More teachers to benefit from flexible working

The Government’s Flexible Working Ambassadors Programme has been extended for a further year, enabling teachers to plan lessons from home, job-share or work flexible hours.

The programme is free to all schools and helps to drive the culture change needed, by offering a range of practical support and resources for schools and teachers.

The extension means more schools can get involved in every region of the country, with a focus on supporting schools in disadvantaged areas, as well as special and alternative provision schools where there can be additional challenges.

Schools Minister, Catherine McKinnell said: "My number one priority is making sure every child has an expert teacher at the front of their classroom, as we know high-quality teaching makes the biggest difference to education outcomes.

"We highly value our brilliant teachers, and they deserve working conditions that recognise their professionalism and support their wellbeing.

"I’ve seen first-hand how working flexibly can transform teachers’ lives for the better and drive high and rising high standards for their pupils. Our Flexible Working Ambassadors Programme will help make sure we deliver on our pledge to recruit and retain more teachers."

The latest figures show that 46 per cent of teachers had a flexible working arrangement in place in 2024, up by 6 percentage points since 2022. But with 47 per cent of teaching staff who said they were considered leaving state education citing a lack of flexible working opportunities as one of the reasons, the Government is going further and faster to ensure every school supports their staff’s working lives in modern, practical ways – delivering the best possible education for children and young people.

Evidence shows a high-quality teacher can make around half a GCSE grade difference per pupil per subject, showing the importance of allowing teachers to work flexibly, to retain the best teachers and help children achieve and thrive.

Research also found 82 per cent of school leaders offering flexible working agreed that it had helped to retain teachers who might otherwise leave. 62 per cent of parents said children being taught by two teachers in a job-share arrangement had no impact, or a positive impact, on their child

CEO of Reach Schools, Rebecca Cramer said: "Flexible Working is imperative to keep great teachers in the classroom.  Through the FWAMS programme we have supported schools to employ a culture of openness and communication around how teachers work.

"Schools that think innovatively and embrace change around teachers’ work arrangements enhance teacher well-being and productivity and ultimately have a positive impact on the young people in our classrooms."