In our second Thought Leaders Series, our host Jen Elliott (CEO, EPM) and a panel of experts focused on ‘Making flexible working work in education’: Faizal Musa (School Trust Leader, Dixons Academy Trust), Flexible Working Ambassador Julie Wellacott (HR Business Partner, Red Kite Learning Trust), Jill Donabie (Education Employment Specialist, Muckle LLP), and Lisa Longstaff (Director of HR Services - North, EPM).
Once considered a naturally flexible sector—with term-time roles, part-time hours, and 13 weeks off a year—education is now feeling the pressure to adapt. Over the last 30 years, EPM has seen a really interesting journey when it comes to flexible working within education. “COVID changed everything,” Jen Elliott noted, “other industries are now leading the way in how to flexibly work with all sorts of remote working, and now we in education need to keep up.”
A poll of attendees showed 53% have already made inroads in their organisations when it comes to flexible working, but many still felt unsure about how to implement real change. Lisa Longstaff described a shift in the conversations EPM are having with customers, “People used to fear setting a precedent, worrying that if they agreed to a request, then everyone would want it. In reality, it’s about exploring the options for different roles in a school and trust. Things are shifting from a starting point that it won’t work, 'everyone will want it’ to considering ‘How can we make this work?’”.
Jill Donabie agreed that Muckle LLP has seen a rise in requests for support—not for rejections, but for a more positive approach. “Schools are trying to find more creative solutions to how flexible work could be potentially accommodated and are working together to do that.”
Collaboration is key, as Julie Wellacott has seen firsthand in her role as a Flexible Working Ambassador, “some schools are further ahead than others, but peer support, in a safe environment to learn from others and explore solutions together has been our bread and butter as ambassadors.” Despite having initiatives in place, only 18% of attendees felt confident in their approach to flexible working. In contrast, Dixons Academy Trust has embraced flexible working, with its bold 9-day fortnight.
Faizal Musa explained: “Every fortnight, teachers and SLT get a fully flexible day off. We trust them to use it however they need. It’s pretty radical and quite different, but it’s making a big impact.” While some worried about scheduling, Faizal reassured them: “Yes, people want Mondays and Fridays off, but our staff also see the bigger picture. We’ve worked through the challenges, and our schools have made it work.”
So far, Dixons’ initiative is for teachers and SLT, but Faizal is looking ahead. “We’re working on innovative flexible working solutions for associate colleagues (support staff) - it has to be fair for everyone, so we’re looking at all options for them at the moment.”
There’s growing evidence that flexibility benefits both recruitment and retention. “If we don’t act, we’re just going to fall further behind,” Julie warned. A recent Teacher Tapp survey found that 70% of primary and 67% of secondary senior leaders struggle to manage flexible working requests. However, schools that have embraced new ways of working are seeing clear advantages.
Take Dixons Academy Trust, for example. Since implementing flexible working initiatives, comparing some months to the previous year they’ve seen a 150% increase in teaching job applications, a 2% decrease in turnover, and a 9% reduction in sickness absence, whilst the overall impact on wellbeing and retention has been significant.
In stark contrast to Dixons, who have actively promoted their flexible working initiative, 80% of attendees revealed that flexibility doesn’t feature in their recruitment campaigns or adverts – a huge opportunity being easily missed by schools and trusts when it comes to attracting talent to fill vacancies. Speaking about her experience at The Education Alliance, Lisa encouraged organisations to “showcase what you do and put examples in your recruitment packs. It’s your opportunity to let people in and help them understand the culture of the organisation and the approach you take”.
Rightly, cost was raised as a concern, however Lisa reassured that “flexibility doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s about treating staff as professionals and trusting them to manage their time.” Flexible working can include a range of options, such as working from home during PPA, elements of hybrid working for office-based roles, varying start and finish times, and extended lunch breaks.
Faizal provided further confidence, confirming that the initiative hadn’t increased costs and that Dixons Academy Trust was already seeing results. “It hasn’t cost us extra. In fact, our cover costs are down, and engagement is up. It’s not just about pay—people want a better work-life balance.”
Of course, flexible working isn’t always smooth sailing. What if it doesn’t work? Jill Donabie echoed thoughts shared by the panel and advised using trial periods, regular check-ins, and setting clear expectations. “If issues arise, we have to drill down into why it isn’t working. Have we got an underlying capability problem, is there a conduct element here, or is it that the contractual setup doesn’t work?”
One of the biggest concerns when it comes to flexible working in schools is the fear of setting a precedent.
The reality is consistency doesn’t have to mean uniformity. As Jill pointed out, employers are held accountable for treating employees fairly, but that doesn’t mean saying yes to every request just because one was approved before. “We’re looking at every case on its own merits, within its own context and circumstances.” The key is clear communication. If a request can’t be accommodated, explaining why and offering a compromise or trial period can help maintain trust while ensuring policies remain practical.
Julie offered assurance that schools and trusts are often doing more than they realise when it comes to flexible working and that, for smaller schools, it’s looking at small changes that could be made to offer greater flexibility, for example the way that training days are managed. She also noted that policy review is vital, as older policies don’t always reflect modern expectations, fairness or adaptability. Importantly, policies don’t just exist on paper but actively support a culture of flexibility.
One major hurdle to implementing flexible working is convincing governing bodies, trustees, and parents that it’s the right approach. The key to this appears to be in sharing the human stories alongside the hard data. Your trustees, governors, parents and the wider community are likely to have firsthand experience of flexible working in different sectors themselves. So rather than being barriers, they might have a deeper level of understanding than we give them credit for. As Julie explained, “Not everyone is interested in the data; they want to know what it’s actually like. What are people telling us?”. Schools that highlight success stories, showcase how flexibility benefits staff and students, and frame the conversation around risk (“what happens if we don’t do this?) are more likely to gain buy-in.
Schools need to move beyond thinking that flexibility just means part-time work. “Define it. Test different models. Keep an open mind,” Julie urged. Cultural change takes time, but as Faizal put it, “We need to think differently if we want to keep great staff.”
The bottom line? If the education sector wants to address recruitment and retention challenges, flexibility needs to be at the forefront. Reflecting on the work at Dixons Academy Trust, Faizal reiterated, “we’re willing to take a risk if it’s going to make things better for our staff and pupils in the long run”.
With increasing evidence of the benefits, schools that embrace flexible working—not just in policy, but in practice—are likely to see the biggest gains in recruitment, staff satisfaction, retention, and overall school performance.
One thing is clear: flexible working isn’t just a requirement—it’s the future of education. To ensure every student has a great teacher in their classroom, we must adapt to the modern workplace. Other sectors have done it successfully and we can too.
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