Colin Hooker advises on some effective ways of offering flexible options which benefit schools, staff and pupils alike
CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Headteacher Update
Flexible working can certainly work for schools. The solution lies not in the corporate set-up of home offices, virtual hubs and global co-worker spaces, but in a tailored approach to flexible working which fits in with the needs of the school and its pupils.
Fresh thinking for schools
Following the pandemic we have seen that headteachers are increasingly recognising the merits of offering flexible working, and are seeking advice on how to make it work for their schools. In November the government published new guidance on flexible working stating that schools had reported a range of benefits from implementing flexible options. These include retaining experienced staff, being able to recruit from a broader pool of candidates, promoting wellbeing and improving work/life balance.
The guidance also reminds us that offering flexible working arrangements can help to ensure that teaching suits employees at different stages of their life, such as those with caring responsibilities, planning a phased retirement, returning from a career break, or combining teaching with professional development or work in their field of study.
The guidance document sets out ways for schools to build flexibility into the working day. The main approaches as identified by research into flexible working commissioned by the Department for Education involve:
Part-time: working less than full-time hours and/or working fewer days.
Job-share: two or more people doing one job and splitting the hours.
Split role: tasks divided between two part-time job holders.
Split shifts: a working shift comprising two or more separate periods of duty in a day.
Staggered hours: the employee has different start, finish and break times from other staff.
Staggered weeks: such as a formal agreement to work outside term time to deliver booster classes/sports programmes/enrichment activities.
Compressed hours: working full-time hours over fewer days.
Home/remote working: regularly/formally agreed as part of directed time/timetabled hours.
Phased retirement: gradually reduced working hours and/or responsibilities.
Annualised hours: working hours spread across the year, which may include some school closure days, or where hours vary across the year to suit the school and employee.
Sabbatical: employee takes a period of time away from work, over and above annual leave (usually the job is kept open for them to return).
Career break: employee takes unpaid time off work. Contract is suspended or ended, without a guaranteed return, depending on policy and individual agreement.
Flexi/lieu time: paid time off work in return for having worked additional hours.
Family leave: days of authorised leave during term time – for example, to care for family members.
While none of these measures are new, the difference is that changing attitudes, improvements in technology and buy-in from parents and the wider school community could well make flexible working the norm rather than the exception.
Smarter planning time
The government’s new guidance suggests ways of considering flexible working on a whole-school level by designing solutions which work for wider groups of staff. This could include reviewing arrangements for when staff can work from home, and looking at how planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time is scheduled.
Marie Staley, headteacher of Moulsham Junior School in Essex, finds that the staff at her school appreciate having the flexibility to use their planning time in the way that suits them best. “All our staff are able to take their PPA time at home,” she explains. “They can choose to do a supermarket shop on a Wednesday afternoon and save their planning for Sunday morning if that works better for them. Everyone can choose how to manage their time as a professional.” When staff have the freedom to manage their own time, they are likely to be much more productive.
A meeting of minds
As we all know, video calls have their limitations and they will never be quite the same as a proper staff get-together with tea and biscuits. Even though in-person gatherings are back on the agenda, there is no reason to abandon the virtual meeting altogether if it can support flexible working.
Scheduling the occasional online meeting can add welcome flexibility to a member of staff’s diary. Similarly, enabling staff to dial into a face-to-face meeting from their homes, if the technology allows, can make all the difference for someone who is juggling family commitments.
Schools can promote flexible working in the way they structure their meetings too, as Ms Staley explains. “We plan our professional development meetings for the whole term and ensure they’re succinct and focused. We also keep two of those sessions free, so a team might go off and do an activity together, or they might choose to go home early to walk the dog or meet a friend for coffee.”
A positive impact
Schools may not be in a position to agree to every flexible working request that comes their way, but there are bound to be opportunities for school and staff to meet halfway by building elements of flexibility into the school day.
If schools are open to the possibility of flexible working, they will see a number of clear benefits. As the government guidance states, school leaders who have already implemented flexible working in their schools are reporting a positive effect on recruitment and retention.
Staff are more likely to stay and work for a school which understands their needs rather than searching for a more flexible role elsewhere.
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