Pauline Low now works almost seven fewer hours a week. The Nottingham primary where she is deputy head and Year 6 teacher dipped into its own funds to make sure she reaped the benefit of the workforce deal.
“We really have tried to address this issue as a school,” said Ms Low, who now works an average 54 hours a week at Southwold primary. “We do not ask for weekly planning anymore. We think about workload, and that if we come in early we should not go home late. We think about whether meetings are necessary at lunchtime.”
Southwold primary has used its own funds to pay for supply teachers to ensure Ms Low has up to one day a week non-contact time and other staff have half a day every other week.
For this term alone the bill for the school will be pound;4,500. Ms Low said: “The will is here but the money is not. I am making a concerted effort about how much work I take home. I have a day a week for planning and I try to get my work done then.
“I still have to put in the hours at home though. We do more marking with the children but are saying absolutely no to photocopying for Sats.
“Preparation will involve using whiteboards and doing practical work rather than practice tests.”
