Solihull’s St Peters School teachers welcome day-off scheme

Ask a instructor whether or not they would fancy a assured break day each fortnight and they’d in all probability chew your hand off or assume you had been joking.

Well, unlikely as it would sound, one faculty within the West Midlands is doing simply that for its workers – and virtually instantly it has seen a drop in sick days and attracted new recruits.

Among them is St Peter’s Catholic School’s new science instructor Abid Mustafa, who says “it’s essential for my wellbeing, that one day a fortnight helps balance everything out”.

Almost distinctive in England, the initiative was taken by the Solihull faculty’s head instructor Stuart Shelton, who says it has led to attracting candidates for roles that obtained no curiosity final 12 months.

Mr Shelton stated the break day has additionally paid off with current workers, who’re feeling extra motivated.

Mr Mustafa’s function was one which beforehand attracted no candidates, and the 25-year-old says the initiative is “very unique – no other school does it”.

He described a instructor’s workload as “intense” and explains he now “couldn’t imagine school life without it”, utilizing the break day to go to household and pals and go the gymnasium.

Mr Shelton says the coverage can also be serving to with workers retention, after final 12 months shedding quite a lot of “great teachers to other professions because of the workload”.

This is mirrored nationally in Department for Education figures, which present 39, 971 (8.8%) teachers in England left in 2022-23, not together with those that died or retired.

Since introducing the break day, Mr Shelton stated no workers had requested to go away and workers illness ranges on the faculty had gone down.

“We’re seeing a far better attendance rate of teachers which ultimately means the pupils are getting the best possible lessons,” he stated.

The days off are staggered throughtout the 2 weeks so the college can stay open.

Staff are usually not in a position to decide on the day they get off and it’s deliberate on a rota foundation as a substitute.

It has allowed Kelly Davis to spend extra time along with her dad and mom and look after her mom who has dementia.

The 48-year-old English instructor stated: “You’re always juggling, who do you put first?

“You need to have the ability to put your loved ones first however there are occasions when it’s essential be current on your class or your faculty.”

The teacher, a parent herself, said she spent most weekends doing marking but the day off allowed her to complete that work so she could spend the weekend with her parents.

In the six weeks since it was introduced, Ms Davis said it had already made a “large distinction”.

For Stefanie Lakin, it means she can work full-time at the school and still run her charity Madrina, which provides prom outfits for young people.

The 43-year-old, who is the school’s director of learning for personal development, described the scheme as a “game-changer”.

The teacher, who has 23 years of experience, said: “We cannot hold speaking about workload and issues and never do one thing about it. [But this] addresses the work-life stability”.

Describing the atmosphere in the staff room after it was announced, she said: “It was like somebody had received the lottery. It was wonderful.”