A teacher workload policy should set limits, not aspirations. It should cover marking and feedback, data collection points, meetings, out-of-hours communication, cover, and the technology that takes routine work away. It needs a named senior owner and an annual review. The evidence behind each limit comes from England’s DfE and the OECD, and applies well to international schools.
Why does a school need a workload policy?
Because workload drives retention, and good intentions don’t reduce it. Full-time teachers in England worked 50.1 hours a week in 2025, down from 51.2 in 2024 (DfE Working lives of teachers and leaders, wave 4). The OECD average across TALIS 2024 systems is about 41 hours. The DfE’s Workload Reduction Taskforce was set up to support “the Government’s ambition to reduce working hours for teachers and leaders by five hours per week within three years”. Its first question is: “does a task need to be done at all?” (DfE). A written policy makes that question routine.
What does the evidence say about the biggest workload drivers?
Three findings shape most policies:
| Driver | Evidence | Policy implication |
|---|---|---|
| Data collection | ”We see no reason why a school should have more than two or three attainment data collection points a year, which should be used to inform clear actions” (Making data work, 2018) | Cap data drops at two or three a year |
| Frequent data drops | No examples where “a half-termly deposit of attainment data” justified “six data collection points a year” | Remove half-termly data drops |
| Leadership ownership | Schools should consider “assigning a senior leader with dedicated responsibility for improving wellbeing and reducing workload” (Taskforce, 2024) | Name a senior owner |
| Out-of-hours contact | Guidance should cover “when it is and isn’t reasonable to expect staff to respond to queries” (Wellbeing Charter) | Set communication hours |
Sources: Making data work; Workload Reduction Taskforce; Education Staff Wellbeing Charter.
International schools cannot sign the DfE’s charter: independent schools “are free to make use of the principles and organisational commitments in the charter, but they cannot sign up”. They can still adopt its commitments as policy.
What should the policy include? A template
Use these sections. The wording in each is a starting point for your school, from Tutopiya, not DfE text.
1. Purpose and owner. “This policy sets limits on the tasks we ask of teachers, so that time goes to teaching and planning. It is owned by [named senior leader], who reports on it to [governors/board] each year.”
2. Marking and feedback. “Feedback is judged by its effect on learning, not its volume. Departments set marking expectations in pieces per fortnight for each year group. Acknowledgement marking (‘seen’, ticks without comment) is not required. Whole-class feedback and verbal feedback count as feedback.”
3. Assessment data. “We collect attainment data no more than [two or three] times a year. Every collection has a stated purpose and a named action. Teachers enter data within lesson or directed time wherever possible.”
4. Meetings. “Meetings have an agenda tied to decisions, a fixed end time, and no more than [one] whole-staff meeting per [week/fortnight]. Information that needs no discussion is sent in writing.”
5. Communication hours. “Staff are not expected to read or respond to email or messages between [time] and [time], at weekends or in holidays. Parents are told our response times.”
6. Cover and absence. “Cover is shared fairly and tracked. Planned absence is covered with prepared work; teachers are not asked to set detailed work while ill.”
7. Planning and resources. “Departments share schemes of work and resources, so teachers do not plan every lesson from scratch.”
8. Technology and AI. “We use approved tools to take routine marking and practice off teachers, within Cambridge, Pearson and JCQ rules on AI. AI cannot be the sole marker of assessed work.”
9. Workload review. “We survey staff workload each year, publish the results to staff, and report the changes made.”
How should a school roll the policy out?
- Survey first, so the policy targets real pressures, not assumed ones.
- Draft with staff, including middle leaders who set most day-to-day tasks.
- Remove before adding. Each new initiative should name what it replaces.
- Publish limits, not ambitions, so staff can point to them.
- Review after a year against the survey baseline.
See how to run a workload review in our Teacher Capacity hub, and reducing teacher workload with technology.
What about inspection?
International school inspectors look at leadership’s care for staff, and Ofsted’s own position is instructive. Ofsted’s commitments in the Wellbeing Charter include “we do not grade individual lessons or people”. A policy that removes lesson grading and unnecessary data need not weaken inspection readiness, provided the evidence that remains is purposeful. See Inspection & Accreditation Beyond Ofsted.
How schools do this with AI Buddy
Marking practice work is one of the largest routine tasks. AI Buddy marks past-paper-style questions instantly and gives teachers topic-level data, so section 8 of the policy has a practical tool behind it. Schools using AI Buddy report 70% less marking time. Assessed work and final judgements stay with teachers.
Frequently asked questions
What should a teacher workload policy include?
Limits on marking, data collection and meetings, communication hours, fair cover, shared planning, the technology that reduces routine work, a named senior owner and an annual review.
How many data drops should a school have?
The DfE’s Teacher Workload Advisory Group saw “no reason why a school should have more than two or three attainment data collection points a year”.
Can international schools sign the DfE Wellbeing Charter?
No. Independent schools can use its principles and commitments, but only state schools and colleges in England can sign up.
How many hours do teachers work?
Full-time teachers in England averaged 50.1 hours a week in 2025. The OECD average across TALIS 2024 systems is about 41 hours.
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Sources
- Department for Education, Making data work: report of the Teacher Workload Advisory Group (November 2018)
- Department for Education, Workload Reduction Taskforce: initial recommendations (January 2024)
- Department for Education, Education Staff Wellbeing Charter
- Department for Education, Working lives of teachers and leaders: wave 4 (November 2025)
- OECD, Results from TALIS 2024 (October 2025)