Teacher Warns Workload Model ‘Inequitable’ as Union presses for Class-Contact Reform

Many teachers in Scotland have to take up marking work for Qualifications Scotland, on top of full-time teaching hours.

An Edinburgh-based teacher has warned that the current workload model is ‘inequitable’ without class-contact reform, as negotiations between teaching unions and the Scottish Government continue. The teacher, who wishes to be kept anonymous, detailed concerns to The Edinburgh Economist from the teaching industry around workload and class contact time:

“The Scottish Government pledged in 2021, 90 minutes of less class-contact time, which they haven’t yet delivered.

We absolutely need this, as the whole system is inequitable, my marking workload as an English teacher is not the same as someone who teaches subjects like Physical Education, Craft Design and Technology and Home Economics.

If they want to save money whilst providing adequate class-contact time for teachers, they need provide subject-specific working time agreements.

I can’t afford to take part in strike action as I am a single parent working full time, who also has to undertake SQA marking, tutoring, in order to keep up with costs for my children.

If work-to-rule was implemented, the entire system would collapse as the majority of marking would not be done, there would be no afterschool and lunch clubs, and there would be an onslaught of parental complaints.”

The EIS, Scotland’s leading teaching trade union, issued a statement condemning the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary, Jenny Gilruth MSP, for what they say was a failure to uphold/“undermine” the Scottish government’s commitment to collective bargaining, and have called on the Scottish government to implement it’s 2021 manifesto pledge to reduce class contact time/teacher workload in the classroom to 21 hours per week.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth MSP announced that she was "looking at a flexible 4-day teaching week"

In addition to a letter to teaching staff from Andrea Bradley, EIS General Secretary, on the 21st of November 2025, in the Teachers’ Panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), has released a statement regarding its negotiations and correspondence with the Scottish Government.

EIS General Secretary, Angela Bradley wrote to EIS members on the union's negotiations with the Scottish Government over class contact time and reform proposals. Image credit: EIS (eis.org.uk)

They described the workload facing teachers in Scotland as “unsustainable”.

The Scottish Government has not guaranteed that the full 1.5 hours (freed by reducing class-contact to 21 hours/week) will go to preparation and assessment time — which the SCNT Panel sees as essential to tackle what it feels is an unsustainable workload for teachers currently. The EIS has also called on the Scottish government to work to resolve and prevent any further industrial action/strikes from taking place, which the union has balloted their members for previously during its negotiations with the Scottish Government.

Teachers in Scotland are the single profession with the highest number of unpaid hours of work, in practice. (Trades Union Congress, 2024-25)