From 6 April 2024, legislation surrounding flexible working changed, making it a day-one right to request flexible working in any establishment – schools included. The challenges of making flexible working a reality in education are well documented, but this is an opportunity to explore its potential to improve staff wellbeing and resolve recruitment and retention.
Retention in particular is a huge problem. Over 20 per cent of new teachers leave the profession within their first two years, and one-third leave within their first five.
Why? The Department for Education’s survey on the working lives of teachers found that 73 per cent say their job does not leave them enough time for their personal life.
Meanwhile, research shows women aged 30 to 39 are the largest group exiting the profession – a clear sign that teaching is not accommodating the needs of parenthood. Shared parental leave provisions could now see this become a problem for fathers too.
Flexible working in schools can be a daunting prospect but it is important to know that it doesn’t have to look the same for all roles. There are many ways individuals can work flexibly that do not require a great deal of change from current practice.
Allowing staff to take PPA off-site, moving staff training online, staggered hours and other strategies are just the gateway to allowing staff in school’s more flexibility in schools.
Below are a few suggestions to consider and how they can benefit your school.
Staggered hours
Do you have staff with morning or afternoon commitments? Do your staff travel from greater distances to attend work? Staggered hours could allow these colleagues some extra time in the morning or at the end of the day to accommodate their needs.
If your school has a registration period in the morning, is there room for another member of staff to cover this? Some arrangements are all about the timetabling and there are so many resources out there to help schools utilise their staff’s time.
This small token could allow staff to leave a little later and spend more morning time with their loved ones, to go to a morning exercise class that sets them up for the day or simply to set their alarm a little later.
Ad hoc / gifted days
Some schools allow staff days off during term time. This could be one a term or a set number over the year (if they choose to take it).
Yes, there are school holidays, but not every event in one’s personal life adheres to the academic calendar. Happy and fulfilled staff take less leave overall, so providing these days can in fact reduce staff absence – or at least make it more predictable.
In turn, this allows schools to better plan their resource allocations and shows staff they are valued, boosting wellbeing, job satisfaction and productivity.
Phased retirement
Some experienced staff may be looking to gradually reduce their working hours and responsibilities as they transition towards retirement. This provides opportunities to help other points of transition and develop staff across the school. Not only that, but it retains that teacher, along with their wealth of knowledge and experience.
For example, someone who is looking for phased retirement and a maternity returnee could complement each other well, provide both with flexibility and the gradual introductions/exits they want.
Similarly, early-career teachers and phased retirees can complement each other well, and not just in terms of timetabling for two staff on reduced teaching hours. Pairing them up can also build a mentoring relationship that can make all the difference to each one’s sense of professional worth and growth.
It’s no big secret. Flexible working is a highly effective retention strategy. It reduces recruitment costs and leads to staff who feel more valued, more satisfied and more resilient.
Ultimately, this can only benefit pupils. Far from a disruption to their learning, it in fact ensures they are taught by effective teams with plenty of expertise.
And if that’s not enough, it’ll also ensure you stand out as an employer.
View Kent-Teach’s webinar with Flexible Working Ambassador Antonia Spinks here and their Q&A with HR Connect here
If you are interested in learning more about flexible working, check out Kent-Teach’s webinars with Flexible Working Ambassador Antonia Spinks: https://www.gotostage.com/channel/63150cba77c14581aeb8ce36e623d567/recording/728ec81a6c764543ad88440712bbe8fd/watch?regSource=Schools+Week
And with HR Connect answering school’s burning questions:
https://www.gotostage.com/channel/63150cba77c14581aeb8ce36e623d567/recording/25975a50a9a24a63a0897f4483623f29/watch?regSource=Schools+Week
In my experience flexible working for one means more work and less flexibility for someone else. My school is a big fan of part time teachers. It’s a terrible idea as those teachers that are full time have to fill the gaps, the students get diluted teaching as trying to maintain consistency of teaching is almost impossible, trying to schedule meetings or training is impossible with so many out on any particular day and the management overhead for the school is increased as there are more staff covering the same number of teaching hours. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
Hi Bob, I am sorry that this has been your experience of flexible working so far. Part-time working is only one of many available options and I completely understand and respect that there are more nuances around how flexible working can be productive and functional. As an ex-teacher myself, in my experience, part-time working teachers have enabled schools to retain quality staff and utilise a range of different skill sets that would have otherwise been lost to the profession. It is vital that schools have clear policies and proceedures around these arrangements to support all staff in navigating their workload. Antonia Spinks (DfE Flexible Working Ambassador) says her school has a day where no flexible working takes place to allow for those meetings, staff training and INSETs without duplicating workload for any staff member.
If you would like any more information or support, don’t hesitate to reach out as I think flexible working could go some way to support the retention of teachers.
Ashleigh Kent-Teach