To ask the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 17770/22-27, to detail the metrics being used to assess the impact of the initiatives on teacher workload and overall working conditions.

The Teachers’ Pay and Workload Agreement, TNC 2020/1 committed the Department, Employing Authorities and other arm’s length bodies to the introduction of a formal requirement on the Department, Employing Authorities and other arm’s length bodies to consider and consult on new initiatives and proposals which have the potential to increase teacher workload.

Guidance for policy makers has been jointly devised with teaching trade unions on the development of new initiatives, including programmes and policies, advising that they should be assessed to identify the workload impact for teachers and school leaders prior to implementation.

Part of this consultation involves ensuring that the workload impacts are fully considered in conjunction with teacher representatives to help inform the delivery of the policy and allow for any issues to be addressed at an early stage in the development process.