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and make a recommendation to the governing body. Remember, however, that failure on the school’s part to carry out the performance management process correctly does not justify refusing you pay progression.
Finally, the outcome must be notified to you by 31 October. There is no deadline for application, only a deadline for the decision to be notified to you. Pay increases are backdated to 1 September, regardless of when decisions are taken. If the decision is that you will not progress, then you can submit an appeal.
An NUT guidance document, Progression on the Upper Pay Scale, is available on the NUT website at
www.teachers.org.uk – go to ‘pay’ and then ‘school teachers’ pay’. If you have been told that you are not going to progress, or no decision has been taken, consult your NUT representative or the local NUT division/association secretary for advice.
Q I have worked at my present secondary school for five years and all class teachers here have 15 per cent non-contact time built into their contract. The headteacher has just announced that this will be reduced to 10 per cent from September 2010. Can she do this?
A All teachers have had a contractual entitlement to a minimum of 10 per cent of their timetabled teaching time for planning, preparation and assessment since September 2005. This was one of a series of new contractual provisions for teachers introduced as a result of the ‘national agreement’, which was intended to reduce teacher workload and allow teachers to concentrate on teaching and learning activities.
In September 2009 the last planned improvement to teachers’ contractual entitlements – that teachers should rarely cover for absent colleagues – came into effect. The NUT has issued extensive guidance on the new cover provisions and the issue has been the subject of previous queries on this page.
The union is aware, however, that as a result of the new cover provisions, some schools are attempting to reduce non-contact time for teachers who have previously had more than 10 per cent (the legal minimum).
The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) clearly states that the implementation of the cover provisions is not intended to result in a worsening of teachers’ overall working conditions. The STPCD also advises that ‘rarely covering is an integral part of the overall package of contractual provisions designed to raise standards by freeing teachers and headteachers from tasks which do not require their professional skills and expertise and enabling them to focus on their function of teaching and leading and managing teaching and learning’.
The guidance adds that: ‘Schools’ strategies for managing teachers rarely covering should secure downward pressure on workload, assisting to ensure that teachers and headteachers are not required to work unreasonable hours and that they can achieve a reasonable work-life balance’.
If you have not done so already, you should contact your NUT representative and raise the matter with your school group in order to oppose the headteacher’s proposals to cut your non-contact time. If necessary, seek support from your local NUT division or association.
For NUT guidance on the new entitlement to ‘rarely cover’ visit
www.teachers.org.uk/cover.
Q My partner and I are both NUT members and we receive two copies of each edition of The Teacher at home. It seems rather wasteful, not to mention environmentally unfriendly, to have a surplus magazine that goes unread. Is there any way that we could maintain both our memberships but receive just one copy of The Teacher?
A If you and your partner would prefer to receive just one copy of The Teacher, you simply need to let our Records and Subscription Services department know. Email
rss@nut.org.uk explaining the situation and giving your address and membership numbers. You can go back to receiving two copies at any point in the future if you wish.
Members sometimes contact us to say they would prefer not to receive The Teacher for environmental reasons. Any member, whether they live with another NUT teacher or not, can email the address above to stop receiving printed copies of the magazine.
Our new interactive digital editions mean it’s now possible to read the entire magazine online. Simply go to the NUT website at
www.teachers.org.uk and click on the ‘Teacher online’ button to find the latest edition and our growing archive of back issues.
Find out more about The Teacher online in our feature on page 19.
Send your questions for the NUT’s experts on legal, professional, and health and safety matters to Ask the union, The Teacher, NUT, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD or email
teacher@nut.org.uk.
Please note that questions relating to personal problems or specific workplace situations should be directed to your school NUT rep or local NUT association or division secretary in the first instance.
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