Campaigners have urged the government to pilot four-day working weeks in schools in England and Wales saying it would boost teacher wellbeing, retention and recruitment rates.
The 4 Day Week Foundation has written to the education secretary calling for greater autonomy for schools to pilot shorter working weeks, saying the government will not be able to meet its manifesto pledge of recruiting 6,500 new teachers without change.
It comes after the Scottish government announced new proposals last week for teachers to be able to work a “flexible” four-day teaching week, which would see them given one day a week to focus on work such as preparation and marking.
Recently published government guidance for England states that “all state-funded schools should be open and educating pupils five days a week, morning and afternoon” and although the government has supported more flexible working, it has resisted calls to formally implement a four-day week for teachers.
James Reeves, the 4 Day Week Foundation’s campaign manager, said: “Teachers are burning out at unprecedented rates. A four-day week isn’t about doing less – it’s about working smarter, protecting staff wellbeing and ultimately improving outcomes for students.
“It’s time for bold leadership and evidence-driven four-day school week trials to show what a modern, sustainable education system can look like.”
In the foundation’s letter to Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, it said there was a growing body of research showing that shorter working weeks can reduce burnout, improve productivity and support better work-life balance, which would particularly benefit a sector grappling with unprecedented pressure on staff.
Earlier this year, teacher vacancies hit a record high in England, with the National Foundation for Education Research saying pupil behaviour was one of the fastest-growing contributors to teacher workload since the pandemic and that class sizes were getting larger owing to staff shortages.
According to the Department for Education, nearly as many teachers left the profession in England as entered it last year.
The campaign group said schools should be empowered to trial different timetables including “controlled four-day school week trials” to provide relief for teachers and support staff, and generate data on how it may improve teaching quality and school performance.
“Headteachers don’t need government permission to explore new working arrangements,” said Reeves. “Legally, they have the flexibility to proceed. We must find solutions to the recruitment and retention crisis so young people can have some stability in their schools.”
A number of schools in the UK have already begun experimenting with shorter school weeks, including four-day weeks, 4.5-day weeks and a nine-day fortnight.
In September, the general secretary of the National Education Union, Daniel Kebede, called for all full-time teachers to be permitted to work one day a week from home and for more flexibility.
The education secretary has also previously said she believed state school teachers in England should be given the right to work away from the classroom on lesson preparation, marking and pupil assessment.
The issue of contact hours has become a major issue in Scotland, where teachers have been balloted for strike action over what union leaders described as a “crippling” workload. The Scottish National party pledged in 2021 to cut the maximum weekly class contact time for teachers from 22.5 hours to 21 hours.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Last year saw one of the lowest rates of teachers leaving the profession since 2010, and we remain committed to tackling recruitment and retainment challenges.
“We support schools in offering their staff flexible working while ensuring every child receives brilliant teaching for the full school week. That’s why we are funding a programme to embed flexible working within schools and expand these opportunities.”
