Reducing Workload Through Collaboration and Digital Platforms Across Academy Trusts

By Gemma Gwilliam, Educational Technologist at United Learning

Reducing workload has been a key priority for many trusts and schools over the past few years, but there’s often been the question about how this can truly be achieved in practice and how it can  be sustained. Collaboration within and across schools – with the help of technology – can play a big part, if used and applied with care. With the ongoing changes to curriculum and the need to redesign and develop curriculum resources to be delivered online, for example, it can often be hard to ensure we generate even better teaching and learning without adding to staff workload. These 5 simple steps will show how technology can help leaders and teachers work together – across schools – to achieve this.

1. Have a vision

If reducing workload is one of your trust’s or schools priorities, then begin by asking yourself and your teams:

What does it look like?

Why is this important?

How can it be achieved – including through better collaboration and technology?

Who is this for?

Generating ideas from the frontline and from other trusts, and setting clear achievable outcomes that can be maintained and are shared by everyone, will enable you to begin the change management process needed to embed this vision.