Schools In England & Wales Urged To Trial Four-day Week To Ease Teacher Pressure

Campaigners are calling on the government to allow schools in England and Wales to trial four-day working weeks, arguing that the change would improve teacher wellbeing, boost retention and attract new recruits. The 4 Day Week Foundation has written to the education secretary urging that schools be given more freedom to test shorter workweeks. The organisation says the government is unlikely to reach its pledge to hire 6,500 new teachers without significant reforms.

Their appeal follows proposals announced in Scotland last week, where teachers may be allowed to work a more “flexible” four-day teaching schedule, with one additional day each week reserved for tasks such as marking and lesson planning. Current government guidance in England requires state-funded schools to operate five full days a week, and although ministers have supported some aspects of flexible working, they have so far rejected calls for a formal four-day week in the teaching profession.

Teacher Burnout and Efficiency Highlighted by Campaigners

James Reeves, campaign manager for the 4 Day Week Foundation, said teachers are facing burnout at levels never seen before. He argued that a four day week is not about reducing effort but about working more efficiently and protecting the mental health of the staff, which would be best for the students as well. He urged the government to support evidence-based pilot schemes to test the model in schools.

In its letter to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, the foundation pointed to increasing research suggesting that reduced work hours can ease burnout, increase productivity and improve work–life balance benefits that could be especially valuable in a sector dealing with intense staffing pressures.

Teacher vacancies in England reached record levels earlier this year. The National Foundation for Education Research reported that pupil behaviour has become one of the fastest-growing causes of teacher workload since the pandemic, while larger class sizes are emerging due to staff shortages. According to the Department for Education, almost as many teachers left the profession last year as joined it. The foundation believes schools should be given the authority to test alternative schedules, including “controlled four-day school week trials,” to ease pressure on teachers and support staff, and to generate data on potential improvements to teaching quality and school outcomes.

Legal Flexibility for Headteachers to Explore New Work Patterns

Reeves emphasised that headteachers do not require government sign-off to explore new working patterns, saying they already have legal flexibility. He stressed the need for solutions to the recruitment and retention crisis in order to provide stability for pupils.

Several schools in the UK have already begun experimenting with different timetables, such as four-day weeks, 4.5-day weeks and nine-day fortnights. 

In September, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, called for full-time teachers to be allowed one day a week working from home and for wider adoption of flexible working. Phillipson also has previously expressed support for giving state-school teachers in England the option to complete preparation, marking and assessment work outside the classroom.

Debates over teacher contact hours are ongoing in Scotland, where unions have ballot members for strike action over what they describe as overwhelming workloads. The Scottish National Party has pledged to reduce maximum weekly class contact time from 22.5 hours to 21 hours.

Government Response on Staffing and Flexible Working

A Department for Education spokesperson said that last year saw one of the lowest teacher departure rates since 2010 and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing staffing challenges. They​‍​‌‍​‍‌ observed that the administration is in favor of adaptable working patterns which would be able to guarantee that children get first-class teaching during the whole school week and pointed out money being allocated to projects that are intended to open up more possibilities for flexible working in ​‍​‌‍​‍‌schools.