Save time and reduce workload: 2026 guide for overworked computing teachers

You walk into your classroom, coffee in hand, ready to make a difference. You love the spark in your pupils’ eyes when something clicks. But lately, the spark in you feels a little dimmer.

You’re not alone.

The data is clear: teaching in England is harder than ever and computing teachers are carrying more weight than most people realise.

You want to be the teacher who inspires, the one who makes computing fun and accessible. You also want your evenings back, that’s not too much to ask. Is it?

Yet, the latest research paints a picture of a profession at breaking point. The “Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders” report reveals a profession full of passion and purpose but also one battered by workload, shifting expectations and a growing sense of being undervalued.

So, for all you computing teacher champions, the passionate but overwhelmed teachers who want:

• practical ways to reclaim your time,

• keep standards high and

• allow you to actually enjoy teaching again.

I’ll show you the real facts, not just headlines. I’ll also give you proven strategies, rooted in real classrooms, that will help you save time without cutting corners.

Why teachers are struggling: the data no one can ignore

Let’s get honest about what’s happening. The Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders report tells the story year by year.

2022: This was the baseline. Teachers worked an average of 51.9 hours per week. Job satisfaction was at 58%. Only 17% felt their workload was acceptable. Just 26% felt they had control over it. Still, 62% rated pupil behaviour as good or very good. A quarter of teachers were thinking about leaving the state sector.

2023: Morale hit rock bottom. Working hours rose to 52.4 per week, the highest in the series. Job satisfaction dropped to 46%. Only 17% still believed their workload was acceptable. Intentions to leave jumped to 36%. Pupil behaviour ratings fell. 75% of teachers said admin work was their top workload stressor.

2024: There were early signs of recovery. Average hours dropped to 51.2. Job satisfaction edged up to 49%. More teachers felt their workload was acceptable (22%) or under control (34%). Intentions to leave eased to 34%. Only 45% of teachers still rated pupil behaviour as good or very good.

2025: The most recent data brings the best results so far, though not a full return to 2022. Average working hours dropped to 46.9 per week, the lowest recorded. Job satisfaction climbed to 54%. Perceptions of workload and control reached their highest points yet (26% and 39%). Intentions to leave dropped to 29%. Too much time spent on admin fell to 71% but remains the top stressor.

Even with these improvements, compare this to the average weekly hours in other industries. According to the Office for National Statistics, most UK employees work far fewer hours than teachers.

There’s another gap that’s hard to ignore. Leaders and teachers see behaviour differently. 68% of leaders rate pupil behaviour as good. Only 49% of teachers agree. If you feel your concerns aren’t heard, you’re not alone.

Flexible working was meant to help. By 2023, 46% of schools offered flexible options, up from 40% the year before. But only 30% of teachers believe flexible working fits with teaching and 62% fear it will harm their career. The policies exist, but the culture hasn’t caught up. Many teachers worry that saying yes to flexibility means saying goodbye to promotion.

Now let’s talk about wellbeing. The average teacher’s life satisfaction score is just 6.2 out of 10, well below the national average. For those who leave teaching, it jumps to 7.4.

In 2023, 63% of teachers said their job hurt their mental health. Only 24% of teachers who have left the profession said the same about their new job.

These aren’t just numbers, this is the lived reality for teachers across the country.

And what about feeling valued? 76% of teachers feel society doesn’t value the profession. Only a third feel recognised or rewarded at school. It’s no wonder so many are thinking of leaving. Those who stay are fighting to keep their heads above water.

What does this mean for you?

You’re not just a statistic. You’re a teacher who wants to do a brilliant job and still have a life. You want to feel valued, not just by your pupils, but by your school and your profession. You want solutions that work, not just platitudes.

Here’s where things can change. The rest of this post gives you five proven, practical strategies. Each one is rooted in the reality of your classroom and is backed by real research and genuine results.

These aren’t gimmicks. They’re small shifts that can give you back hours every week without sacrificing quality or the spark that brought you to teaching in the first place.

1. Batch your planning: get your evenings back

Imagine sitting down at the start of term, planner open, not just to tick off a to-do list but to actually design your sequence of lessons. Instead of planning each lesson in isolation, you batch them for the whole half-term or topic. The research backs this up.

The American Psychological Association found mentally switching from one topic to another can reduce a person's productive time by as much as 40%. Task batching enhances productivity by eliminating these frequent context switches, allowing individuals to stay in a focused "flow state" for longer periods.

Here’s how to make it work:

1. Block out a planning session at the start of term or before a new unit. Pick a time when you’re least likely to be interrupted.

2. List all the lessons you need to prep for the one particular unit. Don’t just think about lessons but how they connect. Could a starter for one lesson double as a recap for another?

3. Gather all your existing resources for the unit and think about how they can be used.

4. Plan lessons in sequence. Look for ways to reuse slides, activities or even homework tasks across the whole unit.

5. Finish with a quick review. Spot any gaps or links you missed and fill them while your mind’s still in the zone.

If you’re prepping Year 8 algorithms, plan the whole unit in one session. You might spot a starter that fits every lesson or a recap slide you can tweak and reuse. That’s hours saved across the term.

You don’t need to have every resource finished in advance. But having a plan for the entire unit helps you spot where activities can be reused and makes it easier to find the flow. When you’re focused on a single unit, it’s much simpler to see connections and build momentum, instead of constantly switching between different topics.

2. Reuse and adapt editable resources: stop reinventing the wheel

You don’t have to start from scratch every time. 82% of teachers interviewed by the Grattan Institute in “Making time for great teaching: How better government policy can help” agreed that having access to shared high-quality curricular materials would save them significant time.

It’s not lazy, it’s smart. Build a digital folder of editable files you trust. Before you start a new unit, check what you already have. Make small tweaks for ability, context or class size. Save your adapted version for next year.

Here’s how this looks in practice:

1. Before a new unit, open your digital folder. Look for slides, worksheets or activities you can adapt.

2. Change examples to fit your class. Teaching Python to a mixed-ability Year 9? Adjust the stretch and support tasks, swap in a real-world example your pupils will relate to.

3. Save your new version for next year. Each tweak is an investment, not just a shortcut.

Prep time drops from an hour to fifteen minutes. That’s not theory. That’s your evening back.

3. Retrieval practice: make learning stick (and save yourself time)

Retrieval practice isn’t just a buzzword, it really works. Kate Jones reported on her work on Retrieval Practice and Technology that retrieval practice makes already-learned information easier and quicker to retrieve in the future and the benefits of retrieval practice for long-term learning are among the most secure findings in educational psychology.

Create a bank of short quizzes for each topic. Use them as lesson starters or exit tickets. Mark together in class so feedback is instant and you’re not left with a pile of marking.

How you can use this:

1. Build a quiz bank, five questions per topic is enough however don’t make them too easy as “the more effort required by an individual to dredge up a memory without external support, the stronger the memory will become.”

2. Use mini whiteboards or a thumbs-up/thumbs-down quiz. Pupils answer, you check as a class, everyone gets feedback straight away.

3. Adapt and reuse quizzes across year groups. No need to reinvent the wheel every term.

Start a networks lesson with a five-question quiz from your retrieval bank. Pupils answer on mini whiteboards. You check answers together. Feedback is instant and there’s no extra marking. More learning, less stress.

4. Automate marking: free up your weekends

According to the UK Governments Working lives of teachers and leaders survey, 57% of computing/computer science teachers reported that they spent too much time marking. They suggest concentrating feedback to ensure it is meaningful, manageable and motivating, such as focusing detailed feedback only on key pieces of work identified in schemes of work and for every lesson in a unit.

Tools like Google Forms or Kahoot let you create self-marking quizzes which fits with the previous principle of retrieval practice. Pupils get instant feedback and you get your time back.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Pick a digital quiz tool you like such as Google Forms, Quizizz or Kahoot all work well.

2. Build quick quizzes for key topics. Don’t worry about perfection, just get them working.

3. Share the quiz link in class or for homework. Pupils complete it, see their scores instantly.

4. Review results at a glance. Spot gaps in understanding without a mountain of marking.

For a GCSE revision lesson, set up a Google Form quiz. Pupils finish it in class, see their scores straight away and you use the summary data to spot gaps. Focus on learning rather than measurement. The retrieval practice, implemented via quick quizzes, is designed as a low-stakes strategy to support learning, not measure it formally.

Therefore, the concept of low-stakes quizzes means there should be "no need to rigorously monitor or record results and scores", further reducing administrative workload associated with detailed marking.

5. Peer marking and self-marking: build skills and cut your marking pile

Peer marking and self-marking aren’t just gimmicks. The Grattan Institute report shows it boosts progress and saves teachers’ time.

Here’s how to make it work:

1. Model how to use mark schemes or model answers. Show what good feedback looks like.

2. Set clear ground rules for feedback. Respect is key.

3. Pupils swap work and mark using the criteria. You circulate, answer questions and review tricky answers as a class.

After a coding challenge, pupils swap computers and use a checklist to peer mark. You circulate to answer questions, then review the trickiest answers together. Your marking pile is halved and pupils get feedback right away.

Making it work in the real world: overcoming barriers and building balance

You’ve heard the strategies. But maybe you’re thinking, “That sounds great, but my school is different.” Or, “I’ve tried batching but meetings keep eating into my planning slot.”

The truth is every school and every teacher faces unique challenges. But small changes, made consistently, add up to a big difference over time. Here’s how to make these strategies stick, even when the odds feel stacked against you.

Batching when your schedule feels out of your control

Maybe you’re in a school where your timetable changes at the last minute. Maybe you get pulled into cover or pastoral issues. The key is not perfection but progress. If you can’t batch every unit, aim to get just one or two units batched at the start of term. If you can’t get a whole morning, try for an hour. Even a short block of focused planning is more powerful than snatching five minutes here and there.

Protect your planning time.

Treat it like any other meeting. If someone asks for your time, say, “I’ve got a planning session then, can we meet after?” Most colleagues understand. If you’re open about why you need the time, you’re modelling good practice for them too.

Adapting resources when you feel overwhelmed

You might look at your digital folder and think, “There’s nothing here for this topic.” That’s fine, start small. Next time you create a resource, save it in your folder. Over a term, you’ll build a bank of editable materials. If you’re stuck, swap resources with a trusted colleague. Remember, most teachers adapt existing materials, there’s no shame in it.

Retrieval practice in a packed curriculum

Worried you don’t have time for quizzes? Remember, retrieval practice doesn’t have to be a separate activity. A five-question quiz at the start of a lesson can replace a traditional starter. Marking together in class gives immediate feedback and frees up your evenings. If you’re new to this, try it with one class for a few weeks and watch how it changes your workload.

Automating marking even if tech isn’t your thing

You don’t need to be a tech expert. Start with one quiz. Google Forms and Kahoot have templates you can copy and tweak. Ask your pupils to help, they often enjoy testing a new quiz platform. The first time takes longer but after that, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.

Peer marking without chaos

Worried about chaos or unfair marking? Set clear ground rules. Model what good feedback looks like and use a simple checklist. You’re not giving up control, you’re building pupils’ independence and understanding. Peer marking works best when you review the trickiest answers as a class. That way, everyone learns and you keep standards high.

Building a resource bank for the future

Every time you adapt a resource or create a new quiz, you’re investing in your future self. Over a year, your digital folder grows. Next term, you’ll have even more to reuse and adapt. The more you build, the easier it becomes.

You’re working hard to deliver the best for your pupils and you shouldn’t have to do it all alone. My computing resources are designed to save you time, reduce stress and help you teach with confidence. They’re fully editable, plug-and-play and built with the real challenges of computing teachers in mind.

If you’re ready to lighten your load and reclaim your evenings, take a look at my collection.

You’re not alone

The statistics are sobering but they’re not the end of the story. Thousands of teachers are making these changes, one step at a time. You deserve time for yourself, your family and your passions outside teaching. You deserve to feel valued and supported.

Habits are built in the small moments, not grand gestures. It’s easy to get swept up in the rush of school life and slip back into old routines. But every time you batch-plan, adapt a resource or use retrieval practice, you’re laying another brick in the foundation of a more balanced teaching life.

Set yourself up for success with tiny, realistic goals. If you want to batch-plan, start with just two lessons. If you’re new to retrieval practice, create one five-question quiz this week. Celebrate every win, no matter how small. Over time, these wins add up.

You’re not just helping yourself when you make these changes. You’re showing your team what’s possible, so share your wins. If a new approach saves you time, tell your colleagues. Offer to swap resources or run a short session on retrieval practice. The more teachers who embrace smarter planning, the more the culture shifts.

If you’re facing resistance from leadership, use the data. Share the real statistics from the reports. Point out that teachers who feel supported and have time for themselves are more likely to stay, be creative and deliver high-quality lessons. Leaders want happy, effective staff. Sometimes they just need to see the evidence.