This presentation contains clips and discussion starters on the following aspects of work/life balance: A new head of department balances work and a young family A TA wants to stop working through his breaks A part-time RE teacher is effectively working full-time A business manager must learn to delegate An ICT teacher has created a time-saving 'homework by email' system A headteacher tries to reduce his stress levels

1. Secondary Work/Life Balance A resource for school CPD leaders

3. Overview These six clips, with their accompanying discussion starters, cover the following aspects of work/life balance: A new head of department balances work and a young family (clip 1) A TA wants to stop working through his breaks (clip 2) A part-time RE teacher is effectively working full-time (clip 3) A business manager must learn to delegate (clip 4) An ICT teacher has created a time-saving ‘homework by email’ system (clip 5) A headteacher tries to reduce his stress levels (clip 6)

4. 1 Starting in the Middle – Work/Life Balance Head of geography Andy Barnard is completing his first summer term in a middle management role. He is also father to a young baby. The headteacher discusses the pressures on new heads of department. http://www.teachers.tv/video/4954

5. What are the most time-consuming responsibilities for heads of department in the second half of the summer term? Can some of these be delegated? The headteacher considers the geography department to be very supportive. What are the most effective kinds of support that members of a department can offer each other? When you need to leave work by a specific time what can you do to make sure you aren’t delayed?

6. 2 Ease the Load – I Don’t Want to Work Through Breaks Keen to advance himself, a teaching assistant has taken on more and more responsibilities at school. Often working through his breaks as well as bringing work home, he asks life coach Gladeana McMahon for advice on how to achieve a better work/life balance. He later discusses his workload with the SENCO. http://www.teachers.tv/video/3109

7. Are spreadsheets and websites a good way to coordinate and prioritise tasks? Is it usually as easy as this to renegotiate deadlines? What else could Tony do to keep his breaktimes clear? What support can be accessed by TAs who have too much on their plates?

8. 3 Ease the Load – I’m a Full-Time Part-Timer RE teacher Nicky is contracted for three days a week but ends up working nearly full-time. Wanting to cut back on the number of hours she spends on planning, preparation and marking, she approaches life coach Gladeana McMahon for advice. http://www.teachers.tv/video/23448

9. Nicky has begun to adapt her colleagues’ lesson plans and to make use of textbooks. What other shortcuts could she take to save time on planning and preparation? Nicky seems to use up a lot of energy managing her lively class. Might improvements in behaviour management skills improve her work/life balance? Is there such a thing as a ‘part-time’ teacher?

10. 4 Ease the Load – I’m an Over-Busy Business Manager Life coach Gladeana McMahon helps a business manager at a large secondary school to deal with his ever-expanding workload. http://www.teachers.tv/video/5436

11. The life coach shadows the business manager for a day. Would ‘shadowing’ be a good way for middle and senior managers to get a feel for how staff manage their time and workload? Do you agree that delegation is the main management strategy lacking here? How might quick-thinkers like Matthew train themselves to be less reactive to situations as they arise? What advice would you give someone who can’t say no?

12. 5 Ease the Load – We Have the Technology The ICT department at a school in Cheshire pioneers an email system for homework. The aim is to make homework more engaging for students and to make teachers’ lives a little easier. http://www.teachers.tv/video/163

13. How might this email homework system save the ICT teacher time? Can you spot any ways in which the system might add to the ICT teacher’s workload rather than reduce it? The system works well for ICT. Would it be appropriate for, say, teachers of English or maths?

14. 6 Head for Success – Am I Stressed? Preparing an assembly on stress management for his Year 11 students, a headteacher begins to question whether his own working life is a healthy one. http://www.teachers.tv/video/23720

15. The head aims to reduce his workload by delegating some of the most time-consuming tasks to his deputy. What else might he do? Is there a stigma about stress among people who work in schools? Why? Students need to learn to manage stress. Are there ways to educate staff about stress management alongside the students?