Nearly half of teachers would like to see the remote working that was introduced because of Covid retained - for at least some of the time - once the pandemic is over, new research suggests.
Teachers were asked to consider what the pandemic had changed and to name up to three changes they would like keep.
The option of remote working was cited by 46 per cent of those responding to the Teacher Tapp survey of more than 5,800.
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The idea was more popular among secondary teachers, where 53 per cent backed it compared with 39 per cent of those in primaries.
Teach First, which commissioned the research, is also proposing dramatic reforms to teachers’ working patterns in a draft “manifesto” for post-Covid education reform that it has drawn up.
It is suggesting reducing teachers’ timetables in the most disadvantaged communities.
“If we truly want to ‘level up’, schools serving disadvantaged communities need to not only be as good as other schools, they need to be the best,” the teacher training charity argues. “To achieve this, we need to support teachers to be as effective as they can be.”
Teach First suggests that cutting teacher timetables in these schools can allow staff to:
- Dedicate more time to their own professional development to keep improving.
- Target additional support for pupils who are struggling.
- Be given space to plan great lessons.
“This would not only help attract the best teachers, the result would be an even better education for their pupils,” the charity says.
Other pandemic changes teachers wanted to keep, according to the research, included the increased use of technology, cited by 43 per cent, while 45 per cent wanted the increased national attention on the attainment gap to stay.
