Exploring school collaboration and workload reduction – Research report January 2023

The findings from this report of a very small study highlight a range of collaborative approaches used by schools, both formal and informal and provide some interesting evidence about how school to school collaboration can reduce teacher workload.

Workload reduction was interpreted as both time-related and in terms of the cognitive and/or psychological demands of carrying out a role or activities. There were benefits reported in terms of workload reduction at different organisational levels, with evidence that leaders considered how structures and systems might be used to achieve this. Collaboration at senior leader level also supported leaders in managing their challenging roles.

Collaboration was primarily targeted at school improvement and improving pupil outcomes, with clear perceived benefits. These included: securing efficiencies, sharing effective practice, drawing on collective capacity to achieve tasks and the importance of mutual support at leadership level. In the examples discussed by interviewees, collaboration generally began with senior leaders and expanded across the school to meet needs at strategic and operational levels. The formation of collaborative groups with specific purposes (for example, curriculum planning) was central in many cases.

A series of enablers were identified, such as a common vision and exercising choice to ensure collaboration met school needs. Potential barriers to collaboration were identified, chiefly competition between schools and geographical location. However, there was also evidence of the use of technological solutions to mitigate issues around location, drawing on experiences of remote working during the pandemic.

The Department for Education note that an implication of this research is therefore to consider how best such benefits and practices might be disseminated, whilst identifying that further research would be required.