How to use technology to reduce teacher workload.

Teachers have a demanding workload, they are responsible for the health, safety and development of the children in their classes. Even small tasks add up and can pose a serious risk to achieving a work-life balance. Recording and reporting first aid incidents to notify parents of an injury can be added to an already long list of tasks.

What are the main challenges for teacher workload?

Teacher workload is becoming unmanageable for classroom teachers and as a result, schools are experiencing difficulties with recruitment and retention. Some schools are using the school workload reduction toolkit provided by the DfE to help to identify, address and evaluate workload reduction measures. The main challenges highlighted for teacher workload are: 

• Feedback and marking
• Curriculum planning 
• Behaviour management 
• Communications
  
  

How do parent communications add to teacher workload?

Teachers have an endless list of everyday tasks that they must complete to keep their classrooms running smoothly. Parent communications and interactions are a daily occurrence for all primary teachers. These parent communications can be face-to-face during school drop-off or pick-up or virtually through an online communication platform.

A simple 5-minute discussion about a bumped head during playtime doesn't seem a large task. However, let's add this to after school club organisation, 3 other injuries to inform parents of, a mental health concern to be logged and a staff meeting starting in 15 minutes. Phew. 

Recording and reporting injuries and incidents is a requirement of effective first aid provision in schools. Parents must be notified of injury and the subsequent actions of care their child has received, in a timely manner. However, it can be understood how sharing the information about a grazed knee can slip down the priority pile for parent-teacher communications. Leaving parents feeling uninformed about their child's health and safety in school.

Online first aid software: how it reduces teacher workload

First aid tracking software is used by schools to reduce teacher workload and increase the effectiveness of the provision of first aid in schools. Medical Tracker is an all-in-one health management tool, used by schools to track, report and record first aid incidents and medical administration. You can find more information about who we help, including case study examples of how all of the features of Medical Tracker are used by primary and secondary schools and MATs.

Automated notifications to parents 

When an incident is recorded on Medical Tracker (including the recording of mental health concerns), parents are notified immediately via email. The free email template informs the parents of the incident and importantly reassures them of the action of care taken and the outcome. Reducing parental anxieties and building a trusting relationship between school and home. 

Quick and easy first aid

30 seconds it takes to record a first aid incident into the software, we even timed it ourselves! Reducing teacher workload when using outdated and ineffective recording and reporting systems. All staff data is synched with the school's MIS system, making sharing the incident with any relevant staff (including the pastoral team) a doddle. 

Pupil history stored 

Using the highest of GDPR and security, all of the students' past medical history and information is stored online. Useful for EHCP applications and reviews, to access all previous first aid incidents in one place. 

Want to see how Medical Tracker can help to reduce your teacher's workload? Contact one of our team today for a 15-minute demonstration.