TEACHERS ON ‘54-HOUR WEEKS’

TEACHERS work 54 hours a week on average – and around 13 of these hours fall outside the normal school day, a survey suggests.

Nearly nine in 10 (87%) teachers surveyed said their workload has increased over the last year, according to a poll released today by the Nasuwt teaching union.

The survey, of 8,464 Nasuwt members across the UK in March, suggests 83% of teachers believe their job has adversely affected their mental health over the past 12 months.

The findings suggest teachers work 54 hours a week on average in a mid-term week, including time spent on lesson preparation and pastoral care – and around 13 of these were outside the school day.

A teacher who responded said: “I feel anxious, worried, stressed. I can’t sleep. I never see my family.”

Delegates at the Nasuwt conference in Glasgow this weekend are due to debate a motion which calls on the union to build a campaign to support members to “challenge attacks” on their contractual rights on working hours. The union is calling for a contractual, enforceable limit on teachers’ working hours to ensure staff can enjoy a life outside work.

Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said: “We urgently need working conditions that let teachers teach. It’s time for a limit on working hours and an end to abuse at work.

“Urgent reforms are needed to provide clear working rights and entitlements within a national contractual framework of a maximum 35-hour working week.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Working conditions have been a part of recent negotiations on pay and conditions. We are committed to working with our partners on work related-issues that we have identified together.”