The excessive workload demands that continue to be placed on Scotland’s teachers have been highlighted in the results of a national survey carried out by the teaching trade union EIS.
Almost 11,000 teachers took part in the survey, providing a clear picture of the issues facing teachers in schools across Scotland. Yesterday, in the first of a series of themed papers based on the survey results, the EIS published its Workload Briefing.
Commenting on the results, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “The results of the EIS national survey paint a stark picture on the matter of teacher workload. It is a story of persistent, excessive workload demands being placed on teachers at all grades and at all stages of their careers.
“This has serious health, safety and wellbeing implications for teachers, and is contributing to a worrying upward trend in stress-related illness throughout the teaching profession. Having teachers who are overworked and stressed is in no-one’s interest, neither teachers themselves or their families, nor the young people learning in our schools.”
Ms Bradley continued, “Our survey returns indicate that almost half of all teachers (44%) work more than 7 hours extra, unpaid, each week just so they can keep on top of their workload. That’s the equivalent of an extra working day, each and every week.
“Even more shocking, more than one teacher in ten (11.5%) is working 15 or more extra hours per week – essentially an additional two working days, unpaid, every week. Of teachers who are considering leaving the profession within the next 5 years, the most commonly cited reason for this is excessive workload, with 48% of teachers considering leaving the profession identifying workload as the main reason.”
Ms Bradley added, “Tackling excessive teacher workload is one of the key aims of the EIS Stand Up for Quality Education campaign, and the EIS will continue to press local authority employers and the Scottish Government on this vital issue.
“73% of survey respondents indicate that their preparation and correction requirements are unachievable within their normal working week, and this was something that the Scottish Government in its last election manifesto pledged to address by reducing teachers’ class contact time by 1.5 hours per week.
“Four years on from that pledge being made, there has been absolutely no tangible progress towards delivering it, and no proposals as to how it will be delivered.
“It is the failure to deliver on this vital promise on class contact time that will lead to the EIS opening a Consultative Industrial Action Ballot over Workload at our Annual General Meeting later this week.”
