Push to introduce 4-day week at UK schools

The 4 Day Week Foundation has written to the education secretary as part of a push to pilot four-day weeks at UK schools.

The group argues that this is change is necessary to combat the massive burnout facing teachers across the country, and would help address the ongoing teacher shortage.

“Teachers are burning out at unprecedented rates. A four-day week isn’t about doing less – it’s about working smarter, protecting staff wellbeing and ultimately improving outcomes for students,” said James Reeves, the 4 Day Week Foundation’s campaign manager.

“It’s time for bold leadership and evidence-driven four-day school week trials to show what a modern, sustainable education system can look like,” he said.

The group says there is a growing body of research showing that shorter working weeks can reduce burnout, improve productivity, and support better work-life balance.

Arguments for a four-day week include:

• Better work-life balance – A four-day week gives us the time to live happier and more fulfilled lives, allowing for those non-work parts of life that are often neglected such as:
• Rest – Sleep and the various forms of rest we need while awake (physical, mental, social, emotional and sensory rest).
• Leisure – From spending time with family and friends, to pursuing hobbies and passion projects.
• ‘Life Admin’ – tasks like shopping, cleaning, managing the finances, and the many parenting duties.
• Help with the cost of living – A four-day week with no loss of pay reduces the cost of childcare and commuting.
• Higher performance and profits – Trials and real-world examples show that employers who move to a four-day week increase productivity and reduce costs (a Henley Business School study in 2021 estimated that UK businesses would save a combined £104 billion a year if a four-day week was implemented across the entire workforce).
• Lower unemployment – Incredibly, the UK suffers simultaneously from overwork, unemployment and underemployment, so a four-day week is an intuitively simple way to rebalance the economy and address many problems.

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