Why Is Flexible Working In Schools In The Spotlight? 

A recent report by NFER has called for the government to consider introducing a “frontline workers pay premium” the equivalent of a 1.8% pay rise for teachers. This is to compensate them for the lack of remote and hybrid working in their jobs compared to the wider graduate labour market. Dr Luke Sibieta told the Education Committee that “working from home is worth 8% of salary and is making teaching less competitive because it is not able to offer working from home options”. 

This poses a number of questions; what does flexible working look like in schools? What are the benefits of adopting a more flexible approach? Do other sectors really have it better and is it always the best option? 

What Does Flexible Working Look Like In Schools? 

Since 2019 the DfE has committed to exploring the impact of flexible working in schools. They have realised that supporting such an approach could have a potential positive impact on the recruitment and retention of talented individuals within the school system. It is also part of their strategy to attract career changers from other professions and industries that have adopted flexible working policies. 

Although flexible working may incorporate many different strategies some of the most common and popular with workers in other industries include compressed hours and remote working. These are of course much harder to implement in schools with their adherence to rigid timetabling and the requirement of certain numbers to be present for safeguarding reasons. 

Of course, teachers have PPA time and whilst some progressive schools have allowed their staff to use this time to work from home or offsite, the issue is that teachers may not feel able to request home working if it is not detailed in a school’s PPA policy (DfE ). They suggest teachers should speak to managers about remote working and it may be helpful for schools to discuss how PPA policy could be adapted to allow off-site working if safeguarding considerations allow. 

What Are The Benefits Of Flexible Working? 

It is clear that in the post-pandemic work space, flexible working can have potential benefits. A survey by the social media platform Buffer of 2000 employees showed that 97% of individuals that work from home said that they would recommend remote working and the UK Government found that 76% of employers said they felt flexible working has a positive impact on staff retention.

How Does This Translate Into Schools? 

There is much evidence to suggest that flexible working in schools has the potential to positively affect many aspects of the school workforce. Research by Education Support showed that 74% of leaders who had implemented flexible working felt it had helped staff manage their workload and work-life balance. This statement was agreed with by 89% of school staff. There is some evidence to suggest that adopting a more flexible approach can help attract a greater candidate pool and that it is more inclusive especially when it comes to women , helping to increase staff diversity and reduce the gender pay gap. Having a more flexible approach is certainly going to improve the competitiveness of schools in the wider labour market as nearly half of graduates worked mainly from home, a figure that is increasing. It also has the potential to increase teachers satisfaction and improve the relationship between staff and their line managers. All of this might improve morale and reduce staff sickness and absence. Ultimately the recruitment landscape for schools is challenging and such policies will give schools an advantage in attracting outstanding teachers. 

Lizzie Wilkin Media Officer with the DfE who have commissioned Capita to help implement flexible working in schools told Did Teach;

“Flexible working is increasingly viewed as an expectation for employees across other sectors, and we are encouraging and supporting schools to embrace a range of flexible working practices. This could include enabling staff to take PPA remotely. We are funding a programme focused on embedding flexible working in schools and trusts. This includes the delivery of supportive webinars and peer support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and trusts on a range of flexible working queries.”

And there are already radical examples of flexible working in the education sector, such as St Peter’s Catholic School in Solihull who are offering teachers one day off a fortnight with no impact on teacher pay. Headteacher Stuart Shelton has already noted an uptick in interest for applications.

What’s The Situation In Other Sectors?

 So what are the key trends involving flexible working outside of the school system? The majority of the jobs advertised on Those Who Can do often involve some kind of flexible working or work from home element and this is clearly important when it comes to these organisations competing for top talent coming from the school system.

Many companies in the EdTech space are advocates of remote working. Save My Exams is a prime example as it operates on an entirely remote basis with no physical office space. Jenna Quinn Head of New Subjects outlines the benefits; 

 “I love working remotely because it means I can focus deeply when I need to, without getting distracted! For a role that requires creating high-quality content, it’s important that I can point my attention when and where I can have the most impact. With technology like Slack and Google Meet, I still get the benefit of collaborating with my colleagues all around the world”.

In the UK the government has made it the legal right of workers to request flexible or remote working from day one abolishing the former 26 week qualifying period. 

The Office for National Statistics reported in 2023 that those who were educated to a degree level or above and those in professional occupations were most likely to report home only or hybrid working so it is therefore likely that as a teacher transitioning to work outside of the classroom, you might find yourself in such a role. Equally, if you’re looking to work for yourself then you are more than twice as likely to work from home compared to other paid employees. Given the fact that the majority of jobs we advertise are located in the London region, it is likely that you could find yourself amongst the 4 in 10 workers in the capital who work from home and travel to work as part of a hybrid working pattern. 

But be aware there is a clamour in some sectors to return to the office as organisations look to promote collaboration, utilise real estate and spread staff presence more equally across the week. Some of the large players in the financial industries have shifted their stance on working remotely. JP Morgan now requires all managers to be in the office 5 days a week and Deutsche Bank is now insisting that all staff are in the office on Mondays and Fridays, two days that are often considered along with Wednesday as the most popular to work remotely. 

Are There Any Downsides To Working From Home? 

Although there are clearly many positives associated with hybrid and flexible working there are interesting factors you might not have considered. Meta research by Kings College and UEA found that there are health benefits associated with working remotely because it is less stressful and because people spend more time preparing healthy snacks reducing blood pressure. But paradoxically remote working can increase the temptation to eat more snacks, smoke more and put on weight. 

Interestingly, it must also be pointed out that those working from home on lower incomes and those who try to balance it with extra responsibilities such as housework and childcare tend to be more stressed and finally if you are thinking that home working will lead to more activity, think again, as most surveys conducted show that people who work from home actually become more sedentary.