To ask the Minister of Education for an update on the Independent Review of Teacher Workload.

Since the Independent Review of Teacher Workload Panel was appointed in May 2025, they have undertaken a structured programme of work with the aim of submitting a final report in November 2025.

This has included a review of existing reports and workstreams taken forward by the Teachers’ Negotiating Committee and direct engagement with a range of stakeholders. The Panel has also conducted benchmarking exercises with officials in neighbouring jurisdictions to assess comparative approaches to teacher workload management.

In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the key workload issues and, more importantly, the steps that could be taken to address them, the Panel wrote to Boards of Governors on 25 June to seek written submissions on the workload position in their schools. In addition, they issued an engagement questionnaire to all teachers and school leaders in Northern Ireland on 18 August. Over 7,000 responses to the questionnaire have been received to date.

I look forward to receiving the final report from the Independent Review of Teacher Workload Panel in November 2025.