Original research · 2026

The School Load Index

The first real measure of how much school admin lands on parents, and where it comes from.

Sample figures. Full dataset publishes at launch
~14
school messages reach the average family, every week
Illustrative · sample
~40
separate actions a family is asked to take each term
Illustrative · sample
1 in 3
deadlines are buried inside an attachment, not the message
Illustrative · sample
6
separate channels the average family has to juggle
Illustrative · sample
The shape of the load

Where it comes from, and when it lands.

Two views from the sample dataset: the channels carrying school admin, and how deadline density changes across the school phases.

Where the messages come from

Share of school messages reaching a family, by channel.

Newsletter
26%
ParentPay
21%
ClassDojo / app
19%
Class WhatsApp
17%
Letters home
10%
Texts
7%
Sample figures. Real data at launch · n = illustrative

Deadline density by school phase

Actions with a deadline, per week, averaged across the term.

Primary
8.4/wk
8.4
Secondary
6.1/wk
6.1
Autumn term
10.1/wk
10.1
Spring term
7.0/wk
7.0
Summer term
9.2/wk
9.2
Primary phase / heavier term Secondary phase / lighter term
Sample figures. Real data at launch · deadlines only
The average family fields ~14 school messages a week across six channels, and a third of every deadline is hidden in an attachment.
Key finding · The School Load Index 2026 · sample figures
How we measure it

Honest, anonymised, and built to be cited.

The Index is drawn from anonymised, aggregated patterns in how school communications flow to families. Never the content of any message, and never anything identifying a child, parent, or school. We count structure, not stories: how many messages, on which channels, carrying which kinds of deadline.

Every figure on this page is illustrative and clearly sampled. The full dataset, with sample sizes, confidence ranges, and phase breakdowns, publishes at launch and is refreshed annually.

Anonymised & aggregate

No message content. No child, parent, or school is ever identifiable in the data.

Structure, not content

We count channels, cadence, and deadline patterns, not what was said.

Open & citable

Published as an open Schema.org Dataset, refreshed every year, free to cite.

GDPR & Children's Code

Privacy-respecting by design. The same baseline that governs the LOAD app.

Open dataset · Schema.org/Dataset

Download the data. Cite the report.

The School Load Index is published as an open, machine-readable dataset, free to download, quote, and reference in your own work.

Feel it for yourself.

You already carry the load this report measures. LOAD hands it back to you as one simple to-do list, free to start.

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The School Load IndexSample figures · full dataset at launch
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