Findings do suggest that teacher workload is a serious problem. Several teachers find that supplementary work like managing interior communications or marking kids’ books can eat up time they would rather spend with students. A significant amount of pressure from responsibilities like lesson planning, marking, students’ assessment, school development, and administration adds to the workload.
Nevertheless, a high workload can have a vast impact on your whole school. This can lead to strain and anxiety and eventually affect pupil consequences. So… what can be done?
Major Effects of High Workload on Schools
Please note, effects can be different from school to school. However, it’s evident that most teachers are struggling with it. According to the Education Support Wellbeing Index 2020, 62% of education professionals pronounced themselves stressed. They also added insomnia and tearfulness kinds of feelings.
The study also revealed that 57% of teachers don’t feel comfortable talking about their mental health. 52% of educators have considered leaving the teaching profession due to pressures on their mental health. Reducing workload in schools can advance student outcomes. Hence, retaining staff is very necessary.
How To Reduce Workload Issues In Schools?
Schools immediately need new ways to decrease workload issues, you may try these suggestions ---
- Streamline Marking and Feedback
Certainly, a positive comment on a kid’s work can build confidence. This will also help to reach their educational goals. Unnecessary time spent on marking can fling teachers’ work-life balance.
With creative symbols which are easy to recognize and quick to draw or create digitally, you can swap labour-intensive written comments. By implementing these symbols in your school’s marking system, you can boost the kids to use them in assessing their work.
- Create ‘Soft’ Boundaries
To reduce the workload, try to create ‘soft’ boundaries. These boundaries can avert teachers from feeling overwhelmed. Even though emails are still an important tool for communicating, it’s worth considering how and when you send these emails. Also, be aware of sending important school updates on evenings as well as weekends.
- Reorganize Staff Meetings
To make your meetings more effective, contemplate whether you need the meeting or not. Also, having a clear agenda of what needs to be talked about in the meeting will help you to direct the conversion by avoiding needless tangents. Also, try to have a clear idea of how long you need to discuss each point before you start the meeting.
- Set Clear Targets
Certainly, there’s no end to the things that teachers could do to improve the outcomes and engagement of their class. However, setting some clear targets to screen the development can let them understand. Your Targets should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
- Use Time-Saving EdTech
Investing in time-saving EdTech tools is a great way to systematize manual progressions and save teachers time. These can help everyone in your school like leaders, teachers, parents, and pupils as well.
Final Thoughts
We hope the blog has provided some helpful tips, strategies, and more to help reduce the workload in your school. A Diploma in Educational Administration course will help you immensely. It will support you to cut out superfluous administration as well as other responsibilities that are preventing teachers from focussing on what they do greatest.
If you would like to know how we can help you further, please provide your details below and we will be in contact.
