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Why 1,265 is the magic number THE NEU’s campaign to reduce excessive workloads in schools and colleges is reaping rewards for members. Many have been using the union’s directed time campaign resources in negotiations with their leadership teams to secure recognised working hours. The campaign is aiming for every workplace to have a negotiated directed time calendar and, since they were launched this term, there have been more than 8,300 requests for directed time resources. Directed time is the time teachers are directed to be at work and available for work – it should be a maximum of 1,265 hours per academic year spread over 195 days. But many teachers are working much longer hours. Teacher and NEU rep Jessica Edmonds from Leicester said when she first joined her school five years ago, staff knew nothing about the maximum and were working much longer hours running after-school clubs and pupil progress meetings in their PPA time. There was no rep so she called a meeting and was quickly elected: “After discussing 1,265 with members, I spoke with the head teacher, who then produced a breakdown. The additional things we had been asked to do were removed, as of course there wasn’t enough time. This was a great workload win for members.” In Hounslow, west London, Karen
“Running afterschool clubs and pupil progress meetings in their PPA time.”
“I managed to negotiate an extra four days of holiday – never trust their maths!”
Jessica Edmonds (above)
Karen Kemble (above)
Kemble found a careful inspection of her academy head teacher’s figures revealed staff were working 4.5 days over the 1,265 hours. Using her calculation she was able to negotiate an extra four days of holiday. “My mantra, based on 25 years of different head teachers, is never trust
that their maths is better than yours. And I’m a languages teacher not a mathematician,” she said. n Visit neu.org. uk/workload/ directed-time
Mary: ‘Pupils, parents, the nation deserve better’ THE £1.4 billion announced by the Government to fund its education recovery plan has been slammed by the NEU as a “paltry offer” and billions of pounds short of what is needed. £15bn needed, not £1.4bn Joint general secretary Mary Bousted said: “Rarely has so much been promised and so little delivered. The ‘new’ money offered amounts to £1.4bn – way below the £15bn sum which Sir Kevan Collins, the Education Recovery Commissioner, judged is needed to repair the damage done to the nation’s pupils because of Covid.” 6
Sir Kevan resigned in protest at the lack of funding for education recovery on the day of the Government announcement in June. Mary said: “Kevan Collins’ valiant efforts to deliver a serious recovery package fell on the deafest ears. This is a comprehensive failure of Government at a critical hour.” ‘No quick or cheap fixes’ She added: “He understood the enormity of the task ahead to support children and young people to recover from the disruption of the pandemic. He also saw that there are no quick or cheap fixes if we are to build an education system that supports high standards and
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strong mental health for everyone. “The Government, which brought him in to provide solutions, has totally disregarded his vision. The Treasury has shown, in this paltry offer, that it does not understand, nor does it appreciate, the essential foundation laid by education for the nation’s economic recovery. Its failure, on this scale, to fund what is needed for education recovery, is a scar which will take generations of children and young people to heal. “They, their parents and our nation deserve much better than this.” n Read the NEU’s education recovery plan at neu.org.uk/recovery-plan
