Protect staff time and improve wellbeing
Case study
School details
School name: West Meon CofE Primary School
Location: Hampshire
Phase: Primary
Number of pupils: Less than 100
Contact details: Email the school at admin@westmeon.hants.sch.uk
Impact and outcomes
As a small school with just 3 members of full-time staff, we had to protect staff time carefully.
We ensured that we had the time to give to the large number of subjects we are responsible for, given the small number of us.
Background from Julie Kelly, Headteacher
Being a small school meant that we had to strategically plan how to manage all the various roles every school has to undertake.
We had to ensure that all roles and responsibilities are covered whilst creating and maintaining a sustainable workload for each member of staff.
Use your communications channels to reduce questions from parents
You can give parents the information they need through your website and newsletter, reducing the number of individual questions from parents to staff.
Our administrative officer produces our newsletters and manages our website.
If you add something, take something else away
If extra meetings occur after school, staff meetings are not held.
For example, we do not have a staff meeting on the week of a parents’ information meeting.
We also have joint staff meetings with other schools. When we do this, we swap our local school staff meeting with the joint staff meeting.
Save time on routine tasks
We invested in a school business manager to relieve the headteacher of routine tasks, such as tasks relating to finance and premises.
We also invested in CPOMS, an electronic recording system for safeguarding concerns, which saves on days spent on preparing casework.
Invest in teaching assistants
Teaching assistants can help improve staff wellbeing and help pupils to progress.
We invest in training for teaching assistants and prioritise budget for them.
We also invest in ex-teachers who wanted to step back and are now supporting teaching assistants to train in school to be teachers.
Provide time off timetable for longer projects
We give teachers additional time off from their timetable to complete longer projects and tasks.
The senior leadership team or supply teachers cover their time off timetable.
Manage the demands of the year
We manage the demands of the year by:
- planning our school calendar together
- being clear about what will happen and when it will happen, as part of directed time
- sharing the directed time calendar with staff before the start of new school year
Offer temporary responsibilities
TLR3s (a type of teaching and learning responsibility) allow teachers to take on time limited responsibilities.
If staff do not want to take on extra responsibilities permanently, a TLR3 can fit in with their work-life balance.
Promote flexible working
Promoting flexible working is invaluable in a small school.
Although there may be a financial impact, there is always someone who can step up to ensure continuity and support the team when needed.
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