As teachers across the UK start to enjoy their summer break which is normally about 6 weeks long, half will lose a fortnight or more to school work, according to an exclusive YouGov poll for TES.

The survey revealed 44% of teachers will spend a minimum of 10 days on school-related work – the equivalent of two working weeks, a third of their summer holiday. And it’s the new teachers who suffer the most, giving up at least 3 weeks, half of their summer holiday. Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the NUT teaching union, said: “I think [teachers’ summer workload] is increasing year-on-year as the accountability is cranking up. It has never been as many hours as now.” He said the heavy workload for new teachers over the summer was “such a poor introduction to the profession”, adding: “It’s no wonder that there are so many that leave the profession so early.”

The YouGov poll of a representative sample of 836 teachers in England and Wales found that women expected to work longer hours this summer than their male counterparts. Of the female teachers, 46% said that they would work for two weeks or more, compared with 39% of men. Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, added: “Given that we know there are serious issues about teachers’ health, particularly their mental health, the fact that there’s now this intensity during what should be the break to refresh and renew is extremely worrying.”