This September, a number parent-teachers no doubt began the new term by taking a deep breath and wondering (yet again) how on Earth they would manage to effectively balance work and family life for another academic year.

Some of these parent-teachers will have already made the choice to work part-time in order to achieve that balance - but not all school leaders are open to supporting this. And that means that they risk losing valuable knowledge and experience from their staff.

So, what can schools do to be more family-friendly employers? And how can parent-teachers work with their schools to find the balance they need?

Each year, significant numbers of parent-teachers, particularly mothers, find it unsustainable to stay in the teaching profession full-time. If you are considering a move to part-time or flex working, I recommend starting by putting together a business case to present to SLT. All employees have the legal right to request flexible working, and all employers are required to consider such requests and deal with them in a ‘reasonable manner’.

When you put together your business case, outline the benefits of supporting part-time working: with each successful jobshare comes the potential to multiply the expertise, energy and enthusiasm coming into the school, while also increasing retention and recruitment possibilities across the setting. Consider the unique qualities you offer your school, highlight the impact you have had in the past and plan to have in the future as a part-time colleague.

Support for part-time workers

Many people make the mistake of equating part-time work with a lack of career aspirations, drive or leadership ambition, but that isn’t the case - and it’s time to tackle that misapprehension from the top down.

School leaders should seek to create a part-time-friendly culture in school by modelling a positive attitude to part-time staff and challenging negative stereotypes around part-time working.

Asking the following questions can help:

• Are your part-time staff being offered valuable CPD and promotion opportunities to the same extent as full-time staff?
• Do you actively encourage part-time work or job shares in your recruitment practices?
• Is your school facilitating job shares or part-time working at all levels throughout the school, including leadership? (There are a number of co-leadership roles across the country, including headships, which prove the model can be a success.)

Leaders can also improve support for part-time members of staff by ensuring that they are set reasonable performance management targets, which take into account their working hours, and by making a concerted effort to communicate essential information that they may have been missed on non-working days, without bombarding them with irrelevant information - striking that balance will enable part-time staff, in fact all staff, to be more effective on their working days.

Above all, leaders should remember that it’s not just parents who wish to work part-time or take a more flexible approach - implementing part-time friendly policies ensures that all teachers with a desire to work reduced hours, for whatever reason, have the opportunity to do so whilst maintaining a career with a greater sense of wellbeing.

Lucy Starbuck Braidley is a teacher and press officer for The Maternity Teacher/Paternity Teacher Project (MTPT). @maternityCPD