Ministers are urged to present academics a four-day week to ‘scale back burnout’ and ‘shield wellbeing’
Bridget Phillipson has been urged to bring in a four-day week for teachers to improve recruitment and retention.
The 4 Day Week Foundation has written to the Education Secretary to ask for schools to be allowed to give their staff one extra day off a week.
The campaign group calls for all full-time workers to reduce to a four-day week for the same pay to reduce burnout.
It is understood this would work in schools by having staff rotate their days off so that there are always enough people covering.
The Foundation wants the Government to allow schools to pilot the plan in England and Wales in answer to the teacher shortage crisis.
It says this will help Labour meet its manifesto pledge of recruiting 6,500 new teachers.
It comes after the Scottish government announced new proposals last week for teachers to be able to work a ‘flexible’ four-day teaching week, which would see them given one day a week to focus on work such as preparation and marking.
Currently, official guidance for England says ‘all state-funded schools should be open and educating pupils five days a week, morning and afternoon’.
Bridget Phillipson (pictured) has been urged to bring in a four-day week for teachers to improve recruitment and retention
James Reeves, the 4 Day Week Foundation’s campaign manager, told The Guardian: ‘Teachers are burning out at unprecedented rates.
‘A four-day week isn’t about doing less – it’s about working smarter, protecting staff wellbeing and ultimately improving outcomes for students.
‘It’s time for bold leadership and evidence-driven four-day school week trials to show what a modern, sustainable education system can look like.’
In the foundation’s letter to Mrs Phillipson, it said there was a growing body of research showing that shorter working weeks can reduce burnout, improve productivity and support better work-life balance.
Earlier this year, teacher vacancies hit a record high in England.
According to the Department for Education, nearly as many teachers left the profession as entered it last year.
The campaign group said schools should be empowered to trial different timetables including ‘controlled four-day school week trials’ and generate data on how it may improve teaching quality and school performance.
Mr Reeves added: ‘Headteachers don’t need government permission to explore new working arrangements.
‘Legally, they have the flexibility to proceed. We must find solutions to the recruitment and retention crisis so young people can have some stability in their schools.’
A number of schools in the UK have already begun experimenting with shorter school weeks, including four-day weeks, 4.5-day weeks and a nine-day fortnight.
In September, the general secretary of the National Education Union, Daniel Kebede, called for all full-time teachers to be permitted to work one day a week from home and for more flexibility.
A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘Last year saw one of the lowest rates of teachers leaving the profession since 2010, and we remain committed to tackling recruitment and retainment challenges.
‘We support schools in offering their staff flexible working while ensuring every child receives brilliant teaching for the full school week. That’s why we are funding a programme to embed flexible working within schools and expand these opportunities.’
