IEU backs National Teacher Workload Impact Assessment tool

Too often, new programs are foisted on the classroom without sufficient consideration of their impact on the people who must deliver them. The IEU is doing something about it.

In July 2023, the IEU and other members of the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan (NTWAP) Working Group were approached by the federal Government’s Department of Education to provide feedback on the draft Teacher Workload Impact Assessment tool. Several IEU recommendations were incorporated into the final design.

The finalised Teacher Workload Impact Assessment (TWIA) was agreed by Education Ministers in December 2023. Consistent with Action 20 of the NTWAP, the TWIA will be used on National Policy Initiatives in the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement and considered by Education Ministers during negotiations.

General Secretary David Brear says, ‘the constant churn of new initiatives – often poorly planned and implemented without meaningful teacher consultation – continues to increase workloads and deliver underwhelming results’.

‘The IEU has long warned that when implementation ignores existing demands and fails to monitor impact, it creates unrealistic expectations that contribute to burnout and worsen the teacher shortage.

‘Rushed rollouts, followed by the quick abandonment of failed programs and the swift uptake of new ones, create an unsustainable cycle that drains teacher energy and ultimately harms student outcomes.’

IEU Assistant Federal Secretary Veronica Yewdall says the union is backing ‘far broader application of the TWIA’, describing it as a practical, consultative tool that can help reduce teacher workload pressures and lead to more stable, effective initiatives – ultimately benefiting student outcomes.

‘The TWIA is an interactive tool, providing the capacity for agencies to fill in responses to a series of questions and requiring further exploration of any identified workload implication. While the TWIA was developed for the assessment of national initiatives, the IEU believes it is a sequential framework that genuinely seeks to address the teacher workload impact of initiatives and could be usefully implemented at school and system level.’

A wider application of the tool offers education authorities and employers priceless practical assistance to ensure their programs gain traction in the classroom. The union has been provided with the final version of the national Teacher Workload Impact Assessment tool, but it is not available digitally at this time. We will share it with members when it is available.