Pay and conditions

Workload is improving, but there is more to do...

The Department for Education’s latest Teacher Workload Survey results show that teacher workload is improving, but there is still a way to go. Jack Worth and Matt Walker investigate the latest research findings

Retaining our new and experienced teachers

With more teachers leaving the profession than joining, improving retention rates is crucial to tackling the on-going supply challenges. The government has recently announced new plans to boost teacher retention, particularly with additional support for new teachers. Dorothy Lepkowska reports

Workload reduction: What will 2019 bring?

In 2019 there will be a new Ofsted framework, the introduction of a mental maths test and the return of Baseline Assessment is on the horizon. So what hope for Damian Hinds’ pledge to support schools to tackle workload?

Making job-sharing work

How can flexible working conditions, such as job-shares, improve the recruitment and retention of teachers? Caroline Cafferty speaks to headteacher Angela Pagett to get her perspective on job-sharing in a primary school setting

Reflections on recruitment

Getting it right is absolutely imperative. Get it wrong and that has a tremendous impact on productivity, morale, workload and outcomes for children. Rachel Jones offers her reflections on the recruitment challenge

The links between teacher wellbeing and CPD

Does your school’s CPD provision help or hinder teacher wellbeing? Megan Williamson considers the links between effective CPD and teacher wellbeing and offers some practical advice

Tackling teacher retention and turnover challenges

A major on-going research project by the National Foundation for Educational Research is helping us to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics within retention and recruitment for the teacher workforce in England. Dorothy Lepkowska looks at the latest findings

Appraisals: Passing the threshold

Teachers who have passed the threshold and moved onto the upper pay range should be making ‘substantial and sustained’ contributions to their schools. Brian Rossiter looks at how the threshold system should work and some of the related challenges facing schools

Setting SMART performance objectives

Setting performance objectives for your staff is a key part of the planning process for the coming year, and with the end of appraisal reviews around the corner, the next step is getting objectives agreed. Jenny Moore offers five steps to making them meaningful...

Effective teacher review and appraisal practices

The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document applies to all maintained schools and the majority of academies. In this article Brian Rossiter shares good appraisal practice as part of the Professional Development Review cycle and performance-related pay

Flexible working: A recruitment solution?

The difficulties schools are having in recruiting teachers continue to dominate the headlines. The DfE wants us to consider the option of flexible working. Just how might this work?

Workload audit: Thirty questions for your school

We all know that teachers work well beyond their designated hours, but just how can heads help to adjust the work/life balance for their staff? Drawing on the government’s Workload Survey and expert working groups, Suzanne O’Connell poses 30 self-evaluation questions for schools

Staff wellbeing: More than a ‘nice to have’

We all recognise the importance of wellbeing for both staff and pupils. Julian Stanley discusses the six danger areas for staff wellbeing and suggests engaging with your staff to ensure good wellbeing in your school

Retention: How to keep hold of your teachers

New research into retention has uncovered some of the reasons why teachers quit the profession as well as those vital ‘protective factors’ that can help a school to retain, engage and motivate their teachers. Researcher Sarah Lynch takes a look

We value pupil wellbeing – but what about our staff?

Pupil wellbeing is high on many schools’ agendas, but what about our staff? Mental health expert Dr Pooky Knightsmith offers some simple steps to tackle challenges to mental health and promote staff wellbeing in your school

Protecting your staff’s wellbeing

We are all rightly concerned with the mental health and wellbeing of our pupils – but what about the staff? John Dabell discusses why staff wellbeing should be top of your agenda and offers some quick ideas

Keeping teachers’ workload down

Simplicity is the key to minimising the workload pressure keenly felt by teachers, says executive headteacher Jane Girle. She discusses how she is addressing the issue at her school

Meeting the Workload Challenge

The government’s consultation on teacher workload has ended with an estimated 40,000 teachers responding to the call for evidence. While we wait for the Department for Education’s conclusions, Suzanne O’Connell looks at what methods headteachers are using to reduce the load for their staff.

Advice for tackling workload

Keren Prior offers some tips on how to improve teacher and school leader wellbeing as well as also tackle workload issues

Pensions: Avoiding the LTA

Yet more changes are afoot when it comes to your pensions. The latest cuts to the lifetime allowance could affect more teachers than you’d think. Expert David Downie explains.

Avoiding the pitfalls of performance pay

Schools are getting to grips this term with the new system of performance-related pay. Employment lawyer Amanda Lyons looks at common pitfalls that new pay systems must avoid.

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Headteacher Update is the only magazine delivered directly to every primary school headteacher in the UK. It is published six times a year, at the beginning of each term and half-term, to keep headteachers up-to-date with everything going on in primary education.

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