Managing workload and wellbeing will form a compulsory part of teacher training for the first time next year, according to new guidance.
Trainees will be taught about “protecting time for rest and recovery” under the refreshed initial teacher training (ITT) core content framework, which last week was published earlier than anticipated.
New teachers will also learn how to make marking “manageable and effective” by using verbal feedback in place of written comments, incorporating “abbreviations and codes” into their notes, and “prioritising the highlighting of errors related to misunderstandings, rather than careless mistakes”.
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The framework, which sets out the minimum entitlement of all trainee teachers, was expected to go public in the spring, and is set to be implemented from September 2020.
It replaces the government’s existing framework of core content for ITT, published in 2016.
The refreshed framework expands on the previous guidance, and is intended to lead seamlessly into the Early Career Framework (ECF).
It explicitly states for the first time that it will be necessary for providers to teach trainees how to “manage workload and wellbeing”.
As part of their training, new teachers will be expected to observe “how expert colleagues use and personalise systems and routines to support efficient time and task management”, and protect time for “rest and recovery”.
They should also be made aware of “the sources of support available to support good mental wellbeing”.
Emma Hollis, executive director of the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT), said: “The prominence and importance of mental health and wellbeing is growing in schools - both for pupils and school staff. In order for teachers to best support the children in their care, looking out for their own wellbeing is of the utmost importance.
“We are pleased that the new ITT core content framework recognises this and explicitly addresses it in the guidance.”
The refreshed framework was informed by a panel of experts, led by Professor Sam Twiselton, director of Sheffield Institute of Education at Sheffield Hallam University.
At the time the panel was convened, Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said: “The Early Career Framework is a fundamental shift in the support available to teachers starting out in their careers, ensuring that newly qualified teachers continue to be mentored to help them develop the key skills teachers need.
“The advisory group that convened today will play an essential role in helping us to ensure that the training teachers receive is consistent, and of the highest quality, as the full programme is rolled out.”
