May 2015
Featured in this insight: Central government & non-department public bodies, Education, Conducting market research in Scotland
Teachers work 11 hours over time per week, survey finds: A recent survey by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has discovered that teachers work an average of 11 hours more than their 35 hour per week contract.
The survey questioned 3,500 teachers, who worked in either a primary or secondary school, and asked them to record the hours they worked over the period of a fortnight.
The researchers found that the average teacher worked 46.5 hours per week, which is an extra 33% on top of their contracted hours.
The Educational Institute of Scotland said that the issue us “unsustainable” and said that the Scottish Government and local authorities to act.
Of the primary school teachers surveyed, the average individual spent 9.3 hours on preparing and correcting, whereas the contractual position for a full-time teacher sets aside 7.5 hours.
As well as this, lesson planning took an average of 3.4 hours per week and assessment took 1.3 hours. Additionally, reporting took 2.3 hours.
Of the secondary school teachers, the average time spend preparing and correcting was 8.5 hours. 2.7 hours were spent on assessment and 1.5 hours were spend on curricular development.
General Secretary of The Educational Institute of Scotland, Larry Flanagan, said of the findings:
"It is clear that the current situation is unsustainable and that urgent steps must be taken by the Scottish Government, local authorities and national education bodies to reduce the crippling workload burden that is being placed on Scotland's teachers. The workload picture is similar for teachers in all sectors and at all grades, and for teachers on full-time contracts or part-time contracts. No matter what the individual contractual commitment, the evidence gathered during the fortnight focus demonstrates that high levels of additional working are the norm for Scotland's teachers."
