New Compass Article Reveals How Schools Can Reduce Teacher Workload Through Strategic MIS Use

Why teacher workload needs attention in 2025

The Department for Education's Teacher Workload Reduction Toolkit (2023) continues to emphasise sustainable working practices as a critical priority for UK schools. Recent Ofsted guidance highlights the importance of addressing administrative burden, whilst the National Education Union's 2024 Workload Survey reveals that teachers still spend excessive hours on routine tasks. Teacher retention challenges and wellbeing concerns have prompted school leaders to examine how technology can meaningfully address administrative burden without compromising educational quality.

New Compass article shares a teacher's perspective on how MIS reduces admin

A newly published article from Compass Education examines how one platform cut planning hours through the lens of practising educators. The research-informed piece demonstrates that effective school management information systems can significantly reduce teacher workload when properly implemented and integrated across school operations.

The article highlights that teachers spend an average of 12-15 hours weekly on administrative tasks that could be streamlined through better system design. It emphasises that successful workload reduction requires understanding both the technical capabilities of modern MIS platforms and the practical realities of classroom teaching.

From process pain points to time savings

Typical workload bottlenecks

Teachers consistently identify planning, marking, parent communications, and data management as primary sources of administrative burden. These tasks, whilst essential for effective education delivery, often extend working hours and contribute to stress when managed through disconnected systems or manual processes.

How integrated MIS features address them

Modern school management platforms address these challenges through unified attendance tracking, streamlined behaviour management, automated parent communications, and integrated analytics dashboards. Schools report that single sign-on systems reduce daily login time by up to 20 minutes, whilst automated register processes eliminate duplicate data entry across multiple platforms.

The article demonstrates that when attendance, behaviour, and communication tools work together, teachers can reclaim approximately 3-4 hours weekly for lesson planning and student interaction. Schools implementing comprehensive MIS solutions have observed improved staff satisfaction alongside more efficient data management processes, with some reporting 40% reduction in administrative communication time.

Quotes

"This article represents the kind of evidence-based approach we need when evaluating technology solutions for schools," said a Spokesperson at Compass Education. "By combining teacher perspectives with research insights, we can better understand how MIS platforms genuinely support educational outcomes rather than simply adding another system to manage."

"The key insight is that technology should reduce complexity, not increase it," noted one senior leadership team member from a participating school. "When systems work together seamlessly, teachers can concentrate on what they do best."

What school leaders can do next

School leadership teams can begin by auditing current administrative processes to identify time-consuming manual tasks. Engaging teaching staff in discussions about daily workflow challenges provides valuable insight into where technology could make the most significant impact.

Evaluating MIS platforms should include consideration of integration capabilities, user training requirements, and long-term scalability. Schools benefit from piloting new systems with small groups before full implementation to ensure solutions genuinely address identified pain points.

For detailed analysis of how strategic MIS implementation can support teacher wellbeing and operational efficiency, the complete research findings are available through Compass Education's latest publication.

Jamie Irwin, PR & Communications, Compass Education
Compass International, The Shepherd's Building, Charecroft Way, London, W14 0EE

Compass is a leading school management information system serving over 2,000 schools across the UK and internationally. The platform integrates attendance, behaviour, communications, and analytics tools to support both educational outcomes and operational efficiency. Compass's mission centres on reducing administrative burden for educators whilst providing school leaders with actionable insights for data-driven decision making. The company works closely with schools to ensure technology solutions genuinely enhance rather than complicate daily educational delivery, with a particular focus on supporting teacher wellbeing and sustainable working practices.

This release was published on openPR.