Marking and feedback can be a driver of workload and burn-out. So what practices and habits must early career teachers develop now to support their students while also protecting themselves? Debbie Tremble advises
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As a teacher for more than 20 years, I have marked a lot of student work. An eye-watering amount in fact – I am an English teacher.

By quick calculation, I would guess I have marked around 33,000 pieces of work in my time, not accounting for years of exam marking too. So, I know marking and the workload it brings.

In 2015, the government’s Workload Challenge cited marking as one of the most burdensome tasks for teachers and warned that some policies and associated marking practices create unnecessary work that doesn’t always have a positive impact on outcomes for students.

A subsequent research review from the Education Endowment Foundation (Elliot et al, 2016) and a report from the government’s Teacher Workload Review Group – Eliminating unnecessary workload around marking (DfE, 2016) – offered a number of practical, evidence-based insights. And the recent Workload Reduction Taskforce has just recommended that we revisit the Teacher Workload Review Group report.

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