Together we’ll make teachers’ workload work

“Things are only impossible until they are not.”

Jean-Luc Picard

Workload and DTB survey receives 2845 responses from teachers across Northern Ireland!

The think1265 team have been staggered by the response to our survey last week, and almost 3000 teachers have shared their experiences about workload and Directed Time budgets so far this year. That’s close to 15% of the teaching workforce.

While we’re currently working on the results for publication here as soon as possible, the picture presented by our survey is grave. While there are definitely good schools out there making much more effort over the DTBs they produce, three out of ten teachers report not even getting a DTB in spite of it being the professional obligation of Principals to produce these since 1988.

Have you received a directed time budget so far this year? (blue = yes)

70% of teachers received a DTB, while 30% have not.

DTBs aside, the most worrying results come from responses to do with workload. Only 16% of respondents describe their workload as “reasonable”, although the right to a reasonable workload is enshrined in the latest workload agreement. More concerning still is the 93% of teachers who say they cannot normally complete their work within school working hours, which is an entitlement of all teachers under the TNC 2024/2 workload agreement.

Can you normally complete your work within the school working hours, including any after-school directed time?

The most worrying results for school leaders are to do with workload, stress and the desire to return to ASOSA.

The latest workload agreement, TNC 2024/2, which was part of the pay settlement between management and teachers in spring 2024, has a strong emphasis on staff welfare and the H&S impacts of excessive workload. It was intended to make workloads sustainable within schools, leading to happier, healthier staff, which leads to better outcomes for students. This absolutely does not seem to be happening.

So far this year would you describe your current workload as stressful?

9 out of 10 respondents describe their workload this year as “stressful”.

If there was a vote tomorrow about returning to ASOSA, what way would you vote? (blue = yes, I would vote for ASOSA)

Almost 19 out of 20 teachers say they would vote “yes” for ASOSA industrial action because of their workload.

Over 1000 teachers left detailed comments about their experiences this year so far.

While we need to work through every comment to ensure anonymity for teachers, we will be publishing them all in our final report and on this website. While the facts and figures of how teachers feel they’re getting on so far this year are useful and frightening, nothing prepares you for the individual voices of struggling teachers, just six weeks into the new term.

We will publish all the data as soon as possible, but it is immediately apparent that with the exception of a few schools with exceptional leadership, TNC 2024/2 is not being implemented in schools across Northern Ireland. Everyone, from the Minister for Education to the newest qualified teacher, needs to look hard at what’s happening in our education sector right now, and honestly – once for all – work together to fix this workload crisis. We have contractual agreements in place to do this; employers and Principals have an obligation to implement these agreements in their schools, and unless something happens about this right now teachers will have nowhere else to turn but widespread industrial action…

… and the workload vicious cycle think1265 has been warning about for six months will spin once again.

“Stressed beyond measure. In tears daily. My Mental health cannot take much more.”

Response to the think1265 DTB and Workload survey

Welcome to think1265. Together we’ll make teachers’ workload work.

In August 2024 the latest workload agreement between the Department of Education, employers and teaching unions became live. TNC 2024/2 is the most recent attempt to crack the problem of excessive teacher workload in Northern Ireland, and it came at the end of extensive industrial action lasting several years. Along with a pay agreement and ongoing working groups looking at workload in the sector, the full implementation of TNC 2024 / 2 was agreed by all sides as a condition to ending the industrial action including Action Short Of Strike Action (ASOSA).

Key to the implementation of TNC 2024/2 is effective Directed Time budgeting by Principals in all schools, ensuring that teachers’ workload is managed properly. Failure to produce a time budget at all leaves the Principal in breach of section 4.3 of TNC 2024/2, and failure to produce a detailed budget outlining how all professional duties are accounted for in the 1265 hours will very likely breach section 5 of the agreement.

The aim of think1265 is to help all parties – from leaders to teachers – to finally implement the agreed contractual workload agreements in our schools and colleges in Northern Ireland. But to do this we need your help.

A failure by school leaders to implement the revised workload agreement TNC 2024/2 after 1st August 2024 would leave them in breach of the Teachers’ Pay Agreement, TNC 2024/1, paragraph 5.

What teachers need to do

1. Check your DTB

You need to check that your DTB exists; that it covers all the tasks and duties you have, that it gives appropriate time to finish this work, and that it is individualised to you. The think1265 DTB checklist (and solutions) is here.

2. Agree fixes

When you encounter problems with your DTB it’s important to seek solutions quickly. Ultimately you’ll need to come to agreement with the Principal about how to fix the problem, though you may need your union to help you do this. We have a list of “dos and don’ts” for DTB problems on our clinic page, here.

3. Track your time

The DTB gives you tasks and timings for the year, but to ensure your workload remains within this plan you must track your own time. Good news, though – you only need track the non-contact time (excluding teaching and duties.) This is where the excess workload creeps in. Our tracking tools are found here.

What school leaders should do

1. Produce the DTBs

It’s your professional duty to have individualised DTBs given to staff before the first day of teaching, and if you fail to do this you are breaching the recent pay agreement. But this is a complex task, so you can spread this around your leadership team who can act on your behalf. Just remember, though – you’re ultimately responsible for what’s in the DTBs.

2. Listen to staff

DTB production will be easier if you ask staff to contribute to the process. Only individual teachers know how long X,Y or Z takes in their roles, so ask them to tell you – it’s the quickest way of getting this right.

Once you know what the time demands are on individual teachers you can plan much more effectively.

3. Monitor DTBs

A great idea some leaders have suggested to think1265 is to have time budgets as a standing item on Subject / Departmental agenda. By asking teachers at a subject level to pass upward how their budgets are working out (i.e. too little time for X, or far too much time allocated for Y) you can make better decisions next year.

Hallowe’en break in…

09Days 17Hours 12Minutes 45Seconds

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