AN initiative has been launched to help reduce the stress and pressure on headteachers.

Consultants will help Newcastle headteachers develop a better work-life balance for themselves and their staff in a £40,000 project funded by the Department of Trade and Industry.

A joint Support for School Management Strategy has been set up by the city council, working with senior teachers.

The aim of the programme is to set up initiatives, including altered working practices, that allow heads to maintain or improve school standards while gradually cutting back on working hours.

Dr Catherine Lee, the project officer managing the strategy, said: "The Californians would call it working smarter not harder.

"Although it may seem counter-productive to suggest that reducing working hours can result in increased output, research has shown that people with good work-life balance are measurably more effective at their jobs than people who are overworked."

She said the Government agreed with the approach and, through the Department for Trade and Industry, had awarded funding to the Support for School Management collaboration to employ work-life consultants next year.

"If we are successful in reducing pressures on school staff, Newcastle schools could provide a model for others who are struggling with overworked staff,'' she said.