Reducing school workload
Support and practical resources for schools to help reduce workload, including the school workload reduction toolkit.
School workload reduction toolkit
Practical resources for school leaders and teachers to help reduce workload, produced by school leaders, teachers and other sector experts together with the Department for Education (DfE).
- School workload reduction toolkit
- Guidance
Tips from school leaders
This advice provides tips and links to case studies and resources for managing change and reducing workload, including the effective use of technology.
Initial teacher education
Principles, considerations and examples of practical support to help initial teacher education (ITE) providers reduce the workload faced by trainee teachers and their school partners.
Supporting early career teachers
Advice for school leaders and staff who support teachers in the early stages of their career to help reduce their workload.
What has worked in schools
Examples of how education professionals reduced workload in their schools.
Reducing workload in your school
You can also find out how education professionals reduced workload in their schools on the DfE teaching blog, or in DfE-sponsored articles on Tes.
- Replacing written feedback in primary schools
- Case study
- Reviewing feedback and marking in primary schools
- Case study
- Sharing planning tasks in secondary schools
- Case study
- Measuring pupil progress and managing the data
- Case study
- Supporting NQTs and teachers with work-life balance
- Case study
- Using technology to aid school improvement in primary schools
- Case study
- Using technology for effective change
- Case study
Reports from independent groups
Reports from teacher workload review groups, offering advice on marking policy, planning and teaching resources, and data management.
- Teacher workload: poster and pamphlet
- Promotional material
- Reducing teacher workload: Data Management Review Group report
- Independent report
- Reducing teacher workload: Marking Policy Review Group report
- Independent report
- Reducing teacher workload: Planning and Resources Group report
- Independent report
Research and analysis
Research and analysis on reducing teacher workload.
- Reducing teacher workload: Education Development Trust report
- Independent report
- Teacher workload survey 2019
- Research and analysis
- School snapshot survey: winter 2018
- Research and analysis
- School snapshot survey: summer 2018
- Research and analysis
- Workload challenge research projects: summary report 2018
- Research and analysis
- Exploring teacher workload: qualitative research
- Research and analysis
- Teacher workload challenge: school research project reports
- Independent report
- Mapping professional development for reducing teacher workload
- Research and analysis
- Teacher workload survey 2016
- Research and analysis
- Workload challenge: analysis of responses
- Research and analysis
Department for Education policy
The following policy documents set out DfE’s commitments to reducing workload in schools, and clarify the role everyone in education has to play.
Reducing workload in schools is also an important part of DfE’s teacher recruitment and retention strategy (published in January 2019).
- Data burdens on schools
- Correspondence
- Teacher workload advisory group report and government response
- Policy paper
- Reducing workload in schools: joint letter to all school leaders
- Correspondence
- Principles for a clear and simple school accountability system
- Policy paper
- Reducing teacher workload action plan
- Policy paper
- DfE protocol for changes to accountability, curriculum and qualifications
- Policy paper
- Workload challenge for schools: government response
- Policy paper
Published 21 July 2018
Last updated 15 July 2020 + show all updates
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Added ‘Reducing teacher workload: Education Development Trust report’.
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Improved layout of page, including creating new sections, based on user needs, feedback and research.
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First published.
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