An extensive survey, conducted for the National Association of Head Teachers by the Centre for Industrial Relations at Keele University, provides substantive evidence that the workload of school leaders is increasing, with significant negative consequences for the work-life balance and health of NAHT members and the effective running of schools.
The Work-life Balance Survey of NAHT members across England and Wales was conducted between September 2007 and January 2008. Over 3,000 head, deputy and assistant head teachers responded to the survey. The findings highlight the long working hours of school leaders, the failure of attempts to regulate their workload and the impact of this upon their work-life balance.
During term time, 90% of school leaders work over 48 hours per week (the legal maximum working week as stipulated by the Working Time Regulations), with 44% of NAHT members working over 60 hours per week.
One reason for these long work hours lies with the failure of the National Workload Agreement to provide an effective mechanism to control the workload of school leaders:
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Nearly half of head teachers surveyed (48%) receive no Dedicated Headship Time (DHT);
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A further quarter of head teachers surveyed (26%) only receive between 1 and 5 hours DHT per week;
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50% of assistant and deputy head teachers only receive up to 5 hours of Leadership and Management Time (LMT);
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Of those respondents who were timetabled to teach, 63% received no Planning, Preparation and Assessment time (PPA).
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The clearest indication of the failure to regulate workload is the finding that 69% of NAHT members saw their workload increase over the previous year, with a mere 2% claiming it had decreased.
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It is hardly surprising, therefore, that expanding and uncontrolled workload is impacting upon the work-life balance of school leaders.
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While the work-life imbalance of school leaders is a primary concern for the NAHT, there are wider implications of uncontrolled workload for the efficiency of the schooling system:
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Sickness absence: 86% of NAHT members have experienced work-related stress, with 68% of those claiming to have been ill as a result of stress.
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Health and safety: A significant minority of NAHT members (10%) have made serious errors, notably car accidents, after long working days.
- Recruitment and retention: Despite enjoying the challenges associated with their work, 22% of school leaders are seriously considering changing jobs in the face of uncontrolled and expanding workload.
