Executive Summary

Introduction

Developing sustainability for trainee teachers through workload management reform in the PGCE: Workload has been identified as a major reason why teachers leave teaching and trainees leave Initial Teacher Training (ITT). The Department for Education (DfE) has identified teacher workload management as an area of national importance and are working to remove unnecessary workload, to help teachers concentrate on teaching and their own development.

Project Summary

Project Summary Whilst primarily aimed at schools, these workload measures also make specific reference to Initial Teacher Education. This project, involving primary ITT trainees and Warwick Partnership School Mentors, seeks to:

  • Evaluate initiatives in the Primary PGCE in response to the workload reform agenda;
  • Recognise and disseminate good practice;
  • Further embed good practice into Warwick School Partnership practice.

nitially, the scope is limited to the primary PGCE, but findings will be disseminated to Early Years and Secondary teacher training routes in the Centre for Teacher Education. Wider dissemination across Warwick and the Initial Teacher Education sector will allow other disciplines and institutions to consider the implications of workload reform and wellbeing practices for their own departments/students.

Workload reform in the PGCE includes initiatives to manage coursework and workload associated with school placements as well as supporting trainees’ wellbeing. As well as identifying specific measures and approaches to reduce and manage workload, the project also seeks to identify attitudes and ‘cultures’ towards workload and supporting trainees to manage workload in Partnership schools, with possible implications for Mentor Training.

With a budget of £7500, the project will run from July 2018 to July 2019 and aims to have a positive impact on trainees’ abilities to develop sustainable working practices which will support them, not only through the PGCE year, but into their Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) year and beyond as they begin their longer-term careers in schools.