EEF study highlights positive impact of Dixons’ nine-day fortnight
Posted 29th October 2025
Introduced in 2024 across all Dixons schools, the policy gives teaching staff one day off each fortnight, while maintaining full teaching time for students. The approach was designed to address national challenges in recruitment and retention and to improve work-life harmony for educators.
The EEF commissioned Ambition Institute and IFF Research to explore early impacts through interviews with teachers and leaders at seven Dixons schools. Findings showed that teachers and school leaders report:
- improved well-being and morale among teachers and leaders
- increased job satisfaction and better work-life balance
- no negative impact on students, including those with special educational needs
- early signs of stronger recruitment and retention
While the evaluation noted some practical challenges around timetabling and ensuring equity for part-time and early career teachers, the overall picture is highly positive, demonstrating how trusts can lead the way in redefining flexible working in education.
“It feels really good to be part of a school that is doing something for the staff,” said one leader quoted in the report. “The profession has become unattainably hard in the volume of work and expectation - this policy shows our staff are valued.”
The nine-day working fortnight will continue across Dixons schools in the 2025/26 academic year, with ongoing monitoring of its long-term impact on teacher retention and pupil outcomes.
Read the full EEF evaluation here: Evaluating a nine-day working fortnight as a strategy to… | EEF