by publishing this report, after the previous administration kicked it into the long grass.

“Headteachers are under immense strain, and it is shocking that excessive workloads have been normalised - three-quarters (76%) of school leaders are now working between 50 and 69 hours a week, and almost 10% are working 70-79 hours.

“Around a third of leaders and teachers are thinking of quitting the profession. School leaders are struggling to recruit the staff they need because so many are considering leaving. Teachers and leaders are already stretched to their limits.

“While the government has set an ambition to recruit 6,500 new teachers, it’s encouraging that the Secretary of State also recognises the need to support teacher and leader retention – an area which has been largely ignored under previous administrations. This means acting quickly to collaborate with the profession to scope, test and implement new, innovative solutions to address the workload and wellbeing concerns driving people out of the profession. Headteachers and the government are on the same side.

“The government has several opportunities to improve the culture of teaching, and the relentless pressures faced by schools. First, the reform of Ofsted must be far-reaching, and Ofsted must move away from a high stakes regime, and work to support schools. Second, the overcrowded curriculum must be reduced as part of Becky Francis’ upcoming review, and we must address the over use of statutory tests and exams on our children and young people. Finally, many schools are facing severe funding pressures – for SEND, and buildings. We appreciate that the Chancellor is working within tight fiscal constraints, but we cannot afford to send children to school in mouldy, crumbling, poorly insulated buildings, or skimp on support for special educational needs.

“Teachers and school leaders are fully committed to improving education, but we cannot continue to ask them to sacrifice their health and personal lives to do so.”