By Angela Harrison BBC News Online education staff

Teachers have campaigned for fewer admin tasks

Teachers' leaders are warning that plans to cut teachers' workload could be sunk by the current funding crisis.

As the government published detailed proposals to spare teachers from clerical tasks, the unions said some schools might not have enough support staff to bring in the changes as planned this September.

The reforms hinge on the greater use of classroom assistants and other support staff to take away administrative jobs like photo-copying from teachers.

Teachers' leaders have for years campaigned for such a change and in January most signed up to a deal.

The exception was the biggest teaching union - the National Union of Teachers - which was concerned that classroom assistants - who are not trained teachers - might be left in charge of classes.

'Significant development'

Starting in the new school year, teachers will no longer have to do administrative duties like photo-copying.

From September 2004, a limit will be placed on the hours teachers can spend covering for absent colleagues and from September 2005, they will be given guaranteed time out of the classroom to prepare lessons and assess pupils.

Teachers' and head teachers' unions were involved in talks on the detailed proposals.

School standards minister David Miliband welcomed the publication of the detailed proposals, saying: "This marks a significant development in our drive to raise standards and narrow the achievement gap in schools.

The rhetoric of the government seems bizarre Damian Green, Shadow Education Secretary

"These changes will help to free teachers from inappropriate and excessive workloads and boost the role and status of school support staff, allowing teachers to focus on what they do best - teaching.

"Pupils will receive greater individual attention from fresher, better prepared staff."

Welcome for the plans among many teachers is tempered by concern over the current funding crisis, which some fear will threaten the implementation of the deal.

Gerald Imison, joint acting general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) wrote to Mr Miliband to accept the deal but also, he said, to "flag up again our serious concern about the current financial position in many schools".

"We welcome having reached this stage on the tortuous journey to reduce teachers' workload," he said.

"It is important for our members that these issues have been resolved now because this means that, from September, teachers will at last be able to focus more of their attention on their teaching as a direct result of the removal of inappropriate tasks.

"At the same time we will be making it clear that we will oppose, with the possibility of industrial action, any attempts to replace the time saved with work that would have been undertaken by staff made redundant or where a post remains unfilled because of cash shortfall in schools."

The union says it already knows of some schools where there might not be enough support staff to bring in the changes.

It is offering extra support to teachers at those schools in case they need to take industrial action.

It is thought hundreds of teachers and classroom assistants will lose their jobs by September because of funding shortfalls in some schools.

No triumph

The Conservatives said today's announcement was not a great breakthrough.

Shadow Education Secretary Damian Green said: " If we did have a proper reduction in unnecessary work for teachers it would indeed be a step forward.

"Sadly in the real world of the schools the rhetoric of the government seems bizarre.

"Hundreds of teachers are being made redundant because of the funding crisis, the largest teachers' union has not signed up to the new contract, one of the head teachers' unions has expressed severe doubts, and one union representing classroom assistants is thinking about strike action.