Flexible

working in schools

Why we need it

and how to do it

www.educationsupport.org.uk

Despite research findings such as these, some

schools are opposed to the idea of flexible working

such as part time working or job sharing, because

One of the biggest things that can help schools

create a psychologically safe workplace is

introducing measures that help teachers work

flexibly and manage their work life balance, to

meet their professional goals and requirements

in a mentally healthy way. Trusting people to get

their work done but in a way that also allows

them freedom to manage other priorities too,

like children or caring responsibilities, goes a

long way to promote a culture where people can

is oen cited as a main driver. The Covid-19

pandemic has thrown up new challenges for

the education sector, but it has also crystallised

issues which have had a long term impact on

the working lives of teachers and education

professionals. This includes the subject of flexible

working. There is an opportunity to learn from

the enforced flexibility that Covid-19 has brought

upon the sector, and turn this into a positive - a

chance to try out flexible ways of working that

In research

of senior leaders who

had implemented flexible

working in their school

(74% of 1,314) felt that

these arrangements

had helped sta to

manage their workload/

work-life balance.

commitments in a way that doesn’t harm their

mental health. Supporting flexible working can

improve sta wellbeing.

Flexible working can improve and increase

capacity within the school workforce, through skills

development, team-working, increased sharing

of practice, workforce planning and strategic

succession planning.

ill-health absence; or enable a quicker return to

work aer absence of any kind e.g. parental leave,

extended sick leave.

Flexible working may oer development

opportunities for existing sta (e.g. through part-

time job share in a leadership role). Supporting

and facilitating flexible working practice has been

reported as a strategy used by some employers to

try and help reduce their gender pay gap.

An increasing proportion of teachers are working

part-time (but far fewer men are doing this than

women in the profession). With the changing

Enabling flexible working can help schools retain

teachers who would otherwise leave the role, or

retire early. In one survey across industries, 76%

of employers said that they felt that implementing

flexible working has a positive impact on sta

retention. Retention of skilled sta benefits both

pupils and the wider school.

Implemented well, flexible working can provide pupils

with the opportunity to learn from dierent teachers

(e.g. through job shares). It also provides students

with dierent options should they need additional

support and helps teachers and pupils alike maintain

good relationships.

Enabling flexible working could help schools access a

The positive benefits of flexible working

reported from schools (from senior leaders,

teachers and other sta) include:

Why introduce flexible

working in your school

Flexible working can mean many dierent

things. All of the flexible working arrangements

below have been, and are, implemented in

dierent schools across the country:

 Working part-time: working less than full-time

hours and/or working fewer days.

 Job share: two or more people do one job and

split the hours.

 Split shis: a working shi comprising two or

more separate periods of duty in a day.

 Staggered hours: the employee has dierent

 Compressed hours: working full-time hours but

over fewer days.

 On and o site presence: enabling teachers to

go o site e.g. at lunchtime, or during the school

run for their own children, if they aren’t teaching

 Phased arrangements: this can be when

an employee returns from absence (e.g. aer

parental leave or period of sickness, or a

bereavement) or used for things like retirement

- where working hours are either gradually

increased from part time or decreased from full

time, depending on the arrangement.

 Annualised hours: working hours spread across

the year, which may include some school closure

days, or where hours vary across the year to suit

the school and employee.

 Sabbaticals: where the employee takes a period

 Personal/family days: days of

authorised leave during term time

to which all teachers in a school

are entitled.

and the core responsibilities of classroom teachers

and support sta, flexible working for teachers and

education workers is oen found in the form of

part-time work or job sharing, but there are a wide

range of flexible working arrangements that can

All of the flexible working options listed above have

been used in schools. It is possible to give sta

flexibility whilst at the same time benefiting your

school- aer all, the two are closely connected!

ideas and models of flexible working that have

been used successfully in a range of dierent

schools. You can click on each of the case studies

to read more about them, and the benefits

they’ve brought to the school where they’ve been

The Holt School

Little Ilford School

Mayfield Primary School

High School

Seely Primary and

Little Ilford School

Robertsbridge Community

College

Furzedown Primary School

High School

Oxted School

Provision

Linton Village College

Aspire Alternative Provision

Little Ilford School

Robertsbridge Community College

John Taylor Free School

Furzedown Primary School

Linton Village College

Saron Walden County

High School

Sources:

1. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_

data/file/938784/Exploring_flexible_working_practice_in_schools_-_interim_report.pdf

2. https://neu.org.uk/advice/flexible-working

3. https://chartered.college/flexible-working/

4. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/

attachment_data/file/845932/Flexible_Working_Benefits_A3.pdf