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Headteacher Update, June 24: Flexible Working - 3 mini case-studies

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Headteacher Update, June 24: Flexible Working - 3 mini case-studies

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Flexible working is recognised as one solution to the teacher recruitment and retention challenges we face. Laura McPhee considers three case studies of potential approaches

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We are unfortunately all too familiar with the statistics around teacher recruitment and retention.

In its annual report into the state of the teacher labour market, the National Foundation for Educational Research found that 44% more teachers stated they intended to leave teaching in 2022/23 than the previous year (McLean et al, 2024).

The situation at secondary level is dire, but primary recruitment is also behind government targets.

The report acknowledges the challenges related to teacher pay and workload and recognises that remote and hybrid working remains more prevalent in the wider graduate labour market than in teaching.

It comes after a research review by the Education Endowment Foundation last year ( Harland et al, 2023) recognised flexible working approaches that had potential to keep teachers at the chalkface - including 10 "enablers" that help schools to make a success of flexible working ( you can see Headteacher Update's coverage of this here).

This raises questions for school leaders about the need to "re-imagine" flexible working opportunities for our employees.

So, how can school leaders introduce flexible working into our settings in a sustainable, cost-effective way?

I'd like to take you on a trip to visit three schools or trusts which are making flexible working work for their contexts.
Case study 1: Charles Dickens Primary School
Charles Dickens Primary is based in Southwark in south London. Part of the Charter Schools Educational Trust, the school has twice been accredited as Flexible Working Ambassador School for the London region.

Flexible Working Ambassador Multi-Academy Trusts and Schools have been appointed to support school leaders to implement and embed flexible working practices. Working as a lead school for the programme since 2022, Charles Dickens Primary has supported schools and trusts to review their current approaches and make sustainable changes.

To be accredited, Charles Dickens Primary needed to be able to demonstrate systems and processes that enable equitable flexible working opportunities (as opposed to ad hoc arrangements).
Flexible working in practice
The leadership team at Charles Dickens Primary believes that the solution lies in systemic change.

As a result, the policy and processes to facilitate flexible working are clear and transparent. The school has a "solutions-focused" approach which means that all flexible working requests will be considered. Applicants understand that any flexible working arrangement needs to work for both parties (school and staff member).

All flexible working set-ups are agreed for a fixed term and reviewed regularly. This provides regular opportunities for both parties to discuss what is working well and what, if any, adaptations need to be made. Codifying these systems and processes have ensured there is an equitable approach.

Headteacher Michael Eggleton stresses that it is not a case of one size fits all and emphasises that strategies can be adapted according to each context.

Leaders are also able to explore degrees of flexibility such as hybrid professional development or the granting of ad hoc requests for special leave to enable staff members to attend personal appointments.
What impact has this had?
Mr Eggleton explained: "If teachers joining the profession feel as though they are not able to have a life beyond work, protect their wellbeing and manage competing priorities, then we will not be able to tackle the recruitment and retention challenges that lie ahead."

Leaders have seen the positive impact of the school's approach on staff retention. This is reflected in the enthusiastic way team members describe flexible working.

One teacher at the school, Dr Amy Mulvenna, said: "Flexible working has allowed me to work part-time while completing my PhD. I have now returned to full-time teaching and see the benefits of my CPD and how this continues to enrich my practice."

In addition to flexible working arrangements, staff are offered "stay interviews", an interesting inversion on the traditional exit interview.

The meetings are independent of the appraisal process and enable senior leaders to understand an employee's aspirations or goals for the future. The interviews have also had positive impact on retention and enabled the school to keep highly skilled teachers in the profession.

Staff are also gifted a personal day - this is half-a-day each term to spend as they please with "no questions asked". The leadership team recognised that they were able to cover staff sickness absence at short notice and therefore had the capacity to cover short spells of planned infrequent absence.

Case study 2: St Paul's Way School

St Paul's Way is a large all-through school in Tower Hamlets, east London, which is part of the University Schools Trust.

Across the secondary phase, teachers are entitled to 17% planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time - significantly higher than the national average.

Teachers and support staff have the opportunity to work flexibly in a number of ways - for example from September main scale teachers are offered 100 minutes of PPA from home every fortnight. There are also informal arrangements in place for staff members to work from home when completing time-sensitive tasks that require uninterrupted focus. Sabbaticals, career breaks and secondments are also encouraged.

Headteachers Firdusi Uddin (secondary and sixth form) and Siobhan Fehim (primary) explained how these initiatives have had a positive impact on staff wellbeing, staff retention and recruitment.

This has also resulted in cost efficiencies over time as staff in whom the school has invested significant time, energy and resource are less likely to leave and be replaced with inexperienced staff.

Flexible working has also protected the school - and trust - from a talent drain, as expert teachers and leaders report feeling valued. They know they are trusted to work autonomously where appropriate, while still executing their work to a high standard.

Careers education and guidance manager, Kawtar El Ouaraini, explained: "My flexible working arrangements have helped me to balance my workload effectively. My role can be fast-paced as I complete student-facing and administrative tasks as well as planning and coordinating events.

"Working flexibly has allowed me to prioritise my workload and maximise my productivity so that I am able to complete my administrative tasks and participate in external meetings.

"My line manager and the trust have been supportive of my flexible working requests. This has given my morale a boost as I feel trusted to complete my duties to a high standard."

Case study 3: Dixons Academies Trust

To many, the Dixons Academies Trust is seen as a "positive disruptor" within the sector. The trust spans Leeds, Bradford, Manchester and Liverpool and already has a flexible working offer.

Indeed, trust chief executive Luke Sparkes is keen to develop this further. As a result, from September, the trust will move to a nine-day fortnight for teaching staff.

The leadership team looked beyond the education sector to learn from other professions that already had creative flexible working models in place.

Mr Sparkes explained: "This proposal has generated great excitement in the area and re-invigorated the team after a challenging period post-pandemic. We are confident this will lead to further innovation."

The leadership team has created a culture of "aligned autonomy", rather than a homogenised approach. In keeping with this spirit, each of the 17 headteachers within the trust will roll-out the initiative in the way that is most appropriate for their setting and context.

Some of the schools participating are situated in areas which have traditionally found it particularly hard to recruit. These schools have already reported an increase in applications for vacant posts.

In four years, Mr Sparkes is hopeful the workforce will look very different. He expects traditional teaching methods and practices to be defined by two key features:
Final thoughts

Teaching teams: Dedicated teams of trained teachers or adults delivering lessons to groups of pupils rather than over reliance on one adult. This may alleviate pressure on succession planning and support pupil wellbeing, increasing the odds of a child making a connection with a trusted adult.

Technology: The most obvious way to introduce flexibility to staff working patterns is to hire more teachers. However, school budgets are already stretched, and it is unlikely that this will change in the near future. As technology advances, so may the demand for "supervised remote learning". Interestingly, this may coincide with further developments in artificial intelligence.

There are many reasons to avoid engaging with flexible working arrangements. Schools describe tackling timetable challenges, scaling offers according to the school context or size, and the importance of ensuring any offer is financially sustainable. However, the benefits outweigh the challenges. As the private sector continues to offer attractive hybrid roles, there is little alternative. Ultimately, flexible working underpinned by truly inclusive policies leads to happier, more fulfilled teachers.
Further information & resources

Laura McPhee is director of education at University Schools Trust. She is a member of the Virtual School Management Board, executive committee member of the Lambeth Safer Children Partnership and guest lecturer at London South Bank University. Find her previous articles and podcast appearances for Headteacher Update via www.headteacher-update.com/authors/laura-mcphee

DfE: Guidance: Get help with flexible working in schools, 2023: www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-flexible-working-in-schools

DfE: Flexible working in schools, 2024: www.gov.uk/government/publications/flexible-working-in-schools/flexible-working-in-schools--2

Dixons Academies Trust: Flexible working: www.joindixonsat.com/641/flexible-working?preview

Dixons Academies Trust: Flexible working: C reating a timetable to achieve a flexible working pattern for our teachers, YouTube video, 2024: www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9KrgOJTXfk

Find Your Flex: Flexible working toolkit: www.findyourflex.org.uk/toolkit

Flexible Working Ambassador MATs and Schools: www.flexibleworkingineducation.co.uk

Harland, Bradley & Worth: Understanding the factors that support the recruitment and retention of teachers - review of flexible working approaches, EEF, NFER, 2023: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/evidence-reviews/flexible-working-approaches

McLean, Worth & Smith: Teacher labour market in England, NFER, 2024: www.nfer.ac.uk/media/hqdglvra/teacher_labour_market_in_england_annual_report_2024.pdf

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Flexible working in schools: Three mini-case studies - Headteacher Update

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Flexible working is recognised as one solution to the teacher recruitment and retention challenges we face. Laura McPhee considers three case studies of potential approaches

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DfE: Flexible Working in schools - costs and benefits (IFF Research)

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DfE: Flexible Working in schools - costs and benefits (IFF Research)

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DfE and Capita: Flexible Working in Education website and toolkit 2024

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DfE and Capita: Flexible Working in Education website and toolkit 2024

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Capita, funded by the Department for Education (DfE), are delivering a programme to promote flexible working practices in Multi-Academy Trusts and schools, which includes a series of free training and support webinars.

Webinar and resource topics will include, amongst others, implementing flexible working, best practice and case studies, diversity in the workforce and co‑leadership and job sharing.

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Find out more

Flexible working in conjunction with diversity, equity and inclusion

We hope you can join us for this one-hour webinar that will focus on how flexible working can promote equity, diversity, and inclusion within schools. During the webinar we aim to demonstrate how flexible working can help to recruit, retain, and develop teachers and leaders. We will explore and challenge existing barriers to accessing flexible working arrangements and how different groups may be impacted by this e.g., those with a disability, carers, and parents, those reaching retirement age. There will be practical advice provided, including case studies, on how schools can use flexible working effectively and model inclusive workplace practices. Responsibilities under the Equality Act including PSED will also be discussed.

Book course

Supporting progression with flex

Join us for this session where we will be exploring how flexible working works with senior leadership roles in schools - with career progression. We will look at how drawing on your previous skills and experience can support your application for flexible working, as well as alternative approaches to progression and case studies of 'Now Teachers' in promoted posts.
This session will particularly support career-changer teachers who want both flexibility and additional responsibilities/leadership roles. It will also be helpful to those wanting to explore what career progression looks like for career-changers who don't want to be in senior leadership roles. Anyone with an interest in this area is welcome to attend.

Book course

Flexible working and early teaching careers

Join us for this hour-long session where we will discuss how the need to work flexibly is something that we are all likely to need, and possibly be able to do, at some point in our working lives. This webinar will have a particular focus on ECTs, highlighting the value of flexible working in supporting teacher recruitment and retention. If flexible working is to be successful, there are obligations and expectations of the employer and employee. During the session we will look at the likely and particular nature of support required for ECTs who work flexibly.

Book course

Identifying and communicating a vision for flexible working

Join us for this one-hour event, which aims to support you in defining and creating a vision for implementing flexible working.

We'll explore the drivers and priorities for change, as well as how to effectively communicate this vision to colleagues to encourage buy-in.

Book course

Making a flexible working request

Are you currently on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave and thinking about making a flexible working request? If so, this is the perfect session for you. Join us for this session to learn about your legal entitlements, current best practice and how to prepare to negotiate to find a flexible working pattern that mutually benefits both you and your school.

This webinar will be particularly helpful for teachers currently on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave. It may also be of interest to teachers who have taken any period of extended leave, or teachers who are making a flexible working request but are currently back at work.

Book course

Setting boundaries for effective flexible working

This one-hour webinar will focus on identifying areas of our flexible working lives where there may be a need to establish or strengthen boundaries. We will discuss strategies on setting and holding boundaries effectively. Our aim is to help you understand how effective boundary setting can support flexible working practices, wellbeing, workload and a sense of fulfilment in both personal and professional lives.

Book course

New flex legislation - are you ready?

Understand the new Flexible Working Act and how schools can prepare for the changes.

The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act will soon introduce new requirements for employers. Secondary legislation is planned that will allow employees to request flexible working from the start of their employment. This means that schools will need to adjust hiring practices and reconsider how flexible working requests are managed.

As well as introducing the new legislation, we will discuss its importance, the types of flexibility covered under the legislation, what it means for you, how you can prepare and action planning.

View

Using flexible working to attract and retain local talent (particularly in areas that experience a high level of disadvantage)

This session aims to support you in attracting and retaining talent in your local context and to create a sustainable workforce that supports your community.

You will hear from two schools working in areas of high disadvantage who have actively sought to diversify their workforce to enable and encourage more employees from their local community to gain employment with them.

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Learning to lead flexible working - effective mindsets for new school leaders

Supporting new and established leaders, this session will focus on learning to lead the implementation of flexible working.

After exploring the wider context of flexible working, the webinar will consider how the flexible working toolkit can be used to bring about positive change. During the session we will discuss practical tips and strategies through two unique case studies. The first of which considers the unique experience of an experienced headteacher, now working flexibly, and the second on leading change as a new school leader in a large secondary school.

The session will then outline different mindsets towards cultural change and how these can be understood and challenged. You will leave the webinar with not only an understanding of two case studies, but also practical advice and strategies to bring about change.

View

Making a flexible working request

Are you currently on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave and thinking about making a flexible working request? If so, this is the perfect session for you. Join us for this session to learn about your legal entitlements, current best practice and how to prepare to negotiate to find a flexible working pattern that mutually benefits both you and your school.

This webinar will be particularly helpful for teachers currently on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave. It may also be of interest to teachers who have taken any period of extended leave, or teachers who are making a flexible working request but are currently back at work.

View

Flexible Working from ECT to Retirement

This webinar focuses on how flexible working can support school staff from the start to the end of their career. As well as illustrating how staff in all roles (at all ages and stages) can benefit from flexible working, we will also explore how schools and trusts benefit from supporting them. During the session case studies will be used to provide examples of the different support available. We will also discuss the importance of developing a culture where it is always okay to talk about flexible working.

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Leading Flex for HR and School Business Managers

This session aims to help you to develop your understanding of flexible working in MATs and schools by exploring what it can look like and what the benefits are. Practical advice will be provided on handling flexible working requests, using flexible working opportunities in recruitment and managing those working flexibly. This will include looking at flexible working policies, legislation and statutory guidance. We will consider job adverts and recruitment processes, and we will discuss scenarios that may come up when managing MAT and school staff who are working flexibly.

View

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Home | Flexible working in Multi-Academy Trusts and schools

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Flexible Working in Multi-Academy Trusts and schools is a free programme of training and support webinars from Capita, funded by the Department for Education.

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Flexible Working in Schools: Teacher Hub

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Flexible Working in Schools: Teacher Hub

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Work is underway to support teachers and leaders to tackle unnecessary workload, as the government establishes a new taskforce of unions, teachers, and sector leaders. The taskforce will help support the government's wider ambition to reduce working hours for teachers and leaders by 5 hours per week within 3 years.

The launch of the workload reduction taskforce follows the 6.5% pay award announced in July when the Education Secretary committed to reducing teacher and leader workload.

The group of 14 includes representatives from all 4 teaching unions, as well as teachers, leaders, academics and other sector experts. The variety of expertise within the group will provide insight from across all parts of the education sector, from on the ground perspectives to those in positions of management and leadership. The first meeting will take place later this week.

Alongside measures to tackle workload, the Department for Education is also planning an update to its teacher recruitment and retention strategy to continue to attract, support and develop the highly skilled teachers needed to inspire the next generation.

Schools Minister, Nick Gibb said:

We've seen rising schools standards over the last decade, and that wouldn't be possible without the work of great teachers. We do, however, continue to hear the concerns of teachers and school leaders about workload, which is why we want to build on the past successes in reducing workloads and continue to remove additional burdens, so that teachers can focus on what they do best: teach.

This builds on the generous pay rise agreed earlier this year, as part of the government's continued commitment to building a highly skilled, well supported teaching profession.

This builds on a report from earlier this year that found two-thirds of teachers reported that they spent over half of their working time on tasks other than teaching, rising to 77% of secondary teachers.

School leaders will also receive support to embed flexible working in their schools, as a new toolkit is set to be launched later this month with practical resources to help them implement practices including job shares, part-time working and ad-hoc flexibility such as the occasional personal day. A further 5 new flexible working ambassador multi-academy trusts and schools ( FWAMS) have today been announced, complementing the 7 announced in June this year.

The FWAMS appointed are Lapal Primary School of Hales Valley Trust, Newport Girls' High School Academy Trust, Aspire Alternative Provision School, the Halifax Academy of Impact Education Multi-Academy Trust, and the Reach Academy Feltham of the Reach Academy Trust.

Michael Scott, of Newport Girls' High School said:

Newport Girls' High School is delighted to be re-designated as the flexible working ambassador multi academy trust and school for the west midlands region. Having helped a number of trusts to improve their flexible working offer during phase one of the project in 2021-2022, we look forward to spreading the word further and wider over the next 2 years.

The FWAMS will champion flexible working and provide bespoke peer support in how to implement it within the profession. This delivers on the commitments in the teacher recruitment and retention strategy.

Since its launch nearly 5 years ago, the department has made considerable progress in delivering its teacher recruitment and retention strategy to attract, retain and develop the highly skilled teachers needed to inspire the next generation. This includes implementing a 'golden thread' of professional development, ensuring all teachers have access to high-quality training and support at every stage of their career.

This winter, the department will publish a strategy update that builds upon its commitment to give every child a world class education delivered by great teachers. The update will provide an update on delivery of previous commitments, and set out priorities for the coming years.

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New taskforce to tackle teacher workload

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Government announces membership of taskforce working towards reducing teacher and leader workload, alongside support to embed flexible working.

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""SHN gave me the confidence that I didn't even know I needed to be the best version of myself, personally and professionally. The fabulous women (and man) I met during the training days provided a wealth of experience. Everyone was so personable and friendly and willing to share their experiences so openly. I got practical advice about how to push more for flexible working and left fired up with inspiration from a group of incredibly passionate people with a progressive mindset about how we can make our schools the best places they can be for our pupils, because ultimately if that's not who we're in this for, what are we doing?""

- Aspiring headteacher, current middle leader. Attendee, SHN networking and leadership training conference. London, 2019.

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Uniting talented school leaders to progress to job share headship

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Flexible Working Rationale and Definitions from Athelstan Trust

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Flexible Working Rationale and Definitions from Athelstan Trust

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Flexible Working Rationale and Definitions

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South-East England and South London Ambassador details

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South-East England and South London Ambassador details

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Ambassador: Emily Crow ecrow@londonsouthtsh.org

Through Charles Dickens Primary School website

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The DfE has done extra work on flexible working and special school contexts.  This will hopefully be published later this year.

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Flex Teacher Talent Website: supporting teachers to work flexibly

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Flex Teacher Talent Website: supporting teachers to work flexibly

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Schools might be raring to go or they might be reluctant to adopt flexible working for a variety of reasons. In the mental gymnastics of school life, we want to simplify the process for you. We will provide;

1. Greater understanding of flexible working within the school context.

2. Understanding of the benefits of flexible working to the school, employees and pupils.

2. Examples of brilliance - case studies of schools already demonstrating best practice.

3. A toolkit of practical tips for implementation of flexible working practices.

4. Research and information to help break down traditional barriers to flexible working.

Each package will be bespoke to your needs but a typical set of services could include:

A presentation on the benefits of flexible working in education for Governors and Headteachers.

A whole staff consultation to assess flexible working requirements.

Support through transition to a flexible working culture.

Specific training for middle leaders on managing team members returning to work flexibly after a career break.

A meeting with HR to audit and introduce more flexible recruitment processes.

KIT day training sessions for teachers on parental leave considering returning to work flexibly

If you are a MAT, TSA or individual school who wants to learn more about how we can support your schools to normalise flexible working, email us at flexibleteachertalent@gmail.com

If you are a school looking for specialist teachers to work ad hoc hours and want to save money on agency fees, sign up to ReturntoTeach.

It is worth noting that most perceived barriers with the timetable can now be solved at the touch of a button almost exclusively with algorithm software designed for purpose by companies like EdvalUK. Get in touch with them for a free timetable audit!

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Schools might be raring to go or they might be reluctant to adopt flexible working for a variety of reasons. In the mental gymnastics of school life, we want to simplify the process for you. We will provide; 1. Greater understanding of flexible working within the school context. 2.

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Flexible working in schools: Headteacher jobshare

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A headteacher has implemented job shares successfully at her primary school in Brockley.

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A headteacher has implemented job shares successfully at her primary school in Brockley.

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Sue Harte, headteacher
John Stainer School, Brockley, London
Phase: primary

Number of pupils: 424

When I first came to the school, I had one very experienced teacher working in key stage 2. When she decided to have children, we talked about her and her husband doing a job share together in year 6. They have now been doing this very successfully for 15 years! This has allowed me to retain a full time teacher and has meant they are able to keep their teaching skills current whilst both having the opportunity to parent their sons. They also share an assistant head teacher role, which has been great.

The culture around flexible working

I have never declined a flexible working request. With the governors, I tell them why I'm committed to it, and they completely agree and support this. They know that to get the best out of our staff, we need to be prepared to be flexible. The teachers in my school are very committed to looking after other people's children in their role as teachers so we need to support them when they want to prioritise looking after their own little ones for a while.

Planning for flexible working

Requests for flexible working may well come out of informal conversations about a member of staff's future, for example, if they become pregnant. Or, it could be part of their performance management conversation where they might discuss what they want to aspire to in the next few years. For example, one of our teachers is an aspiring artist and he wanted to work part time so that he had more time to paint. We have an open and honest dialogue about any flexible working requests, looking at impact, feasibility and how we might plan ahead. We consider both their needs and how it can work practically in the school. I think about staffing for the following academic year around May to June.

What are the benefits for the staff and the school?

Strong teachers are attracted to our school because we are prepared to be flexible. We have explicitly advertised for new partners to join an existing job share, and we have gained a number of teachers who were attracted by our reputation for flexibility. We had a lot of interest in our teacher vacancies this year, and being flexible also means we have very good staff retention as we are able to accommodate changes in family circumstances, which means teachers can look after their children and work part time.

The parents are used to the children having more than one teacher. They know that it works well because their children are happy and the results are consistently good. The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in 2016 to 2018 was above the national average compared to both local authority and England state-funded schools. In relation to the job share at year 6, one parent said to me: "Having the 2 teachers at year 6 is great preparation for the children as they get ready to move to secondary where they will have numerous teachers." I definitely agree.

For the children in year 6, they have a male and a female teacher, so they get different role models, and 2 teachers with different areas of expertise. It is a win-win situation. I really value having more than one teacher with the same class, because it means I always get 2 different perspectives on the children. The teachers can also focus on the subjects that they are most confident in, which works really well for them and for the children. They can manage their time flexibly, which means they can switch working days between themselves if they need to. Working part-time means that they can much better balance being involved in their family life as well as progressing in their careers.

What are the challenges for the school?

Timetabling can be a challenge, but it helps me enormously when the staff think creatively about the solutions. For example, 2 young mums came to me and asked if they could job share together with a crossover day in the middle, as they were going to look after each other's babies on the other days. This meant they could avoid costly child care as well as knowing their child was in very safe hands! With a job share, I have to make sure that they can have a face-to-face handover, so I always have an 'overlap day' on a Wednesday. I schedule staff meetings on the handover day because then it means that everyone can attend. Then, on that day the 'extra teacher' can help cover PPA or support intervention groups when they aren't needed in the classroom - another win-win situation.

You have to think beyond initial concerns about the timetable. It is challenging, but it can be worked out with a bit of effort, and the gains are really worth it for everyone. It's important to have an open and honest dialogue, and everybody needs to be prepared to be flexible. There are challenges, but there is a lot to be gained from the school's perspective. Staff who do not feel like they are trying to juggle too much in their lives, are less stressed, happier and work better. I am very fortunate to have a very happy, productive staff, with many people working flexibly, and am fully committed to continuing with this ethos, knowing that ultimately there are great benefits for everyone.

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Sue Harte, headteacher John Stainer School, Brockley, London Phase: primary Number of pupils: 424 When I first came to the school, I had one very experienced teacher working in key stage 2. When she decided to have children, we talked about her and her husband doing a job share together in year 6.

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A maths teacher and his school have made flexible working a success at a secondary school in Croydon.

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A maths teacher and his school have made flexible working a success at a secondary school in Croydon.

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A maths teacher and his school have made flexible working a success at a secondary school in Croydon.

Tell us about your background

Before teaching I worked in investment banking. I trained to be a teacher with Now Teach, who support experienced professionals to train as teachers. The opportunity to follow Now Teach's compressed programme was a major draw to become a teacher. In my former profession, I was able to work flexibly from home, but the culture was that you were in the office. My initial teacher training was at Oasis Shirley Park. During my training year I worked 4 days a week and the school were always very supportive of my part time arrangement.

I then stayed with Oasis Shirley Park for my newly qualified teacher year following the award of my qualified teacher status. I was keen to continue working 4 days a week. The school worked compassionately with me and my department to make sure that it worked for everyone.

What are the personal benefits and challenges for you in working flexibly?

My experience of working flexibly has been fantastic and I love it. I currently work 0.8 full-time equivalent ( FTE). Having a day off means I can see my children more, and I can attend more personal and professional events. Ultimately, the biggest benefit so far is that I can be a calmer, better teacher which I think is of great benefit to the students and for my own teaching experience.

The biggest challenge for me is that I do not always have the same day off. It can change year to year.

What are the impacts and challenges of working flexibly on your school?

The biggest issue was timetabling. I worked together with the timetabler and the head of department to think about how my part-time arrangement could work for the school as well as me. We had to plan carefully to make sure that the timetable worked for pupils and other staff members.

We do split classes at Shirley Park, where two or more teachers share a class between them. I can see positives and weaknesses either way of split classes, but so far, I have found they have worked well when managed properly. The pupils do not consider them different from having one designated teacher but regard it as normal.

I share a Year 7 and a Year 8 class with another teacher. I have both classes for one lesson a week. The lead teacher has overall responsibility for the class and is accountable for pupil's progress. We communicate regularly via email, sharing information about the pupils and their progress in lessons. For more delicate issues, we have face to face meetings.

As well as my teaching role I have been able to take on leadership opportunities. I am now Head of Year 12 and I can do this on a part-time basis. Half the maths department are also part-time, all working on reduced hours.

We have seen that part-time work has become more popular as a result. Our former headteacher who is returning to work following her maternity leave has taken up a 0.8 FTE week. She has told me she was inspired to do it because of the example we have set. Part-time work is now starting to be normalised, rather than it being different.

What advice would you have for others considering flexible working?

Without the opportunity for compressed training, I would not have considered entering the profession. The opportunity to remain part-time has kept me in the profession. I do believe that any school can do it, but it requires a willingness from both sides to make it work. Most people do not know they can ask for it and I would encourage anyone who feels it could improve their professional and personal life to discuss it with their school leadership.

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Working as a part-time teacher after a career change

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White Meadows has used flexible working to recruit and keep high-calibre staff, supporting their path from special measures to a good Ofsted rating.

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White Meadows has used flexible working to recruit and keep high-calibre staff, supporting their path from special measures to a good Ofsted rating.

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Background

White Meadows is a 3-form entry community primary school based in Littlehampton, in one of the most deprived parts of West Sussex. The infant and junior schools were amalgamated in 2011, at which point they were both in special measures. It currently has just under 100 teaching and support staff.

Challenge

While the shortage of teaching staff has been a national issue for many years, recruitment and retention is more difficult for schools in deprived areas. Additionally, a legacy of being in special measures makes the situation more difficult, even when a school is starting to improve. This is a challenge which the leaders at White Meadows have sought to tackle through their flexible working strategy.

Changing the culture

Over the last 8 years, leaders at White Meadows have used flexible working to attract and keep a group of passionate, resilient teachers who relish the challenges of their roles and are prepared to go the extra mile to support their pupils.

The drive for flexible working was initially led by the school's headteacher (now its executive head), who set out to create a culture in which people's lives did not take second place to their jobs. In practice, this meant taking the approach that they would try to accommodate flexible working requests, for whatever reason.

How they fulfilled this promise

Leading from the top

The school's leadership team openly champions flexible working, the current headteacher worked a 4-day week in her previous role as the school's deputy headteacher. As a result, staff are confident that they can be honest about their need for flexible working.

Taking a proactive approach

Staff who are due to take maternity leave are asked about their return plans before they go, giving the school time to work out the best way to accommodate their wishes. Flexible staff are celebrated, not tolerated. Candidates are told about the flexible approach during their tours of the school.

Taking time and care with job design

Leaders work hard to match part-time roles and partnerships with staff needs and personalities, as well as the needs of pupils.

Championing the benefits

Leaders are open about how the school benefits from flexible working. For example, they are positive with staff and parents about how job shares provide a 'fresh' teacher part-way through the week, as well as providing some pupils with a mid-week chance to start again. As a result, parents are generally supportive.

Making the most of staff members' outside interests

One part-time teacher runs the education unit in a local museum for the rest of her working week. The school has built strong links with the museum as a result and asked the teacher to use her experience to write the school's history curriculum.

Being flexible about flexible working

Leaders are careful not to assume that staff will work outside of their part-time arrangements, for example, if staff attend inset days on their scheduled day off, they are given the time back. Staff are allocated 3 days personal leave to allow them to attend their own children's school events or take care of other personal priorities.

Leaders have noted a number of ways in which COVID-19 has changed working practices for the better.

As the school is part of a national academy trust (Reach2), leaders and staff were previously required to travel around the country for trust-wide meetings. These have been moved online, which benefits both staff and budgets, and will hopefully continue to some degree.

The school has embraced technology during lockdown, using a platform called SeeSaw to set work and engage with pupils (for example, posting videos of the nursery teacher reading stories online). They will continue to use SeeSaw to set homework and believe this technology could also support teachers' ability to work remotely in the future.

Outcome

The school's positive approach to flexible working means that it is no longer seen as something just for staff members who are parents, and has resulted in a number of interesting developments.

For example:

there are currently 3 job share partnerships, including the year 1 team leaders

a number of staff work part-time in a role designed to cover colleagues' planning, preparation and assessment time

2 year 6 teachers don't have a class of their own, but instead work a 0.6 contract spread across 5 mornings, taking smaller groups, set by ability, for further stretch and challenge

2 higher-level teaching assistants are working part-time while they study for university degrees

Staff retention has increased, with the number of leavers dropping from 16 in 2015 to 8 in 2018 and just 3 in 2019. Anecdotally, the improved well-being of the staff body has also been noted.

Headteacher Rebecca Misselbrook says,

Teachers and school support staff tend to be caring, family-oriented, values-driven people, they wouldn't choose this profession otherwise.

So it's important that school leaders allow them to provide the same care and attention for their own families and personal lives as they do for their pupils.

Flexible working allows our brilliant staff to balance the challenges of their role with the rest of their lives, and we benefit from this as much as they do. It's simple, really, if you keep your staff happy, they will stay.

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White Meadows is a 3-form entry community primary school based in Littlehampton, in one of the most deprived parts of West Sussex. The infant and junior schools were amalgamated in 2011, at which point they were both in special measures. It currently has just under 100 teaching and support staff.

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Summary Poster: Benefits of Flexible Working

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Summary Poster: Benefits of Flexible Working

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Find out about flexible working ambassador schools and how to contact the ambassador school in your region.

Overview

Flexible working practices can:

help to recruit, retain and motivate teachers

support schools to deploy their staff effectively and efficiently

improve staff wellbeing

promote equality of opportunity and diversity in teaching

In March 2021 the Department for Education ( DfE) appointed 8 flexible working ambassador schools across England.

We selected the flexible working ambassador schools following a competitive application process. They are funded for delivery until December 2022.

Role and responsibilities of flexible working ambassador schools

Flexible working ambassador schools will be responsible for:

awareness raising, acting as influencers, attending and hosting peer-to-peer training events and working with local networks to champion flexible working

providing practical support to schools through coaching and advising

supporting participant schools to address challenges relating to flexible working, to offer more flexible working opportunities and to embed a positive culture towards it

recruiting at least 5 schools across their region to provide one-to-one, bespoke support from April 2021 to December 2022, including a school most in need of support (flexible working ambassador schools may use their discretion to decide what constitutes greatest need in their region - this could include a school that is within the top 30th percentile in relation to pupils on pupil premium or a school that is facing challenges in relation to recruitment or retention)

If you would like more information about the support available in relation to flexible working, please contact your region's flexible working ambassador school.

March 2021: ambassador schools were notified of their appointments following selection process.

Summer term 2021: project launch meeting with DfE.

Summer term 2021 to autumn term 2022: flexible working ambassador schools offering support in their regions.

December 2022: project end date.

For more information about flexible working ambassador schools, email us at FlexibleWorking.RESOURCES@education.gov.uk.

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Links to 3  webinars for Head Teachers and MAT leaders, school business professionals and HR and Governors and trustees. 

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Links to 3  webinars for Head Teachers and MAT leaders, school business professionals and HR and Governors and trustees. 

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We’ve been appointed by the Department for Education to train school leaders in flexible working.

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What is the Flexible Working Ambassador School programme?The Department for Education (DfE) launched the Flexible Working Ambassador Schools (FWAS) programme in 2020 looking for 8 schools across the Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) regions of England that would: ➣ Improve the policies, practice a…

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Overview

This non-statutory guidance has been produced to:

help employers develop and implement flexible working policies

support employees who want to request flexible working.

It draws on the latest evidence on flexible working, as well as good practice from education settings.

Schools and multi-academy trusts are encouraged to adopt a flexible working policy which responds to the needs of the staff, and the employer, to address the challenges to flexible working in their school. Employers could consider embedding strategic, whole-school approaches to flexible working, with contribution from all parties.

This guidance includes:

an updated definition of flexible working and a broader range of arrangements

information on the process for requesting flexible working

key considerations for leaders

potential challenges to implementing and requesting flexible working

This guidance is intended to be read alongside our other resources on flexible working, including case studies.

This replaces the guidance published in February 2017. It will be reviewed before September 2022.

Who this publication is for

This guidance is for:

employers developing flexible working policies or processing flexible working requests, including

headteachers

governors

chief executive officers

local governing bodies

trustees

school employees requesting flexible working

local authorities providing human resources advice to maintained schools about flexible working

Benefits of flexible working

All employers have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their staff. This includes minimising the risk of stress-related illness. A clear flexible working policy can form an important part of this duty, especially when integrated with broader staff wellbeing policies.

We know that many schools are already implementing flexible working and responding favourably to requests. As detailed in ' Exploring flexible working practice in schools: interim report, 2019 ', schools report the following benefits from implementing flexible working:

retaining experienced staff

recruiting from a broader pool of teachers

promoting wellbeing

improving work-life balance

Offering flexible working arrangements can help to ensure that teaching suits employees at different stages of their life, such as those:

with caring responsibilities

planning a phased retirement

returning from a career break

combining work in a school with professional development or work in their field of study

Defining flexible working

Flexible working can be defined as 'arrangements which allow employees to vary the amount, timing, or location of their work' .

Some forms of flexible working may be more suitable for particular roles in schools than others. Employees making a request should consider which forms of flexible working are best suited their role, as individual circumstances vary. It is possible for employees to have more than one type of flexible working arrangement in place. Arrangements may be altered as an individual's circumstances change.

In general, flexible working includes the below arrangements.

Part-time working

Part time

Working less than full-time hours. Not all teachers who work part time choose to do so. This may be linked to subject and timetabling requirements, particularly if they teach subjects for which there is low demand. Employees can work full time but still have flexible work arrangements in place.

Two or more people doing one job and splitting the hours.

Phased retirement

Gradually reducing working hours and/or responsibilities to transition from full-time work to full-time retirement.

Varied hours

Staggered hours

The employee has different start, finish and break times.

Compressed hours

Working full-time hours but over fewer days.

Annualised hours

Working hours spread across the year, which may include some school closure days, or where hours vary across the year to suit the school and employee.

In-year flexibility

These types of flexible working may also form part of whole employer policies.

Personal or family days

Days of authorised leave during term time to which all employees in a school are entitled.

Lieu time

Paid time off work for having worked additional hours.

Home or remote working

The employee carries out work off site.

The process for requesting flexible working

Flexible working can be requested through either statutory or non-statutory routes.

For both types of request, we encourage the requester and their manager to informally discuss:

Trial periods should precede any contractual changes.

Flexible working arrangements can be requested by any member of school staff, including those in leadership positions and non-classroom-based roles. Requests for flexible working are not limited to those returning from maternity leave.

We encourage the employer and employee to work together to establish an arrangement which works for both the employee's need and the school's, in particular to ensure consistently high-quality provision for pupils.

Statutory requests for flexible working

The Employment Rights Act 1996 introduces the formal right of employees to request flexible working following 26 weeks of continuous employment. This is known as ' making a statutory application '.

Employees are only eligible to make a statutory request for flexible working if they have not made a request to work flexibly within the past 12 months. Employers have a responsibility to provide a response to a statutory flexible working request within three months, including the conclusion of any appeal.

The employee should submit a written application to their manager:

stating their desired working pattern and the intended start date

at least 3 months in advance of the proposed change

setting out ways of mitigating the impact of the request on the school and their colleagues

including if their request is in relation to the Equality Act, for example as a reasonable adjustment for a disability

Any request that is made and accepted will be a permanent change to the employee's contractual terms and conditions, unless agreed otherwise. If the employer refuses the flexible working request, they must write to the employee giving the business reasons for the refusal. The employee may be able to submit a complaint to an employment tribunal.

For more information about making a statutory flexible working request, see the ACAS guide to the right to request flexible working.

Employees should check their organisation's policy to ensure they follow the procedures in place for discussing their request with their line manager or head teacher.

If the school or trust does not have a flexible working policy, employees should speak to their manager about what flexible working arrangements are available to them.

Non-statutory requests for flexible working

A non-statutory request for flexible working can be made whether or not the statutory route is available to an employee. This is often the route used to request one-off or temporary flexible working arrangements, or arrangements which do not involve altering an employee's contract, for example varying start or finish times but maintaining the same number of hours worked per week.

When making a non-statutory request, the employer and employee can agree to a permanent change of the employee's contractual terms and conditions, but this is not a requirement of the non-statutory route.

To make a non-statutory request, employees should follow the process set out in the school or trust's human resources or flexible working policy. As far as possible, the employee should identify ways of mitigating the impact of the request on the school and their colleagues.

Considerations for employers

Employers have a responsibility to consider flexible working requests:

Employers have a responsibility not to discriminate against employees based on:

gender

age

race

disability

any other protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010

Ultimate decision-making on flexible working requests remains with the employer. The employer must give a response to a statutory flexible working request within 3 months, including the conclusion of any appeal.

Flexible working arrangements should not be implemented as a way of addressing excessive workload. We are supporting headteachers to reduce workload and taking action to reduce burdens on schools.

Schools and multi-academy trusts are encouraged to consult with education trade unions to develop a flexible working policy. This will clarify the process and ensure transparency. The policy could outline the types of arrangement available and how requests will be processed.

Some schools and trusts now offer arrangements such as a number of personal or family days for all staff. These schools and trusts hope to see benefits in their recruitment and retention of teachers as a result.

Schools may find it more sustainable in the longer term to consider flexible working on a whole-school level, rather than considering individual requests as they arise. Implementing such an approach involves speaking to staff about their flexibility needs and designing solutions that work for wider groups of staff. This could include:

sharing with staff the best times in the year to submit a request to align with the timetabling process

reviewing arrangements for when staff can work from home

looking at how planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time is scheduled

Here are some potential challenges to implementing flexible working and some considerations for employers.

Parental attitudes to flexible working arrangements

Employers may be concerned that parents may not support the flexible working arrangements of employees, such as job shares.

Employers should consider:

Cost

Some flexible working arrangements (such as having 2 job share partners) may be costly for schools.

As a full handover is essential for an effective job share, employers are encouraged to fund a period of overlap between job share partners.

If flexible working arrangements are successful and experienced employees are retained, the reduction in cost from recruitment and induction could offset that cost.

Attainment

Employers may be concerned that flexible working arrangements may damage pupils' attainment.

There is limited evidence about the impact of flexible working on pupil outcomes. Employers can support teachers who work flexibly to continue to deliver excellent teaching by:

Employers may be concerned that flexible working arrangements may lead to challenges associated with timetabling.

Employers may wish to:

Part-time leadership roles

Employers may be concerned that leadership roles such as Head of Department or Head of Key Stage are too demanding for part-time roles.

Employers should consider:

The Education Act 2002 requires maintained schools to have a headteacher at all times. Provided that the headship is not left vacant for part of the week, this requirement can be met by 2 part-time contracts brought together to create a job share arrangement.

Performance

Employers may be concerned that flexible working arrangements may have an impact on the performance of the requester or the staff team.

Where necessary, employers should:

redesign the requester's job to ensure the scope fits the hours worked

consider trialling flexible working arrangements and adapting these where necessary

Managing ad-hoc flexibility

Employers may be concerned that employees will request a high number of personal or family days, which may be challenging to manage.

Employers may consider having a flexible working policy which states a specific number of paid personal or family days per year for which all employees are eligible. This helps to ensure consistency.

School practices

Some practices, like meetings policies, may need to be adapted to take account of flexible working policy. For example, meetings might need to be held only during working hours. Schools can also consider using online platforms to make meetings more accessible.

Considerations for employees requesting flexible working

Employees wishing to make a request for flexible working should consider the potential impact of their request on the school and ways in which these could be overcome. Employees should consider any flexibilities in their request, for example:

This may help the employer to accommodate the request.

Here are some potential challenges to requesting flexible working and some considerations for employees.

Availability

Employees may not know what flexible working arrangements are available to them.

Employees should:

read the school's flexible working policy, which should include information on the statutory and non-statutory routes for making a flexible working request

speak to their manager about what flexible working arrangements are available to them, if the school does not have a flexible working policy in place

Workload

Employees may feel that managing workload may be more challenging if working part time.

Employees should speak to their manager about how workload can be managed alongside a reduction in hours. The school workload reduction toolkit can support schools to address workload.

Financial viability

Employees may feel that working part time is not financially viable.

Employees should consider:

how teaching and learning responsibilities and other allowances could be maintained alongside flexible working arrangements

other types of flexible working which may be of benefit, for example compressed hours

For those who are considering retirement, a phased approach can help to manage finances effectively, alongside a reduction in hours. Employees who are reducing their earnings due to part-time work or a reduction in responsibilities may be able to withdraw part of their pension to substitute their loss of income. Employees will need to consider the rules of their pension scheme.

Progression

Employees may be concerned that flexible working arrangements will be a barrier to progression.

Teaching and learning responsibilities, leadership responsibilities and other roles can be maintained within flexible working arrangements. Employees are encouraged to:

talk to their manager about how these responsibilities could be maintained within their specific flexible working request

speak to individuals who have successfully managed their flexible working arrangements

Home or remote working

Employees may not feel able to request home or remote working, if it is not detailed in the PPA policy.

Employees should speak to their manager about home or remote working during PPA time. It may be helpful to discuss how the PPA policy could be adapted to take account of this, allowing employees to work off site if safeguarding considerations allow.

Implementing effective flexible working practices: training for school leaders

We funded Timewise Flexible Working Consultancy from May 2021 to April 2022 to develop and deliver webinar based training on implementing flexible working practices.

The training was produced in collaboration with DfE and sector experts and is aimed at:

See webinar recordings created for headteachers and multi-academy trust leaders, HR and business leaders, governors and trustees.

Supporting returning to teaching

Evaluation of the return to teaching pilot programme research shows that a flexible role can be important for those returning to teaching, especially following a caring-related break. We encourage employees in these circumstances to discuss flexible working options with their employer in advance of taking up their role.

Some returning teachers cite a lack of classroom confidence as a concern when coming back to teaching. Offering a period of classroom acclimatisation or access to a mentor may be valuable for those coming back after time out.

If former teachers are interested in a more staggered return to a full-time or part-time classroom teacher role, then the National Tutoring Programme offers 2 alternative options to return to the school environment. Further information on the 'Tuition Partners' and 'Academic Mentor' pillars of the National Tutoring Programme and details on how to apply are available.

Former maths, physics and modern foreign language teachers may also be interested in the Department for Education's Return to teaching advisory service. This flexible, bespoke one-to-one service provides returners with help applying for jobs and boosting confidence after spending time out of the classroom. Former teachers can register at Return to teaching.

More generally, there are a range of resources available on the returner pages on the Get into teaching website that can help former teachers learn about changes to the curriculum and behavioural standards.

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This non-statutory guidance has been produced to: help employers develop and implement flexible working policies support employees who want to request flexible working. It draws on the latest evidence on flexible working, as well as good practice from education settings.

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Two co-headteachers have developed a successful 'co-headship' job share partnership at their primary school in Guildford.

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Two co-headteachers have developed a successful 'co-headship' job share partnership at their primary school in Guildford.

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A partnership based on trust

Alison and Rebecca had been working at the school as deputy and assistant head respectively. They had worked together for many years including in the classroom where their approach was very aligned. When an interim headship opportunity arose, Alison made it clear that she would only apply as a job share with Rebecca since they both worked part time. During the interim headship, they demonstrated the great added value of the partnership to governors and parents alike. When the permanent headship position became available, they jumped at the chance to formalise their partnership and have been in a substantive co-headship since 2015.

Sound simple? There were certainly barriers, not least the rarity of job-sharing heads.

Winning over the governors

It was important for Alison and Rebecca to articulate to governors how the partnership would benefit the school community. They knew of 2 successful examples and in preparation, visited them to hear about their experiences.

It eventually became apparent, when a parent offered to write in support of the co-headship, that the best way to persuade the more conventional members of the governing body was to point to the views of the parents and children. With the parent survey reflecting their belief in the leadership and management of the school, they were able to make the case and secure the permanent position. This belief was underlined by their outstanding rating for leadership and management in their school inspection in May 2015. The report in 2015 noted that: 'The leadership of the joint headteachers is outstanding. Parents, staff, governors and pupils recognise this. The joint headship is organised very effectively, with each headteacher working on site for 3 days with an overlap day to ensure continuity. Staff and governors speak strongly of the advantages of the arrangement. As the academy improvement partner said, "The two heads have complementary skills, but are at one on the important things." As one pupil said, "two heads are better than one."

Balancing the books

They acknowledge there can be associated costs with job sharing, however, "in our experience you get more than you pay for: the sum is greater than the parts". Costs in the short term are compensated by benefits in the longer term.

Whilst there is a 6-day headship cost, they have sought to ensure that leadership team costs are balanced, for example, by having a 4-day deputy head. Following a financial benchmarking exercise with other academies in their multi-academy trust, they found that their overall leadership costs were actually below average.

Making it work

They feel that the most important ingredient for a successful job share is finding a partner that you are aligned with and with whom you can develop and shape a shared vision. They always support decisions made when the other is not on site and focus on collaboration rather than competition. They have developed 5 threads that make up their school vision which underpin the decisions they make. These common threads result in a sense of clarity for staff and governors who get the same answer to a question posed on a Monday as on a Friday, which is essential to be able to continue to drive school improvement.

Alison and Rebecca bring additional energy to the role since they're not in school 5 days a week. "We have time to think; time to reflect and consider, and as a result, we don't have that constant threat of burn-out hanging over us."

Being in a headship job share also means they support one another and have a strong connection which reduces the stress and isolation experienced by many of those in a more typical headteacher post.

Communication is essential for the partnership. They have an overlap day on a Wednesday, in which they spend the first hour of the day talking through updates on the week, strategic matters, data and assessment, and school development planning. On this crossover day, they are mindful of not doubling up on doing the same activities to avoid duplication. When responding to emails, they copy each other in to ensure that the other can keep abreast of updates. They also agree key messages to be disseminated within the school.

They also have a handover on a Sunday night over the phone, which discuss less strategic matters, like ensuring the welfare of staff members. Of course, sometimes there are out of hours calls, but flexible working is in its very essence flexible - they don't have to be on site every day but are flexible in other ways.

Their performance management is done as one unit, where both are equally accountable. They had previously divided roles and responsibilities along very discrete areas, like finance and curriculum. However, they found that many areas were interlinked and making artificial distinctions was not helpful. Instead, their responsibilities are now more joined up.

The benefits for pupils

They have found that their job share enables the welfare of 631 children and their families to be spread so that high quality care and support can be provided. This is without the weight of individual responsibility that can lead to poor mental health in leaders in schools.

98% of 331 responding parents recently said that they would recommend the school to other parents. Alison and Rebecca are clear that it is the quality of staff in every part of the school, in every role they fill, that is responsible for such a happy community and this happiness starts with them: "We have the best job in the world."

The benefits for staff

Promoting flexible working to staff at all levels has sent a message that the school invests in their staff, helping to retain highly skilled teachers. They're also clear that recruiting and retaining quality staff will mean a better experience for the children and families they serve and this is ultimately what guides everyone who works at Boxgrove.

Staff members also have more choice on which headteacher to approach on certain matters and depending on their existing relationship with Alison and Rebecca.

There have been no instances of long term sickness of staff members - they believe that flexible working helps ensure that there is work-life balance.

Their advice for people interested in job sharing is: "If you're looking for a job share, be bold about it. Be confident in your offer as a combination and don't apologise for only working part time - we need to free ourselves from the belief that if you work flexibly you're somehow less committed: not true. If anything, it shows more commitment because it usually means that you're prepared to leave your own children to teach other people's".

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Alison and Rebecca had been working at the school as deputy and assistant head respectively. They had worked together for many years including in the classroom where their approach was very aligned. When an interim headship opportunity arose, Alison made it clear that she would only apply as a job share with Rebecca since they both worked part time.