‘The art of doing the impossible’: Burrows warns over teacher workload

Inset: UUP Party Leader Jon Burrows

Teachers are sacrificing evenings, weekends and family time to keep schools functioning, Ulster Unionist leader Jon Burrows has warned, as Education Minister Paul Givan expressed hope that negotiations could avert industrial action over workload.

Mr Burrows called for a fundamental rethink of teachers’ working days following teaching union votes in favour of industrial action, suggesting that reform could require reopening the Jordanstown Agreement.

Mr Givan said significant progress had been made during summer negotiations, with agreement reached on a range of disputed issues. He maintained that further engagement could still produce a resolution.

‘The art of doing the impossible’

Mr Burrows, the UUP’s education spokesperson, said the ballot results reflected concerns he had repeatedly heard during school visits.

“The ballot result should come as no surprise. I have visited schools across Northern Ireland and heard the same concerns time and again: teachers and classroom assistants feel overworked and under-supported.

“The fundamental problem is that there are not enough hours in the day for teachers to fulfil the ever-growing list of responsibilities placed upon them.”

He pointed to the demands placed on teachers beyond delivering lessons, including planning, marking, special educational needs provision, classroom cover, parent meetings, supervision and administration.

Pressure on teachers’ family time

“For many, teaching has become the art of doing the impossible. Workloads have reached the point where dedicated professionals are continually asked to sacrifice their evenings, weekends and family time just to keep their schools functioning.”

Mr Burrows argued that addressing those pressures mattered both for retaining experienced staff and improving children’s education.

“If we are serious about improving staff wellbeing, retaining experienced teachers and delivering better educational outcomes, the Minister must be prepared to rethink what a teacher’s working day looks like.

“That may require a radical reassessment of workload expectations and, indeed, reopening the Jordanstown Agreement to ensure it remains fit for purpose and reflects the realities of modern education.”

Givan says negotiations have made progress

Responding to the industrial action ballot results, Mr Givan said his department recognised the pressures facing teachers and school leaders and had been working on practical measures to reduce workload.

“At my request, a panel was established to identify workload-related issues. The panel’s recommendations have been taken forward and the employers along with my Department are committed to implementing them. Significant progress has been made through the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) conciliation process.”

The minister said negotiations had been constructive, although his statement did not detail which issues had been settled or which remained unresolved.

“Negotiations over recent months have been very constructive with agreement reached across a range of issues in dispute. This ballot was initiated before the negotiations had commenced and the outcome does not reflect the genuine efforts that have been made by all parties to find a resolution.”

Why workload remains in dispute

The department published its teacher workload action plan on 28 April 2026, following recommendations from an independent review panel commissioned by Mr Givan in May 2025.

According to the department, teaching unions welcomed many aspects of the plan but sought further action in several areas and subsequently entered into dispute.

Representatives of the Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council and education employers then undertook intensive discussions supported by the Labour Relations Agency.

The council comprises the five main teaching unions: the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, National Association of Head Teachers, NASUWT, National Education Union and Ulster Teachers’ Union.

Calls for a resolution before disruption

Mr Givan said his department and employers had engaged in good faith and would continue to listen and respond.

“We will also need to consider how further engagement can be structured in a way that is meaningful and has a realistic prospect of reaching agreement. I believe that further progress is possible through continued engagement and I will continue to work with the NITC and employers to find a way forward.”

Mr Burrows said avoiding industrial action required urgent changes to the demands placed on teachers.

“Teachers cannot continue to absorb every new responsibility without something giving way. The current model is unsustainable. No one wants to see industrial action, least of all teachers themselves, and so I implore the Education Minister to commit to tackling teacher workload as a matter of urgency.”

For school communities, the unresolved issue is whether progress at the negotiating table will translate into an agreement on manageable workloads. Neither statement sets out a timetable for industrial action or identifies which schools could be affected.