Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Wednesday 22nd February 2017

We are supporting the profession to tackle issues which can affect teachers’ wellbeing, including excessive workload, and recognise the importance of teachers having adequate PPA time.

We want every child to be taught by great teachers who are not weighed down with unnecessary workload which we know can affect wellbeing. Sickness absence amongst teachers is however below the national averages for the private sector and for the overall labour market, as well as below the rates seen in other areas of the public sector.

As part of our response to the 2014 ‘Workload Challenge’, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workload-challenge-for-schools-government-response
the Department for Education established three independent review groups to address the three biggest causes of unnecessary workload identified by teachers - marking, planning and data management. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/511256/Eliminating-unnecessary-workload-around-marking.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/511257/Eliminating-unnecessary-workload-around-planning-and-teaching-resources.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/511258/Eliminating-unnecessary-workload-associated-with-data-management.pdf

The reports from these groups, published in March 2016, include clear messages which empower classroom teachers and school leaders to challenge unproductive tasks. They make recommendations to the whole teaching profession, and encourage schools to reassess and streamline their practice and review it on an ongoing basis.

The planning and resources group https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reducing-teacher-workload-planning-and-resources-group-report
were clear in their report that planning should take place in purposeful and well defined blocks of time. They recommended that Senior Leadership Teams should consider aggregating PPA into units of time which allow for substantial planning.

We will shortly publish an action plan setting out further commitments to help reduce teacher workload, including an offer of targeted support for schools to tackle workload where it is most needed. It is important that we work together to explore new and innovative ways to address this challenge.

The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) stipulates that all teachers in maintained schools participating in the teaching of pupils are entitled to reasonable periods of Planning, Preparation, and Assessment (PPA) as part of their 1265 hours of directed time. PPA time must be provided in units of not less than half an hour during the school’s timetabled teaching week and must amount to not less than 10% of the teacher’s timetabled teaching week. In addition, the STPCD makes clear that governing bodies and headteachers must ensure that teachers are able to achieve a satisfactory work/life balance. In 2014 the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) undertook a review of teachers’ non-pay terms and conditions. After considering evidence from the teaching unions, the employers and the Government, the STRB recommended that the principles underlying those conditions, including PPA time and work/life balance, remained appropriate and should be retained. The Government confirmed its acceptance of those recommendations.

Department for Education