Embark Federation
Embark Federation is a multi-academy trust with a proven track record of creating a positive and sustainable working environment for its staff. This case study explores the strategies and approaches that have contributed to Embark’s success in managing staff workload effectively. By examining their experiences, educational leaders can gain valuable insights and identify best practices for balancing workload, improving staff wellbeing and retention within their own organisations.
Their insights illustrate how leadership fosters a strong organisational culture conducive to manageable and fulfilling workloads. Along with other schools and trusts we interviewed we created a Balancing Workload in School Trusts guide, which acts as an encyclopaedia of approaches, practices and advice, this guide is built on interviews with 18 leaders.
Embark Federation is a growing multi-academy trust with 21 primary and secondary schools across Derbyshire with an ambition to create schools that stand out at the heart of their community and enable everyone to love learning, love life.
Kilburn Junior School is a medium-sized junior school located in Derbyshire, serving pupils aged 7 to 11. The school currently has 136 pupils, 35% of pupils come from deprived backgrounds, and 25% have special educational needs (SEN). The staff team is small, comprising 37 staff. The school prides itself on a calm, supportive environment, which reflects the strong culture of collaboration among staff.
Key contributors: Lisa Marriott (People and Culture Lead), Rob Hull (Headteacher of Kilburn Junior School)
In this case study:
- Practice and impact
- Challenges and solutions
- Other highlights
Practice and impact
Collaborative culture and wellbeing
At Kilburn Junior School, the emphasis on wellbeing and team dynamics plays a central role in staff workload management. Headteacher Rob Hull fosters a culture of collaboration where staff work together to share responsibilities, such as joint lesson planning and resource preparation. Staff retention is high, with many teachers remaining for decades due to the supportive and positive environment. The trust between staff members extends beyond professional responsibilities, with teachers stepping in to support one another whenever needed. Rob describes the school as a family, where everyone, from the kitchen staff to teachers, feels supported. This collaboration is spread to the relationships with pupils and families, which also impacts workload positively, as pupil behaviour and attendance are very good at the school, attendance being highest in the Trust, despite some of the deprivation markers of the community.
Fostering a supportive culture
“I always say it’s about the culture. We’ve got a close-knit team, and everyone is there for each other. That’s why people stay.”
Outdoor learning to ease workload
A unique feature at Kilburn Junior School is the “Trailblazer” outdoor learning programme, which offers a blend of Forest School-like activities and curriculum-based learning. Each week, pupils spend half a day outside, engaging in lessons delivered through the outdoor programme. This initiative not only provides a rich educational experience for pupils but also reduces teachers’ classroom-based workload, as the outdoor programme teacher integrates elements of the curriculum into the outdoor lessons. Additionally, the programme’s coordinator is available around the school as an additional pair of hands to cover lessons, offering teachers more flexibility for planning or personal time.
Trust support to release capacity
Embark Federation provides robust support to its schools for cross strategy priorities (attendance, behaviour, safeguarding, SEND, etc.) and also subject specific leadership which give schools a range of opportunities for CPD, capacity releasing support, and cutting edge expertise. The support from the Trust is not compulsory and therefore affords the school the opportunity to engage in the areas requiring support and also to release capacity. This approach is also an opportunity for staff development, in cases where the expertise sits in the school, and can help better schools across the Trust by sharing knowledge and practice. Headteacher Rob Hull carefully manages staff participation in trust-wide meetings and events. Acknowledging the limited capacity of a small team, he ensures that staff only engage in meetings and initiatives that will have a direct and meaningful impact on staff development or pupil outcomes. This selective participation helps to prevent staff from being overwhelmed by external demands, ensuring their focus remains on core responsibilities.
Prioritising impactful meetings
“We pick and choose which meetings we attend based on our current priorities, their impact on the children and on staff development. You can’t do everything.”
Challenges and solutions
“Save it for tomorrow”
A key challenge in education is the constant influx of tasks. Both People and Culture Lead Lisa Marriott and Headteacher Rob Hull emphasise the importance of identifying which tasks are truly necessary and valuable. By establishing a clear boundary around what needs to be done and what can wait, staff at Kilburn Junior School are able to manage their workload more effectively. Rob encourages his staff to prioritise and reminds them that it’s okay to “save it for tomorrow,” a phrase he has taken from his father, who himself was an award-winning headteacher. From the trust level, Lisa adds that clarity around tasks and reducing unnecessary repetition across schools can significantly reduce anxiety and perceived workload.
She asks the questions “Can we name what it means to be busy? Then, can we have meaningful conversations to prioritise and support?”, to gain a common understanding of people’s perceptions of workload. By running exercises like “Stop/Do’’ with task lists and understanding each other’s boundaries and limits around workload, the busy-ness can be collectively tamed. We are actively transforming our approach to appraisals and every day conversation to ensure the consideration of wellbeing, priorities and school improvement in a way that’s meaningful and impactful.
Naming and managing workload
“For me, it’s about naming the workload—what is actually making us busy? Once you can name it, you can decide what’s essential and what’s not, and what can be shared. There’s a lot we can’t control, but a significant portion we can. Sometimes it’s about boundaries; not everything has to be done right away, and not everything that keeps us busy is actually valuable. It’s about learning to say no when something isn’t a priority.”
Recruitment and team fit
Kilburn Junior School takes a deliberate approach to recruitment, focusing on finding individuals who will complement the existing team culture. Headteacher Rob Hull stresses the importance of getting the right fit, in terms of qualifications, experience, values and behaviours, often taking multiple rounds of recruitment to find the best candidate. This focus on selecting team members who share the school’s values ensures a supportive and cohesive environment for both staff and pupils.
People and Culture Lead Lisa Marriott highlights the broader challenge in the education sector, noting that traditional recruitment processes, such as lengthy application forms, can be outdated and restrictive. Many potential candidates may struggle to showcase their strengths through such formal methods, even if they have the skills to thrive in a school setting. Lisa also points out that some individuals may not fit perfectly in one school but could excel in another within the Trust. Embark Federation aims to be flexible in placing staff, recognising that someone who isn’t the right fit for Kilburn Junior School, for instance, might thrive in a different school more suited to them to harness their potential.
Broadening recruitment for potential
“We need to cast a wider net in recruitment, looking at new ways to attract and recruit and looking beyond formal qualifications and different kinds of experience. Sometimes a candidate might not be the right fit at one school at that time, but could be a great match elsewhere. We need to look for potential and fit.”
Retention and sick days
Kilburn Junior School’s supportive culture, and focus on wellbeing, has led to impressive staff retention and incredibly low staff sickness rates. In the seven years since joining Embark Federation, the school has only needed a supply teacher once. The staffing establishment has the capacity to flex and this stability not only saves the school money but also ensures consistency for pupils, as familiar staff are always present to maintain relationships and learning momentum. A key factor behind this success is the school’s flexible approach to workload management.
Headteacher Rob Hull will step in to cover classes if a staff member needs personal time, and the school operates with a policy making it easy for teachers to attend personal events or take care of urgent matters without facing bureaucratic hurdles that may have existed in the past. This level of flexibility, coupled with a strong team dynamic, allows staff to balance their personal and professional lives while feeling valued and supported.
Supportive teamwork and care
“Staff never take time off lightly because they know their colleagues are counting on them. We will support when someone is unwell or needs time; it’s a close team, and the support goes both ways. If someone needs 25 time, we make sure they get it.”
Other highlights
Reflections on the staff workload crisis
Reflecting on the workload crisis, both Rob and Lisa consider a few areas that can truly impact how staff feel about their workload. The main being the sense of team and collective responsibility for the work that needs to be done. The team not only needs to work hard together, but, as Rob adds, “have a good laugh,” saying, when staff enjoy their work environment, they are more likely to engage fully and contribute positively. Lisa emphasises that an integral part of a strong team culture is the quality of conversations and shares how appraisals have changed at the Trust to focus more on four key priorities: wellbeing, prioritisation, objectives, and aspirations. Encouraging staff to prioritise tasks and set boundaries is essential, as this is not only a leadership challenge, but everyone has to take responsibility for themselves to have a stronger collective outcome for their wellbeing and pupil outcomes.
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