Can school staff have a real life too?

Is this possible? For most teachers, they report that work takes over everything. If they aren’t at work, they are thinking about work. Education Business reports that 75 per cent of staff stated that they frequently found it difficult to switch-off from work when at home, and 41 per cent said this was ‘always’ the case.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU says “It cannot be right that we have a working culture which invades every aspect of a teacher’s life. The government’s own figures show that working hours are out of hand and they are getting worse.”

Can you accept that this is ONLY A JOB? This doesn’t mean we don’t care, it’s an important part of a teacher and leader’s life, but not the whole thing.

I burnt out after working twelve hours a day for many years, not switching off when I got home and thinking about work while I slept. I remember watching TV with my youngest regularly as I did my emails, I thought we had quality time together as I was physically present. One day, my laptop broke, and they looked at me and said “Finally mum, I have your attention!” That was a wake-up call to me. My children have always been my number one priority, but I’m not sure I always lived this out in practice.

Over the years, I have heard wonderful strategies that demonstrate that this is possible. Some come down to individual choices and others to leadership choices and changes to school culture. Here are a few examples of what works:

1. Plan in one day a week when you will leave on time. Stick to it, whatever the load. Don’t take work home that night.

2. Work out when you are at your best in the day to do your best work. When is your attention best, your concentration best? Once you have checked on this, ensure you prioritise your most challenging tasks into these slots.

3. Ask yourself, do you have a healthy sleep routine? Research shows we are more regulated and productive when we sleep better. If you are on your phone until you sleep, I’d challenge you to re-think. Have 30 minutes before sleep without your phone and watch for the difference.

4. As a leader, can you organise for staff to be able to attend those important out of school activities such as their child’s nativity or their grandparent’s funeral? Should work take priority over these crucial family events? I realise this may not always be possible, but as a general rule, I know it is possible as I’ve spoken to headteachers who prioritise this as it’s so important for their staff. Staff then feel more valued, become more productive and so the workload becomes more manageable.

5. Marking is an area that many teachers find extremely time consuming. Schools are increasingly moving to AI (for planning too) and analysing what makes a difference to the pupils. Research still shows that immediate positive feedback has the biggest impact. Are there marking changes that could take place?

6. What support is available to staff who have major issues going on at home? Is this spoken about and supported? I recently spoke to a headteacher who has a daily check in with staff, so that if someone comes in with a need, it can be addressed. Remember, if a member of staff isn’t regulated, the pupils will pick this up, and tend to play on it.

7. Do you have a kind email culture. Different schools manage this differently, but the overall theme tends to be that there is no expectation to answer emails outside the school day or to have emails on your phone. In addition, does your email need to be sent or could it be a quick phone call or conversation?

8. Do you feel pressure to be outstanding 100% of the time? Is this realistic? NO it is not! When is enough enough? I don’t think that either as a teacher or a leader I ever finished any to-do list I had. A leader told me that he was told to delegate more, that was why he was overwhelmed. I asked if this was true? He said that his team was sinking so he couldn’t possibly add to their load and therefore he was trying to do it all himself. I questioned why he hadn’t spoken to his line manager to explain the situation and he replied that he didn’t want to appear weak, or a failure. Situations where there is a lack of trust, safety and support can be dangerous and lead to burnout.  Have you tried to have that honest conversation?

Can I remind you that you are replaceable, whatever your role? Put yourself and your family first.