§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the change in teacher workload since the publication of Red Tape and Bureaucracy in Schools; and what progress has been made against the targets announced in the document. [171828]
§ Mr. MilibandThe main means by which teacher workload is monitored is through the regular diary surveys undertaken for the Office for Manpower Economics. Last year's survey was conducted in March 2003. The most recent one was conducted in March 2004, with results available in the autumn. The March 2003 survey showed some reductions in hours, but this was obviously too early to draw any conclusions. The "Making a Difference—Red Tape and Bureaucracy in Schools Second Report" was published in March 2003. The Report included 125 separate outcomes to be completed up to September 2005, of which 79 have now been completed.
The Implementation Review Unit (IRU) panel of 12 experienced practitioners drawn from schools across England was established in April 2003 to ensure that the bureaucratic and workload implications of both new and existing policies are kept under rigorous review, and to advise how red tape and bureaucracy can be minimised. Their first annual report was published on 30 April 2004, which provides an assessment of the progress that has been made, including the introduction of a system within the DfES to assess the impact of new initiatives before they, are introduced. The report is available at www.dfes.gov.uk/iru.