Workload plans get NEU welcome

JEREMY MILES, Wales’s Minister for Education, has announced plans to cut the workload of school staff.

Excessive workload and increasing bureaucracy have been blamed for contributing to problems with recruitment, retention and burnout.

In a written statement - one of a host made after the Senedd went into recess - the Minister said addressing workload would be at the forefront of Welsh Government policy development.

Mr Miles added that the Welsh Government will work with unions, local authorities and regional education consortia to develop a more coherent and simpler process for reporting to reduce its burden on school staff.

Where issues arise from an inspection, the

Welsh Government wants a more consistent approach to supporting schools after an Estyn inspection.

NEU Cymru Senior Wales Officer, Debbie Scott, welcomed the progress made with Welsh Government on addressing the workload for the school workforce. She said: “NEU Cymru members will be pleased with our progress with the Welsh

Government on school workload.

“Our discussions have been productive, as we all know that the focus in schools should be on children and their learning, not unnecessary bureaucracy.

“We know the Minister is listening to us on workload, and his written statement shows he is speaking to the unions and taking action in key areas – such as funding, Additional Learning Needs (ALN) reform, administration tasks, and Estyn.

“We have been discussing workload since our members took strike action in the Spring term. When we speak to our members, their workload is a critical issue – which we hope our discussions will continue to address.

“We will keep Welsh Government focused on this critical area for our members and we hope to make more progress in the coming months as there is still more to do – after all, workload pressures are key to retaining our workforce.”