Most teachers feel a bureaucratic burden is preventing them from raising pupils’ attainment, research has found.

Planning and preparation was particularly burdensome for primary teachers, while secondary and special school staff found monitoring data and evidence to be too onerous.

The report, from the National Foundation for Educational Research, was based on a survey completed by 1,500 teachers and 68 special school staff. It was commissioned by the Department for Education following the 2010 White Paper The Importance of Teaching, which outlined the aim of removing unnecessary statutory duties and red tape.

The top three bureaucratic burdens, each identified by 14 per cent of teachers, were administration, assessments, and gathering and monitoring data.

When asked how schools could cut red tape and free up more teaching time, teachers’ most common answer was that they should take on more staff to complete the other tasks.

HOW CAN BUREAUCRATIC BURDENS BE REDUCED?

13% of primary teachers said by taking on more staff

18% said by respecting teacher professionalism

24% of secondary teachers said by taking on more staff

7% said by respecting teacher professionalism.