Research into a nine-day working fortnight for teachers has found improved wellbeing and morale, better work-life balance, and increased interest from potential recruits.
Dixons Academies Trust, which operates 16 schools and a sixth-form college in Bradford, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester, introduced the nine-day policy in September 2024, giving teaching staff one day off each fortnight on full pay, while maintaining full-time teaching for students.
The plan aimed to address national challenges in recruitment and retention and to improve work-life harmony for educators.
The Education Endowment Foundation commissioned IFF Research and the Ambition Institute to evaluate the scheme at seven of the Dixons Academies schools over the last academic year.
Schools implemented the nine-day fortnight policy using various models, with leaders given autonomy to tailor the approach to their needs.
Common features included maintaining a fortnightly timetable and ensuring no reduction in teaching time for pupils.
While planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time was still given, schools generally did not reduce the workloads of teachers by 10% in line with having one day off in 10. Teachers typically experienced condensed hours or a small reduction in working hours.
The research findings showed that teachers and school leaders reported:
- improved wellbeing and morale
- increased job satisfaction and better work-life balance
- no negative impact on students, including those with special educational needs
- early signs of stronger recruitment and retention.
While the evaluation noted some practical challenges around timetabling and ensuring equity for part-time and early-career teachers, the overall picture was highly positive.
One leader quoted in the report said: “It feels really good to be part of a school that is doing something for the staff. The profession has become unattainably hard in the volume of work and expectation – this policy shows our staff are valued.”
Another said: “We need to be able to offer a greater amount of flexibility in a working environment that is extremely rigid. There is no flex at all, and that kind of archaic approach of ‘you get 12 weeks holiday a year’ is not enough anymore.”
The authors of the report said the nine-day fortnight required “significant strategic planning, particularly around timetabling and ensuring adequate staff coverage”.
They said the evaluation highlighted that leaders need to mitigate against the impact of the nine-day fortnight on part-time staff and early-career teachers, who may have unique needs or find the change more challenging.
However, they added that condensed hours were common, which intensifies working days and could risk staff exhaustion. “This outcome could run counter to one purpose of the policy – to improve staff wellbeing,” they said.
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