Solihull’s St Peters School teachers welcome day-off scheme

Ask a teacher whether they would fancy a guaranteed day off every fortnight and they would probably bite your hand off or think you were joking.

Well, unlikely as it might sound, one school in the West Midlands is doing just that for its staff – and almost immediately it has seen a drop in sick days and attracted new recruits.

Among them is St Peter’s Catholic School’s new science teacher Abid Mustafa, who says “it’s essential for my wellbeing, that one day a fortnight helps balance everything out”.

Almost unique in England, the initiative was taken by the Solihull school’s head teacher Stuart Shelton, who says it has led to attracting applicants for roles that got no interest last year.

Mr Shelton said the day off has also paid off with existing staff, who are feeling more motivated.

Mr Mustafa’s role was one that previously attracted new applicants, and the 25-year-old says the initiative is “very unique – no other school does it”.

He described a teacher’s workload as “intense” and explains he now “couldn’t imagine school life without it”, using the day off to visit family and friends and go the gym.

Mr Shelton says the policy is also helping with staff retention, after last year losing a number of “great teachers to other professions because of the workload”.

This is reflected nationally in Department for Education figures, which show 39, 971 (8.8%) teachers in England left in 2022-23, not including those who died or retired.

Since introducing the day off, Mr Shelton said no staff had asked to leave and staff sickness levels at the school had gone down.

“We’re seeing a far better attendance rate of teachers which ultimately means the pupils are getting the best possible lessons,” he said.

The days off are staggered throughtout the two weeks so the school can remain open.

Staff are not able to choose the day they get off and it is planned on a rota basis instead.

It has allowed Kelly Davis to spend more time with her parents and care for her mother who has dementia.

The 48-year-old English teacher said: “You’re always juggling, who do you put first?

“You want to be able to put your family first but there are times when you need to be present for your class or your school.”

The teacher, a parent herself, said she spent most weekends doing marking but the day off allowed her to complete that work so she could spend the weekend with her parents.

In the six weeks since it was introduced, Ms Davis said it had already made a “huge difference”.

For Stefanie Lakin, it means she can work full-time at the school and still run her charity Madrina, which provides prom outfits for young people.

The 43-year-old, who is the school’s director of learning for personal development, described the scheme as a “game-changer”.

The teacher, who has 23 years of experience, said: “We can’t keep talking about workload and problems and not do something about it. [But this] addresses the work-life balance”.

Describing the atmosphere in the staff room after it was announced, she said: “It was like someone had won the lottery. It was amazing.”