Best Practice

Flexible working in schools: Three mini-case studies

Flexible working Recruitment & Retention Pay and conditions Teaching staff
Flexible working is recognised as one solution to the teacher recruitment and retention challenges we face. Laura McPhee considers three case studies of potential approaches
Flexible approaches: Teachers and support staff at St Paul’s Way School in east London have the opportunity to work flexibly in a number of ways, including increased PPA and working from home. Sabbaticals, career breaks and secondments are also encouraged (both images: St Paul’s Way School)

We are unfortunately all too familiar with the statistics around teacher recruitment and retention.

In its annual report into the state of the teacher labour market, the National Foundation for Educational Research found that 44% more teachers stated they intended to leave teaching in 2022/23 than the previous year (McLean et al, 2024).

The situation at secondary level is dire, but primary recruitment is also behind government targets.

The report acknowledges the challenges related to teacher pay and workload and recognises that remote and hybrid working remains more prevalent in the wider graduate labour market than in teaching.

It comes after a research review by the Education Endowment Foundation last year (Harland et al, 2023) recognised flexible working approaches that had potential to keep teachers at the chalkface – including 10 “enablers” that help schools to make a success of flexible working (you can see Headteacher Update’s coverage of this here).

This raises questions for school leaders about the need to “re-imagine” flexible working opportunities for our employees.

So, how can school leaders introduce flexible working into our settings in a sustainable, cost-effective way?

I’d like to take you on a trip to visit three schools or trusts which are making flexible working work for their contexts.

 

Case study 1: Charles Dickens Primary School

Charles Dickens Primary is based in Southwark in south London. Part of the Charter Schools Educational Trust, the school has twice been accredited as Flexible Working Ambassador School for the London region.

Flexible Working Ambassador Multi-Academy Trusts and Schools have been appointed to support school leaders to implement and embed flexible working practices. Working as a lead school for the programme since 2022, Charles Dickens Primary has supported schools and trusts to review their current approaches and make sustainable changes.

To be accredited, Charles Dickens Primary needed to be able to demonstrate systems and processes that enable equitable flexible working opportunities (as opposed to ad hoc arrangements).

 

Flexible working in practice

The leadership team at Charles Dickens Primary believes that the solution lies in systemic change.

As a result, the policy and processes to facilitate flexible working are clear and transparent. The school has a “solutions-focused” approach which means that all flexible working requests will be considered. Applicants understand that any flexible working arrangement needs to work for both parties (school and staff member).

All flexible working set-ups are agreed for a fixed term and reviewed regularly. This provides regular opportunities for both parties to discuss what is working well and what, if any, adaptations need to be made. Codifying these systems and processes have ensured there is an equitable approach.

Headteacher Michael Eggleton stresses that it is not a case of one size fits all and emphasises that strategies can be adapted according to each context.

Leaders are also able to explore degrees of flexibility such as hybrid professional development or the granting of ad hoc requests for special leave to enable staff members to attend personal appointments.

Mr Eggleton explained: “If teachers joining the profession feel as though they are not able to have a life beyond work, protect their wellbeing and manage competing priorities, then we will not be able to tackle the recruitment and retention challenges that lie ahead.”

 

What impact has this had?

Leaders have seen the positive impact of the school’s approach on staff retention. This is reflected in the enthusiastic way team members describe flexible working.

One teacher at the school, Dr Amy Mulvenna, said: “Flexible working has allowed me to work part-time while completing my PhD. I have now returned to full-time teaching and see the benefits of my CPD and how this continues to enrich my practice.”

In addition to flexible working arrangements, staff are offered “stay interviews”, an interesting inversion on the traditional exit interview.

The meetings are independent of the appraisal process and enable senior leaders to understand an employee’s aspirations or goals for the future. The interviews have also had positive impact on retention and enabled the school to keep highly skilled teachers in the profession.

Staff are also gifted a personal day – this is half-a-day each term to spend as they please with “no questions asked”. The leadership team recognised that they were able to cover staff sickness absence at short notice and therefore had the capacity to cover short spells of planned infrequent absence.

 

Case study 2: St Paul’s Way School

St Paul’s Way is a large all-through school in Tower Hamlets, east London, which is part of the University Schools Trust.

Across the secondary phase, teachers are entitled to 17% planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time – significantly higher than the national average.

Teachers and support staff have the opportunity to work flexibly in a number of ways – for example from September main scale teachers are offered 100 minutes of PPA from home every fortnight. There are also informal arrangements in place for staff members to work from home when completing time-sensitive tasks that require uninterrupted focus. Sabbaticals, career breaks and secondments are also encouraged.

Headteachers Firdusi Uddin (secondary and sixth form) and Siobhan Fehim (primary) explained how these initiatives have had a positive impact on staff wellbeing, staff retention and recruitment.

This has also resulted in cost efficiencies over time as staff in whom the school has invested significant time, energy and resource are less likely to leave and be replaced with inexperienced staff.

Flexible working has also protected the school – and trust – from a talent drain, as expert teachers and leaders report feeling valued. They know they are trusted to work autonomously where appropriate, while still executing their work to a high standard.

Careers education and guidance manager, Kawtar El Ouaraini, explained: “My flexible working arrangements have helped me to balance my workload effectively. My role can be fast-paced as I complete student-facing and administrative tasks as well as planning and coordinating events.

“Working flexibly has allowed me to prioritise my workload and maximise my productivity so that I am able to complete my administrative tasks and participate in external meetings.

“My line manager and the trust have been supportive of my flexible working requests. This has given my morale a boost as I feel trusted to complete my duties to a high standard.”

 

Case study 3: Dixons Academies Trust

To many, the Dixons Academies Trust is seen as a “positive disruptor” within the sector. The trust spans Leeds, Bradford, Manchester and Liverpool and already has a flexible working offer.

Indeed, trust chief executive Luke Sparkes is keen to develop this further. As a result, from September, the trust will move to a nine-day fortnight for teaching staff.

The leadership team looked beyond the education sector to learn from other professions that already had creative flexible working models in place.

Mr Sparkes explained: “This proposal has generated great excitement in the area and re-invigorated the team after a challenging period post-pandemic. We are confident this will lead to further innovation.”

The leadership team has created a culture of “aligned autonomy”, rather than a homogenised approach. In keeping with this spirit, each of the 17 headteachers within the trust will roll-out the initiative in the way that is most appropriate for their setting and context.

Some of the schools participating are situated in areas which have traditionally found it particularly hard to recruit. These schools have already reported an increase in applications for vacant posts.

In four years, Mr Sparkes is hopeful the workforce will look very different. He expects traditional teaching methods and practices to be defined by two key features:

  • Teaching teams: Dedicated teams of trained teachers or adults delivering lessons to groups of pupils rather than over reliance on one adult. This may alleviate pressure on succession planning and support pupil wellbeing, increasing the odds of a child making a connection with a trusted adult.
  • Technology: The most obvious way to introduce flexibility to staff working patterns is to hire more teachers. However, school budgets are already stretched, and it is unlikely that this will change in the near future. As technology advances, so may the demand for “supervised remote learning”. Interestingly, this may coincide with further developments in artificial intelligence.

 

Final thoughts

There are many reasons to avoid engaging with flexible working arrangements. Schools describe tackling timetable challenges, scaling offers according to the school context or size, and the importance of ensuring any offer is financially sustainable. However, the benefits outweigh the challenges. As the private sector continues to offer attractive hybrid roles, there is little alternative. Ultimately, flexible working underpinned by truly inclusive policies leads to happier, more fulfilled teachers.

  • Laura McPhee is director of education at University Schools Trust. She is a member of the Virtual School Management Board, executive committee member of the Lambeth Safer Children Partnership and guest lecturer at London South Bank University. Find her previous articles and podcast appearances for Headteacher Update via www.headteacher-update.com/authors/laura-mcphee

 

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