Guidance

Conversation guide for workload and wellbeing in schools and academy trusts

Published 14 July 2025

Applies to England

School staff carry out a range of activities to support children and young people to achieve and thrive, but some can contribute significantly to workload. It is important their time is focused on activities that have the greatest impact on pupil outcomes, while ensuring a reasonable work-life balance.

The following questions have been proposed by the workforce subgroup of the Improving Education Together Board to support meaningful conversations in schools and academy trusts about workload and wellbeing, for example during an:

• INSET day
• governing board meeting
• staff meeting

They can be used by:

• school leaders
• governors
• academy trustees
• teachers
• support staff

Each section includes links to relevant guidance and resources to support any follow-up action. These include resources for school leaders, by school leaders, in the Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff service.

Culture around workload and wellbeing

• Does your school or academy trust have a culture that discourages staff from working excessive hours?
• How can staff that are struggling with excessive workload be identified?
• How are staff who currently work excessive hours supported to manage their workload?
• How can staff raise concerns about workload issues or propose improvements?
• Does your school or academy trust have a regular programme for obtaining feedback from staff?
• How is staff feedback used to guide action on workload?
• How does your school or academy trust create a positive wellbeing culture?

Resources are available to help you promote a culture of wellbeing in your school, including a staff workload survey. You can also sign up to the education staff wellbeing charter.

Marking

• Are the marking and feedback practices in your school or academy trust meaningful, manageable and motivating?
• What does this look like for different age groups?
• Are the marking and feedback practices in you school or academy trust having a positive impact on pupils?
• Is the time that staff spend marking proportionate to the impact it is having?
• How is this monitored and evaluated?

Resources are available to help you address workload issues with feedback and marking.

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has produced guidance to help you provide effective feedback.

Curriculum planning

• Does your school or academy trust have a fully resourced curriculum in place across all subjects?
• Do staff have the time and agency to adapt the curriculum resources using their professional expertise and knowledge of pupils?
• How do staff use curriculum resources to make the most of the time they spend planning lessons? Is that consistent across the school?
• How can EdTech and artificial intelligence (AI) tools help with producing resources, providing any resulting resources are subject to a teacher’s professional expertise and judgement?

Resources are available to help you address workload issues with curriculum planning and delivery.

Oak National Academy has produced time-saving teacher resources and an AI-powered assistant to help with lesson preparation.

Smart use of data

• Have there been active discussions about the purpose, frequency, quality, and reliability of data collections?
• Is every data collection meaningful? How is the data used and what action does it lead to?
• Is data collected and analysed in the most efficient way without any duplication of effort? Could it be more efficient?
• Are governing boards able to interpret the data they receive and are they using it in an effective way?

The 2018 Making Data Work report recommended no more than 2 to 3 data collection points a year.

Resources are available to help you address workload issues with data management.

Performance management

• How does your performance management process promote professional growth and effective oversight while keeping administration proportionate and purposeful?
• Is your performance management policy clear about what is expected to minimise the risk of staff gathering unnecessary evidence?
• Where objectives are used, are they SMART and aligned to the school or academy trust strategy, for example not driven solely by inspection findings and data?

Guidance is available on teacher appraisal and managing teachers’ and leaders’ pay.

Behaviour management

• How are EdTech tools used to help make recording behaviour incidents simpler and avoid duplication?
• Are staff clear about what does and does not need to be recorded and how much detail to include?
• Does your school or academy trust analyse what information staff are required to record and what the purpose of recording this information is?
• How can staff provide feedback on the way behaviour is managed and how behaviour incidents are recorded and monitored?
• Does your school or academy trust have a policy on pupil assaults on staff?

Guidance is available on improving behaviour in schools. Resources are available to help you address workload issues with behaviour management.

The EEF has produced guidance to help you make informed decisions about behaviour strategies.

Technology

• How is your school or academy trust using AI and digital tools to free up professional expertise and enhance effectiveness?
• Have all staff received adequate training in the use of technology so that it reduces workload and does not add to it?
• How do staff use assistive technologies to improve support for pupils with SEND, where appropriate, and to reduce workload?

A government service is available to help you plan technology for your school.

Governance

• How do governors and academy trustees support leaders to make strategic prioritisation decisions where there are competing demands?
• How do governors and academy trustees monitor the workload of school leaders and staff? How do they know this monitoring is effective and what actions are taken where workload issues arise?
• How do governors and academy trustees encourage a positive culture towards workload and wellbeing for all staff?
• Are reporting requirements (such as the headteacher report) as streamlined as possible and focused only on essential information?

Resources are available to help you address workload issues with governance in your school. You can find out about the education staff wellbeing charter and the benefits of using it.

Parental expectations

• Does your school or academy trust have clear policies and procedures which detail what mechanisms parents can use to contact the school or academy trust if they have questions or queries, including clear expectations for turnaround times?
• Are parents clear about what behaviour is unacceptable and what the consequences of such behaviour will be?
• Are all school staff clear about what they should do if they experience unacceptable parental behaviour, and the support they can expect to receive?
• Are the frequency and purpose of communications to parents regularly reviewed, ensuring updates are provided in a streamlined way, minimising burdens on staff? For example, can parents easily access key information or updates themselves?

Resources are available to help you address workload issues with communications.

School complaints

School leaders have reported that managing complaints has become a significant driver of workload. The Department for Education is working with parents and schools to better understand the challenges and explore possible solutions. For now, these questions may support schools to reflect on this issue.

• Does your school or academy trust have clear policies and procedures which detail how parents can make a complaint?
• Are parents clear what they can or cannot complain about to the school, what informal resolution options are available, and how long it should take to hear a formal complaint?
• Are leaders empowered to move complaints by parents to a more formal process when it becomes clear that they will not be able to agree on a resolution?
• Does your school or academy trust analyse the workload implications of complaints?

Guidance is available on academies complaints procedures and maintained schools complaints procedures.