1. Tackling work related stress through Action Short of Strike Action and other initiatives
Sarah Lyons, Principal Officer – Pay, Conditions and Bargaining The National Union of Teachers

2. How stressed are teachers in England and Wales?
Teaching consistently listed in top 3 occupations with highest levels of work related stress
Stress is top concern for safety reps working in education – cited by 90% in TUC survey
NUT 2014 workload survey – 90% had considered leaving in last 2 years
Teachers working on average 54.4 hours per week

3. Typical quotes from our 2014 workload survey
‘I’m fed up seeing my colleagues near to breaking point and there isn’t a week goes by where I don’t see someone crying’
‘I love teaching but it is breaking me’
‘ I have no ‘me’ anymore and for the children I love to teach, this is devastating, I will not do this for life, I simply cannot’

4. More quotes from our 2014 workload survey
‘Even if I stopped sleeping and eating I wouldn’t be able to get everything done. I love teaching but sadly working with the children seems to be the least important thing’
‘I have no family life. I take Saturday off but otherwise work 7.30am til 6pm in school and another one or two hours in the evening. I work all day Sunday’

5. What is the impact of this?
Nearly three quarters of school leaders having trouble recruiting teachers – many say this has got worse
A third of teachers joining the profession leave within five years
Government consistently failing to recruit enough trainees
Female primary and nursery school teachers have a heighted risk of suicide

8. Action Short of Strike Action (ASOS): What’s it about?
Limiting workload
Refusing to participate in tasks which do not support teaching and learning
Ensuring that members receive their contractual entitlements
Reclaiming professionalism
Resisting excessive accountability

9. ASOS First Steps Use the NUT Online Stress Survey
NUT has offered a national online stress survey since 2016
Questions centred around HSE management standards: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change
Address issues such as workload, inspections, behaviour, work-life balance, stress symptoms
So far, been completed by nearly 1000 members and used in 70 schools
92% respondents cite workload as cause of stress
77% cite management style
Lack of support from management, pupil behaviour and Ofsted pressure also have significant impact

10. What does ASOS allow members to do (or not to do)?
Members can collectively decide to not submit lesson plans to members of the senior management team
Members can choose to send and respond to work related s only during the working day
Members can refuse to cover for any absence
To escalate to strike action where necessary

11. Is the strategy making a difference?
Yes, there have been gains -
Less interference in lesson planning
Fewer/more achievable performance management objectives
Fewer lesson observations
Fewer meetings

12. Example 1 Felixstowe Academy
Introduced a punitive observation policy instead of using the nationally agreed version
Members were unhappy, realised that this was a collective issue
A threat to take strike action led to the reinstatement of the original policy

13. Example 2 City Heights Academy - London
Members subject to short notice ‘walk-through’ observations known as ‘Raising Achievement Boards’ (RABs)
These were not meant to be about assessing individual teachers but a teacher was put onto a ‘support plan’ following a RAB
Members refused to co-operate with RABs and strike action was threatened

14. Example 3 Maesmarchog Primary School - Neath
Excessive scrutiny and mismanagement by school leaders and local authority caused stress to staff and pupils
Members threatened strike action
Management style improved, teachers were trusted and subject to less scrutiny

15. Example 4 Oulder Hill Secondary School - Rochdale
Three concerns (unacceptable pay policy, unreasonable appraisal targets and excessive monitoring of pupil data)
Members had a meeting and agreed to enter into a dispute about these 3 concerns
Members refused to accept appraisal objectives and to carry out tasks linked to pupil data tracking
After 1 month, concessions led to the settlement of the dispute

16. Example 5 Primary School - Trafford
New head teacher introduced weekly scrutiny of children’s work books, lesson plans plus weekly lesson observations and new performance management tool and a new curriculum!
Members had a meeting and agreed to start ASOS
Head teacher didn’t back down, continued to threaten members so they took strike action took place in February 2017
Head teacher asked to leave, new head teacher in place, workload agreement negotiated and staff now happy

17. What are the challenges?
Requires a strong union group
The ballot protecting members will expire on 1st September 2017
Without the protection of the national ballot, school ballots will be necessary which can slow down the process

18. Thank You Any Questions?