NASUWT – the largest teachers’ union in Northern Ireland – today welcomed the publication of the Independent Review of Teacher Workload report, describing it as a stark and compelling vindication of the concerns that members have raised for years.
The report, which was published today, lays bare an unsustainable workload crisis, confirming that 85.8% of teachers and school leaders do not have a manageable workload and 77% cannot achieve a good work-life balance. It identifies excessive paperwork, tracking and monitoring, and pupil behaviour as the primary drivers of this pressure.
Matt Wrack, NASUWT General Secretary, said
“This report is a watershed moment. It confirms in the clearest possible terms what the NASUWT and our members have been saying: teacher workload is out of control and is damaging both the profession and the education of our young people.
“The Panel has listened to the evidence and produced a serious set of 27 recommendations which, if implemented fully and urgently, can begin to rebuild a sustainable and healthy profession.
“We particularly welcome the strong focus on restoring teachers’ professional agency, the call for genuine collective consultation on Directed Time Budgets, and the urgent recommendations to tackle the immense burdens of assessment, SEN provision and unnecessary administration. The emphasis on supporting school leaders, who are under unprecedented strain, is also vital.”
Justin McCamphill, NASUWT National Official Northern Ireland, said:
“The Panel has identified that there is ‘no single solution’ but rather a need for a ‘framework of progressive reforms’.
"This report provides that blueprint. The challenge now is delivery.
“We echo the report’s call for the Teachers’ Negotiating Committee (TNC) to be enhanced and properly resourced to drive the change that is desperately needed by teachers and school leaders. The Department of Education, must now step up, provide the necessary resources, and work with the unions to turn these recommendations into tangible improvements in every classroom and staffroom.
“The recommendation in this report cannot be delivered without a fully resourced implementation plan which can turn these recommendations into tangible improvements in every classroom in Northern Ireland. Our members have suffered from burnout and excessive stress for too long. This report must be the catalyst for real change, not just another document that gathers dust.”
