Principals seek ‘right to disconnect’ as study shows hours worked out of school

• Published date: 07 February 2023
• Publication title: Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)

The findings are contained in research based on feedback from more than 1,100 school leaders and 4,000 teachers at primary level, organised by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO)

An audit of principals' time and a study of teacher workload found that nine out of 10 teachers report that their jobs have become more "stressful", "demanding", "challenging", "inflexible" and/or "hectic" in the last five years.

Many respondents also highlighted the increased use of digital communications such as WhatApp, Aladdin Connect and other platforms from parents and within schools. They reported that messages outside school hours had increased significantly in recent times and commented that it was impossible to disconnect from work in these circumstances.

Among some of the study's key findings are that:

- School leaders work an average of 15 additional hours a week on school-related work outside their normal hours and they work just under eight hours per week, on average, during holidays;

- Principals report a detrimental impact on their occupational health and wellbeing, stemming from the difficulties in meeting the expectations of the role;

- Ninety per cent of teacher respondents said they struggle with a challenging workload;

- Teachers say they are spending too much time on paperwork with no demonstrable effect on the quality of teaching and learning;

- Teachers and school principals expressed deep dissatisfaction with a lack of planning for teacher supply and the...