NEWSLETTER - MAY 2005
PPA TIME
A MINIMUM OF 10%
AND NO STRINGS!
From September this year all teachers are guaranteed a minimum of 10% of their timetabled teaching day for Planning, Preparation, and Assessment. This is written into your conditions of service and must happen.
Although some Heads may encounter difficulties with funding, it is worth remembering that, overall, primary schools have 8.3% more money in their budgets this year.
It is also essential that the organisation of PPA time does not leave a teacher with any responsibility for a class during their PPA time - because the main purpose of this time is to reduce the individual teacher's workload.
Bradford NUT is currently running a series of meetings to address this single issue. The meetings have been very useful, enabling teachers to clarify their understanding of PPA time. They have also revealed some unacceptable approaches which have been suggested by some schools. For example:
Rounding down the time to a convenient slot on the timetable. Eg 10% of a 23 - hour teaching week is 2.3 hours, so management might suggest you have 2 hours.
Unacceptable.
PPA time must be a minimum of 10%, and as it cannot be allocated in slots of less than 30 minutes, the time allocated would have to be at least 2 hours 30 minutes. Only rounding up is acceptable.
Teachers being asked to plan work for children to do while they take their PPA time.
Unacceptable.
The teacher’s time is for PPA alone. There should be no class for which the teacher has any responsibility during that time.
Swapping the PPA time around during the week. You know the kind of thing: “Sorry, we are a bit pushed today, would you mind taking your time tomorrow instead?"
Unacceptable.
PPA time must be part of the teacher’s normal timetabled week.
Prescription of what a teacher does during PPA time.
Unacceptable.
It is your time!
The system for organising PPA time being introduced without any consultation with the teaching staff.
Unacceptable.
Although the responsibility for providing the time lies firmly with the Head, the views of the teachers must be taken into account.
School managements saying PPA can’t be provided properly because there just isn’t the money in the budget.
Unacceptable.
PPA time will be part of a teacher’s conditions of service so the money will have to be found. And overall Bradford primary schools have more in their budgets than last year.
Detailed advice has been sent to NUT reps in Primary, Nursery and Special Schools.
KEY POINTS OF PPA TIME FROM SEPTEMBER 2005:
• Minimum 10% of teacher’s timetabled teaching time from September 2005
• Provided within the school timetabled teaching day – so not in registration, assembly, breaks, or before and after school
• Applies to all teachers, including the Head, with timetabled teaching commitments
• Sacrosanct – a teacher must not be asked to cover or to perform any other duties, or to plan work for this time
• It is for the teacher to decide how the time is spent – the Head cannot direct the teacher’s activities
• Must be allocated in blocks of no less than 30 minutes
• NQTs already have a 90% maximum timetable – so they get a further 10%
• There is a no detriment clause – if you already have more than 10% this cannot be reduced down to 10%
• Entitlement can be fortnightly if the school has a fortnightly timetable
• It is in addition to any leadership and management time a teacher may already have - the no detriment clause also applies here.
NEXT SPECIAL
MEETING ON PPA
THURSDAY MAY 19th
SHIPLEY LIBRARY
4-5 pm
(with refreshments)
Please try to ensure someone from your school attends, if no-one has been to the previous two meetings.