The future of flexible working: from curiosity to culture in our schools
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As our work as Flexible Working Ambassadors comes to an end, we have found ourselves reflecting not just on what we have done, but on what we have learned. And like many things in schools, this didn’t begin with a strategy. It began with a series of moments.
One of those moments came from something quite ordinary – a school day ending. Students leaving site safely. And then, shortly afterwards, staff beginning to leave. As a headteacher, that raised questions. Why are they leaving? What else should they be doing? Shouldn’t they be staying longer? From a HR perspective, those same moments reflected something deeper. A culture where being first in and last out was quietly celebrated. Where hard work was measured by presence. Where visibility often stood in for impact. Looking back, we recognise those moments for what they were: not problems to solve, but assumptions to question.
Our journey into flexible working did not begin with recruitment or wellbeing strategies. It began with data. When we looked closely at the gender pay gap in our trust, particularly within our largest secondary school, we saw patterns that could not be explained away by national structures or workforce demographics alone. We saw the potential impact of decisions around flexible working.
Colleagues returning from maternity leave stepping back from leadership. Responsibility points being relinquished to accommodate part-time working. Experienced teachers leaving at key moments in their careers because alternative options hadn’t been fully explored. Like many moments of understanding, this was uncomfortable.
Flexible working, from that point on, became something to consider that sat firmly in the realm of fairness, opportunity and retention. It is important to say that becoming Flexible Working Ambassadors has never meant saying yes to every request. What it has meant is approaching requests differently and considering how things could be done in a different way. Rather than asking, “Why can’t this work?” we have learned to ask, “How could this work?”
That shift, from the scepticism of why, to the curiosity of how, has been the most important change of all. Across our work with more than 100 schools, we have seen that where leaders are open to exploring flexible solutions, the impact goes beyond individual arrangements. It begins to shape culture.
One of the challenges in this work is language. For many, flexible working immediately means part-time. And while part-time working remains important, it is only one part of a much wider picture. Our definition has become deliberately simple. Flexible working is about giving colleagues greater agency over when, where and how much they work. Holding onto that principle opens far more possibilities than we might initially expect.
Across the schools we have worked with, this has included trading time to allow a planned day away from school, completing planning and preparation off-site, remote professional development, phased retirement for experienced leaders, and more flexible patterns such as condensed or variable hours.
In some schools, this has been as simple as offering a single day a year that staff can trade for personal reasons – trade to flex. In others, it has meant moving some professional development online, allowing colleagues to choose when to engage with it. Many have found creative solutions to part-time requests, particularly at key career stages. None of these changes are dramatic. But collectively, they represent a shift in mindset. A willingness to try, to adapt, and to trust.
There are also clear system-level reasons why this matters now. Around 40,000 teachers leave the profession each year, with many moving into roles offering greater flexibility. At the same time, younger colleagues increasingly expect flexibility as a normal part of working life. Schools are not operating in isolation from these societal expectations. The question is not whether flexible working will become more prominent, but how well we respond.
We are cautious about attributing some of the evidence, in our work with the Flexible Working Ambassador MAT and schools culture change programme, to a single strategy such as flexible working. Schools are complex, and many variables are always at play. But the patterns we have seen are consistent. In one school developing flex, teacher attrition reduced from 18.9% to 11.3%. Across all staff, it fell from 25.2% to 15.1%. Absence reduced, engagement improved, and feedback from colleagues was overwhelmingly positive. The average absence rate for teachers fell by a day and half over the year. Times the number of teachers by the number of lessons, and number of students in each class, and that is a lot of gained learning time.
What we overwhelming observed was teachers staying in the profession. Teachers who might otherwise have left after five years, teachers returning from maternity leave and experienced colleagues who, with greater flexibility, chose to remain in the profession for longer. That retention represents continuity for students, stability for schools, and experience that would otherwise be lost.
One of the most important themes of this work has been its impact on inclusion. In a profession where women make up much of the workforce, and where a pay gap still exists, flexible working is not just about convenience. It is about opportunity. Of course, there are challenges. Timetables still need to function. Students need consistency and not every request can be accommodated. Fairness also matters. Flexible working cannot be seen as something available only to certain groups. It must be understood as a range of options, where different colleagues access different forms of flexibility at different times. This requires careful design and clear communication.
If there is one consistent factor across all the schools we have worked with, it is this: flexible working succeeds or fails on leadership mindset. Policies matter, but the starting point is always the same. A willingness to be open-minded and to explore possibilities rather than default to constraints
As the ambassador programme concludes, this work is not finished. If anything, it is just beginning. Flexible working is certainly not a solution to the many challenges schools face. But it is a practical, evidence-informed approach that can make a meaningful difference to colleagues. A positive future around flexible working is possible through small, deliberate choices. Choices that build trust, increase agency, and create the conditions in which teachers can continue to do their best work. A future where teachers stay fulfilled and stay teaching.
Julie Wellacott and Neil Renton
Julie is a HR Partner for the Red Kite Learning Trust and former Flexible Working Ambassador the Yorkshire and Humber FWAM
Neil Renton is the Headteacher of Harrogate Grammar School and former Flexible Working Ambassador the Yorkshire and Humber FWAM
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