A new report published today by Camden Learning explores flexible working in education, a theme of growing importance given wider trends towards flexible models.
Flexible Working Report – Summary
Flexible Working Report – Full
This report recommends key principles for exploring flexible working in schools, including piloting models, and monitoring operational impacts closely. It also highlights varied examples being trialled in Camden schools, whilst recognising the core challenges faced in balancing flexible models with face-to-face provision and the needs of students.
Societal changes and expectations since the pandemic, and strengthening of laws, mean that schools are facing increasing interest in exploring flexible practices – but schools also face unique challenges and opportunities in adopting flexible models.
The Employment Rights Act, which came into law in December 2025, proposes that flexible working becomes “the default” with strengthened laws to take effect from 2027. It is also possible that the School Support Staff Negotiating Body will further formalise flexible working frameworks for support staff.
Lack of flexibility is also mentioned in national surveying as a growing reason for teachers to say they are considering leaving the profession. In 2024, 47% cited it as a reason for wanting to leave, up from 34% in 2023.
So how are Camden schools actively exploring flexible models? Camden Learning carried out an in-depth review to find out how schools are adapting to requests for flexible working patterns.
We found that a variety of approaches are already in place across the borough, tailored to different roles and needs, rather than a single model. These included schools designing core operations in order to maximise staff flexibility and wellbeing, including by considering how elements such as training days are scheduled.
Examples of specific flexible models included:
- Ad hoc variation of hours to accommodate personal needs
- Occasional hybrid working including for planning and preparation time
- Different start/finish times
- Wider models included flexibilities for those working part-time hours. For example, in one school, an A level teacher works three days a week, working the middle of the day on two of those days to accommodate family drop-off and pick-up.
Some schools also use job shares to support flexibility. In one secondary school, a member of staff works two days as Assistant Head of Department and three as a main scale teacher.
Other schools have also trialled innovative flexible models aligned to their contexts. One pupil referral unit has trialled an innovative ‘14 in 15 model’, giving full-time staff the option of working 14 days in school, with the 15th being a flexible working day. Getting this approach right involved substantial planning and monitoring – almost all staff have opted in to the scheme, and the student offer has been scheduled so that there is no drop in the quality of provision.
Staff value this model, saying it has helped with their wellbeing and in managing workload; the head reports that retention has been strong.
Challenges and barriers
Of course, there are challenges around offering flexible work patterns – particularly in education settings given the central role of face-to-face provision. In Camden, the most frequently identified barriers were continuity for pupils, timetabling especially in secondary schools, staff perceptions, impact on pupil ratios, operational complexity, and cost – particularly where staff working flexibly could not be covered in-house.
School leaders spoke of the “need to be on site” because teaching is “inherently performative, personal and live” and that “children need to see and hear their teachers”; they also said this was important for managing behaviour and for safeguarding.
Models such as job shares can be challenging from a budget perspective, because of the need for handover periods; for example, one primary had two part-time deputies who worked six days between them, but this became too expensive to continue.
Leaders were also mindful of the dangers of “setting a precedent” where staff would expect to have similar requests granted; this is especially sensitive in schools, where the wide range of roles and differing contracts can make it difficult to apply rules and opportunities consistently.
Opportunities and principles
What is striking in Camden, however, is that there is a growing willingness to navigate these challenges.
Schools are treating flexible working, not as a one-off adjustment, but as an evolving process. They are moving beyond reactive responses to individual requests and are beginning to explore more strategic, whole-school approaches.
The impact of flexible models can be tangible: staff mentioned improved wellbeing, allowing them to manage their time more effectively and reduce stress, supporting job satisfaction and retention.
The report sets out an approach to flexible working where schools explore what staff would welcome, trial different flexibilities, and evaluate how it’s working. This is based on a set of key principles, including:
- Prioritising the needs of pupils, and considering operational feasibility
- Proactively engaging staff on potential needs and benefits of flexible working
- Recognising the role of flexible models in supporting collaboration
- Building clear whole-school approaches which are fair, transparent and consistent
- Using trial periods and evaluations to support learning on what’s working.
In conclusion, Camden schools’ willingness to adapt shows that flexible working in schools is not only possible, but powerful. By embracing new ways of working, schools are building environments where staff can thrive and good teachers are more likely to stay – but with student needs and quality of teaching remaining the cornerstone of provision.
