Changes to your contract: Planning, Preparation and Assessment Time.

From 1st September 2005, all qualified teachers are entitled, within their timetabled teaching time, to a minimum of 10% for PPA. Those with leadership and management responsibilities are entitled to both management and leadership time and PPA time. Management and leadership time must not be counted as part of the 10% guarantee. 

All teachers with TLR payments are entitled to a “reasonable” amount of management time as are teachers in special schools. As in primary schools, guaranteed PPA time, from September 2005, should be provided through improved staffing ratios and there must be no detriment to existing provision of non – contact time. In primary and secondary schools, PPA time should be made available through the employment of qualified teachers or persons referred to in paragraphs 2 –9 inclusive of the “Education Regulations 2003” which include instructors and those on courses of initial teacher training; it should not be made available through other persons described as “higher level teacher assistants”, as set out in paragraph 10 of the regulations.

NUT Checklist for PPA:

Workload reforms should have none of the following:

• The employment of persons without QTS to teach whole classes.
• The removal of teaching posts.
• The termination of teachers’ employment or reduction in staffing establishment.
• Any worsening of the quality of teaching provided to classes or groups of pupils.
• Any reduction in the level of qualification required of those employed to teach classes or groups of pupils.
• Any reduction of the professional oversight by teachers of the quality of education for children.

It is crucial to remember that your school has a contractual duty to provide PPA time. It is not an option and cannot be limited on the grounds of insufficient finance. If this is not the case, you should contact Brian Swinton, NUT County Secretary, on 01482 448653.