Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will respond to the National Union of Teachers' eight-step action programme to tackle excessive teacher workloads.

The Secretary of State for Education has confirmed that reducing unnecessary workload for teachers is an absolute priority for this Government. She is committed to taking action and is exploring ways to do this with trade unions through the current programme of talks at the Department for Education. The Department welcomes the National Union of Teachers’ (NUT) contribution to the programme of talks and their further contribution to the debate through the proposed eight-step action programme for tackling workload. The Department will consider carefully the proposals put forward by the NUT. These will be considered alongside the results of the recent ‘Workload Challenge’, a survey of teachers launched by the Secretary of State and the Deputy Prime Minister, which closed recently after receiving more than 40,000 responses. The results are being analysed and a programme of action will be published early next year.

This Government has taken steps to reduce bureaucracy and burdens on schools, but we know that there is more to be done and are absolutely committed to working with teachers to find solutions.