Workload money provides more air in primary education
The money from the workload agreement provides more air in primary schools. For example, the proportion of employees who indicate that they find work 'difficult' or 'emotionally demanding' has fallen over the past two years. Outgoing Minister of Education Arie Slob will therefore not change the way he provides the money: directly to the school teams themselves.
Image: Martijn Beekman / National government
The outgoing minister recently announced this in a letter to the House of Representatives. Slob even opts for this approach for subjects that can be easily decided at the school itself. For example, with the guidance of starting teachers and school leaders and professionalization.
The minister is 'very satisfied' because the workload agreement seems to contribute to the reduction of workload. Oberon's research shows that the workload money ensures that team members feel more 'ownership'. They can decide for themselves what the money is spent on and teams come to additional agreements that reduce the workload without the need for money, such as organizing meetings differently or organizing fewer activities. All in all, teams are gaining more insight into each other's work, says Slob.
De AOb concluded one in 2018 together with the Minister of Education and the other unions agreement to curb the workload. In the following school year, all schools received 237 million euros for workload reduction, this amount is increasing every year and will be 2024 million euros structural in 2025/430. The unions insisted on leaving the decisions to the school teams themselves.
Less pressure
A interim evaluation - conducted by research agency Oberon on the first two school years with work pressure money - shows that the work pressure has actually been reduced. For example, in 2020 fewer employees indicated that they had to work 'often' or 'always extra hard'. This, according to the researchers, has fallen by 8 percentage points compared to 2017. The number of employees who say they find the work 'difficult' or 'emotionally demanding' has also fallen over the past two years. This percentage is even lower than in 2009.
In addition, employees notice more often that they can do their job well and can more often determine how they do it, in what order and at what pace. The majority of staff in primary education (67,3 percent) also indicate that the workload has decreased somewhat. They experience this more often than their colleagues in special education.
Top three
Teachers feel the most workload of students who need special support because of their behavior or in the field of learning. Drawing up, implementing and evaluating action and support plans is also in the top three of workload inducers. Class size, everything related to tests and organizing activities that are not part of the curriculum, education staff also often cite as increasing the workload.
At 90 percent, the workload money was most often spent on extra personnel, the other 10 percent spent schools on new materials or professionalisation. Teaching assistants, gym or music teachers and substitute teachers in particular have started working within the schools.
Consent
Schools are doing well with the workload money, Oberon sees. At almost all schools, 98 percent, the employee representatives of the participation council have approved the plan on how to use the money. More than half of the schools were given complete freedom to spend money by the school board and in a fifth the board did not set any requirements in advance, but did review the plan afterwards. Slob reports to the House that schools are properly accountable for the workload money. 'It is clear from the annual reports of the school boards that the process agreements are properly followed.'
Also read: 'Work pressure money brings relief to most schools'
