If so, are you being told that it will be terminated at the end of this term?

You have legal rights if your contract has lasted a year by the date of termination. The ending of a fixed term contract is a dismissal in law and the school has to give a fair reason to dismiss you.

Schools have been advised by the LEA that they must carry out a meeting with you (around about this time) if the ending of your contract is being proposed. You have the chance to make representations and have alternative work considered. You have the right to an NUT officer at these meetings. Some have already been held and the Union has had some success in preventing dismissal.

Some temporary contracts are ended for a fair reason, for instance covering for a maternity leave where the person is returning, but many fixed term/temporary contracts have been issued giving reasons that the Union does not accept are valid.

For instance, many NQTs are given contracts which are temporary “in the first instance”. This is an abuse and the NUT will challenge schools which attempt to end such contracts for no good reason.

The advice given to schools on the ending of fixed term contracts can be seen on the Bradford NUT website -