Best Practice

More than just part-time: Five types of flexible working for teachers

Lazy headlines about teacher lie-ins show how much flexible working is misunderstood. Neil Renton considers five approaches and urges schools to begin experimenting if they want to hold onto their teachers
Image: Adobe Stock

“Teachers offered lie-ins and three-day weekends in efforts to combat retention crisis.”

So screamed one headline after the new government floated its plans to allow teachers to take some of their planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time at home.

This kind of press coverage created a spectacular smokescreen of misunderstanding about flexible working – the key word there being “working”.

On the same day as the Guardian published the “lie-ins” headline, Teach First was publishing a report entitled Tomorrow’s teachers: A roadmap for attracting Gen Z.

In a poll of 3,031 young people, they found a significant number who had an interest in the teaching profession – 73% said that teaching was a job that had purpose, 61% of Gen Z would consider working as a teacher, and 47% said they would enjoy teaching for a few years but not their whole career. Something is sounding very positive here. 

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