Non-teaching time for teachers
All teachers are entitled to time away from the classroom during their working week. Your employment agreement sets out how much time you’re entitled to.
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Primary, secondary and area school teachers are entitled to non-teaching time, as is stated in their employment agreements. Boards must comply with the conditions stated in a staff member’s employment agreement.
- Other names for 'non-teaching time'
- Primary teachers: Classroom Release Time (CRT)
- Secondary teachers: Non-contact time
- Area school teachers: Maximum teaching hours
Other names for ‘non-teaching time’
Time away from the classroom during the working week is also called:
- 'classroom release time' for primary teachers
- 'non-contact time' for secondary teachers
- 'maximum teaching hours' for area school teachers
Primary teachers: Classroom Release Time (CRT)
If you’re a primary teacher you’re entitled to Classroom Release Time (CRT) each term to do other work such as:
- planning
- evaluation
- reporting
- personal professional development
- research
- syndicate meetings.
During your absence your class is taught by another staff member.
Full-time permanent teachers and reliever teachers employed for at least one term are entitled to 10 hours of classroom release time each term.
Part-time teachers employed for at least one term at 0.8 full-time teaching equivalent are entitled to a proportion of the 10 hours of release time each term. For example, a teacher working 0.8 is entitled to eight hours of release time, and a teacher working 0.9 is entitled to nine hours.
Board responsibilities: CRT
Your school’s board sets the policy on what classroom release time can be used for. It can delegate the development of the policy to the principal, in consultation with teachers.
The Board needs to approve the final policy and make sure it meets the provisions of the Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement.
Clause 3.28 – Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement
Guidelines for CRT
A Guidelines for Classroom Release Time booklet has been prepared by NZEI, NZSTA and the Ministry of Education to help school boards design their school’s policy for classroom release time entitlement and use.
Classroom Release Time (CRT) and non-contact time [PDF, 1.3 MB]
Secondary teachers: Non-contact time
If you‘re a secondary teacher, you’re entitled to at least five hours a week of non-contact time. This means that during the normal scheduled teaching time in your school, you aren’t required to teach in front of the classroom.
Your non-contact time is used for other duties, such as:
- preparation
- evaluation
- assessment
- attending to the pastoral needs of students.
Full-time teachers have 25 hours of scheduled teaching time a week and at least five hours of this is non-contact time.
Clause 5.2.6 of the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement sets out the number of non-contact hours for part-time teachers.
Clause 5.2.6 – Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement
Board responsibilities: non-contact time
Your school’s board sets the policy on what non-contact time can be used for, as set out in clause 5.1A of the collective agreement.
Clause 5.1A – Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement
The board can delegate the development of the policy to the principal, in consultation with teachers. The Board must approve the final policy and make sure it meets the provisions of the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement.
Clause 5.2 – Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement
Area school teachers: Maximum teaching time
If you’re an area school teacher, you’re entitled to time each week during your school’s scheduled teaching time, where you’re not required to teach in front of the classroom.
These hours are called non-contact time and are used for other duties, such as administrative responsibilities, and attending to the pastoral needs of students.
Full-time teachers who mostly teach Years 7-13 (for 80% or more of their teaching time) are entitled to a maximum of 20 hours of timetabled classroom teaching time each week.
Clause 4.2.3 of the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement sets out the maximum timetabled classroom teaching time for part-time teachers who mostly teach Years 7-13.
Clause 4.2.3(d) – Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement
Full-time teachers who don’t mostly teach Years 7-13 are entitled to an average of 24 hours of maximum timetabled classroom teaching time per week.
Clause 4.2.4 of the collective agreement provides that part-time teachers (0.8 full-time teaching equivalent or more) who don’t mostly teach Years 7-13 are entitled to an average maximum timetabled classroom teaching time of 0.96 of the hours for which they’re employed.
Clause 4.2.4 – Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement
Board responsibilities: maximum teaching time
Your school’s board is responsible for the policy on what non-contact time can be used for, as set out in clause 4.1 of the collective agreement.
Clause 4.1 – Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement
The board can delegate the development of the policy to the principal, in consultation with teachers. The board then needs to approve the final policy and ensure it meets the provisions of the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement.
Clause 4.2 – Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement
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