Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help (a) reduce workload and (b) enhance professional development support for teachers in schools serving low income communities.

The department knows that the quality of teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving pupil outcomes, and that it is particularly important for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our scholarship funding for national professional qualifications, high-quality professional development for teachers and leaders, is targeted towards supporting participation from those working in schools with the highest levels of disadvantage.

The department is committed to tackling the major drivers of high workload and poor wellbeing for teachers in all schools, including those serving low-income communities, through wide-ranging reforms to the education system and supporting schools to harness technology to enhance time efficiency and reduce workload.

Our ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service shares resources that have worked in schools to reduce workload and improve staff wellbeing, developed by school leaders for school leaders. Further details on the service are available here: https://improve-workload-and-wellbeing-for-school-staff.education.gov.uk/workload-reduction-toolkit/address-workload-issues/governance/prepare-a-governing-board-report/.

The department is also working closely with unions, employer representative organisations, school leaders and other key partners to identify where we can go further to address unnecessary workload, including through the Improving Education Together agreement.