New proposals announced by the Scottish government reveal teachers could work a flexible four-day teaching week. It would leave a fifth day for “professional learning” activities outside of the classroom, including lesson preparation, marking and training.
Reduced classroom contact time with pupils and agreed national minimum standards for pupil learning hours are also included in the plans.
Scotland’s Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said it demonstrated a “clear commitment” to teachers. The Scottish National Party (SNP) vowed to cut contact time by 90 minutes a week to enable more time for other activities.
Later start times, extended breaks, or restructured school days are also part of the new proposals. The Education Secretary said the plans, along with a new pay deal, would form a new “National Deal” for teachers.
She said the move to a four-day teaching week would help lighten the load in terms of workload, but also to create “headspace” for the teaching profession.
Ms Gilruth added that “pragmatic solutions” have been put forward and she is looking forward to engaging with local government and teaching trade unions on securing an agreement to improve conditions for teachers.
Meanwhile, EIS, Scotland’s largest teaching union has objected to the new proposals and are balloting members on strike action over a failure to reduce class contact time.
The union believe that any allocated time outside of the classroom should be used as teachers see fit and the 90-minute reduction in class contact time was a “red line for teachers”.
NASUWT said it was pleased with the proposals but it needed “assurance” that teachers will have the responsibility for deciding how such time should be used.
Across England and Wales, campaigners have urged the UK government to pilot four-day working weeks saying it would “boost teacher wellbeing, retention and recruitment rates”.
The 4 Day Week Foundation has written to the education secretary calling for greater autonomy for schools to pilot shorter working weeks, saying the government will not be able to meet its manifesto pledge of recruiting 6,500 new teachers without change.
