How Many Hours Should an ECT Work in a Week?

As an Early Career Teacher (ECT), you may be wondering how many hours you are expected to work each week. The answer to that question depends on a variety of factors, including your state’s requirements and the school district’s policies.

In this blog post, we will explore the expectations for ECTs in terms of hours worked and provide some tips on balancing work with other responsibilities.

Related: For more, check out our article on the 6 tips to support an ECT Teacher here.

Weekly Timetable

So how many hours should an ECT Work? When you start an academic year, you must be aware of what is expected of you regarding the hours you work in the classroom with the children and outside the classroom for planning and assessment time.

PPA

Teachers should receive a detailed timetable outlining their teaching schedule and assessment time to prepare for the new school year.

In some schools, this may only include non-contact hours (i.e planning) but in other instances, there could be up to 10% of total scheduled class periods devoted to PPA where you are given complete freedom over how your precious minutes will be spent—this includes preparing lessons or assessing work!

An example would be if you were teaching for 20 hours then you would be owed 2 hours of PPA time.

The idea behind these guidelines is that by giving more independence when it comes to decision-making during the preparation stage, ECT’s can avoid having students who need extra help outside normal curriculum expectations because they were not adequately prepared beforehand.

To support the education and development of early career teachers, the Department for Education is introducing the Early Career Framework.

This framework will provide new and recently qualified teachers with access to high-quality professional development and additional time to plan and prepare for lessons.

In addition, early career teachers will receive an additional 10% time off -timetable to undertake supportive activities, be mentored and spend extra time in non-contact work.

The early rollout of the framework began in September 2020, with all early career teachers receiving benefits from 2021 onwards.

Lunchtime

Most teachers are familiar with the feeling of being hangry- when you’re so hungry that your lack of food causes irritability or irrational anger.

And we’ve all been there before- working through lunch because we’ve got too much to do, or grabbing something on the go because we don’t have time for a proper sit-down meal.

But did you know that not having a proper lunch break can have serious consequences for your health?

That’s why the NEU advises that all teachers are entitled to an uninterrupted lunch break of a reasonable length between 12pm and 2pm.

During this time, you should not be required to undertake midday supervision duties and, if you volunteer, you are entitled to a free school meal.

Some schools offer teachers paid time on a separate contract. However, the NEU advises that you need an uninterrupted lunch break to eat, rest and be ready for the afternoon’s work.

So next time you’re skipping lunch because you’ve got too much to do, remember that it’s not just your Hangry self that will suffer- it’s your health too.

Directed Time

Directed time is the hours your head teacher can direct what activities you undertake. Teachers should be available for work 195 days a year, 190 of which are for teaching pupils.

Across the academic year, your directed hours are 1265, or pro-rata for part-time staff. The 1256 hours should include all face-to-face teaching, parent-teacher meetings, data submissions, report writing, and the occasional cover.

It should also include all staff meetings, for example, whole staff briefings, departmental meetings, year group meetings and pastoral time.

It is good practice for schools to have processes in place to avoid teachers attending too many meetings after school hours. In addition to directed time, teachers also have non-directed time, which is the time they can use as they see fit.

This can be used to plan lessons, mark student work, or attend professional development courses. With such a demanding job, teachers must have some flexibility in how they use their time to meet the needs of their students best.

Before and After School

The National Education Union (NEU) believes that requests for teachers to be in school before or after school sessions should be kept to a minimum.

If you have concerns, always speak to your NEU representative or contact the advice line at the NEU. The NEU is committed to ensuring that teachers have a work-life balance and that their time is respected.

We believe that teachers should not be expected to work excessive hours and that any requests for additional hours should be reasonable and in line with the teacher’s contract.

If you feel that your workload is excessive or you are being asked to work unreasonable hours, please get in touch with the NEU Advice Line for confidential, independent advice.

Inset Days

As any teacher knows, the start of a new school year is busy. There are new students to meet, lesson plans to prepare, and curriculum changes to get up to speed on.

In addition, non-pupil contact days (Inset Days) are typically used for whole-school professional development or for receiving updates from the MAT or local authority.

While these days can help get everyone on the same page, they can also be disruptive to the flow of the school year.

Therefore, schools must communicate their plans for inset days well in advance so that teachers can plan accordingly and make the most of the time available. There are 5 Inset Days per academic year.

Planned Absences

School administrators are always looking for ways to save money, but one area they should not be cutting corners is in the classroom.

Teachers play a vital role in the education of our children, and they deserve to be treated with respect and given the resources they need to do their jobs effectively.

Unfortunately, teachers are often asked to cover for planned absences such as training courses, maternity leave, and long-term sickness.

This not only burdens the already stretched-thin teachers but also deprives students of the continuity and stability they need to succeed.

The 1265 hours limit does not apply to teachers on the leadership pay scale, so there is no excuse for asking them to carry out routine administration duties that do not require their skills and professional judgement.

Our teachers deserve better, and our students deserve the best education we can give them.

Parents Evening

Parent-teacher meetings play an important role in the education of a child. They allow parents to meet with teachers and discuss their child’s progress.

However, these meetings often take place in the evening, which can be a convenient time for parents but may not be the best time for teachers.

The school still has a duty of care about work-life balance, and the time should be part of the 1265 hours’ directed time.

Parent-teacher meetings should be scheduled during the day so that teachers can attend without having to sacrifice their personal time. This would allow parents and teachers to have more meaningful conversations about a child’s education, ultimately benefiting the child.

As a teacher in the UK, you are entitled to several key benefits and entitlements. These include paid holidays, sick pay, and professional development opportunities.

These entitlements come from the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD). If an academy employs you, your employment contract may differ.

However, if your employment transferred from a local authority, foundation or voluntary-aided school to an academy, your contractual rights should have been transferred under legislation known as TUPE rights.

Academies often follow the STPCD because it is more complex to administer different sets of terms and conditions. This means that as a teacher in the UK, you can feel confident that you are entitled to some key benefits and entitlements.

To ensure that teachers can fulfil their professional duties, the STPCD stipulates that they work additional hours. However, the NEU knows that many teachers regularly work much more than this, so their workload campaign continues.

The DfE has taken steps to mitigate teachers’ workload, but much more must be done to address the workload drivers.

These include the Ofsted inspection regime, high-stakes testing, and funding levels that mean schools struggle to employ staff in sufficient numbers.

Addressing these issues can further reduce teachers’ workload and help them focus on their students better.

Teachers in the UK are entitled to many key benefits and entitlements. However, there is still much more that needs to be done to address the drivers of workload.

Addressing these issues can further reduce teachers’ workload and help them focus on their students better.

FAQ