Scottish teachers 'at breaking point' over 80-hour weeks

Senior teachers are working up to 80 hour weeks to manage classroom pressures, a survey has found.

A survey by School Leaders Scotland (SLS) found school heads and senior teachers work an average of 53 hours each week. However, some said they put in more than 80 hours.

The total includes time spent providing one-to-one support for pupils removed from class and covering for teacher absences, with SLS saying the “vast majority” of school leaders are consistently working over the terms of their contracts.

Six in 10 senior staff are looking to leave the profession earlier than planned, with a rise in aggressive behaviour and a lack of support for pupils with additional support needs (ASN) cited amongst the factors.

One school leader reported that the “abusive and aggressive behaviour of a small but difficult core of young people, and the lack of available sanctions to use or support from the authority, makes the job seem not worthwhile at times”.

The Scottish Government said it “recognises and appreciates the hard work of our teachers” and “classroom teachers, on the main-grade scale, are the best paid in the UK”.

A spokesperson said: “We are clear that reducing class contact time will help address critical concerns around teacher workload, thereby creating the space to drive improvement and reform in our schools and improve outcomes for pupils. We are working with unions and Cosla to agree our approach to reducing class contact time.

“We are also providing local authorities with an additional £186.5m to restore teacher numbers, alongside an additional £29m to support the recruitment and retention of the ASN workforce.”

However, Tory education spokesperson Miles Briggs said the report “lays bare the growing disenchantment among Scotland’s school leaders – overworked, under-resourced, and increasingly considering walking away”.

He said: “These findings are a damning indictment of the SNP’s mismanagement of our education system.”

Meanwhile, Labour’s Pam Duncan-Glancy said teachers are “at breaking point”, adding: “Teachers and school leaders are going above and beyond to paper over the cracks of SNP failure, but pupils and staff deserve better.

“The SNP has failed to act as pressures mount on our schools, from rising violence to overstretched ASN services.”