How Many Hours Does a Secondary School Teacher Work?
If you are considering becoming a secondary school teacher, you will no doubt have weighed the pros and cons of doing so. One of the concerns for many people thinking about embarking on a career in teaching is the long hours they may be expected to work, particularly during term time.
So if you are wondering how many hours a secondary school teacher works, you are not alone. Here we’ll dive into what hours you are contracted to work, expected to work and end up working when you take on a role as a secondary school teacher.
Secondary school teachers - contracted hours
Most secondary schools start at 8.30 am and finish at 3.30 pm. Teachers are expected to arrive at school before the pupils do and are ready to begin their lesson as soon as the school day commences. When you start your job as a secondary school teacher, your working hours should be stated in your contract and as part of the terms and conditions. Your hours may be referred to as directed time.
According to the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD), teachers can only be asked to work a maximum of 1,265 hours over 195 days during the year, and hours must be allocated reasonably throughout the year.
You may work for a school that does not adhere to the STPCD, wherein your hours will be agreed upon in your employment contract. However, your school must adhere to these rules if you are employed in a local authority-run school in England.
How many hours secondary school teachers actually end up working
While there are regulations around how many hours school teachers can be required to work, some secondary school teachers may work a lot outside of school hours and may work extra hours if they struggle with parts of their role, such as lesson planning and marking. This is something that all budding teachers need to take into consideration as though the school hours are 8.30 am-3.30 pm; you will be expected to plan lessons, mark work and engage with other school activities outside of lesson time too. However, in schools run per the STPCD, planning preparation and assessment time (PPA) is built into the contracted hours and should be stated on your timetable in 30 minutes or more blocks. Most classroom teachers allocate a minimum of 10% of their hours as PPA and should not be asked to perform other duties during this time.
Breaks, weekends and public holidays
Morning and afternoon breaks that are part of the timetable will count as directed time. This is also true for assemblies and lunchtime supervision. When it comes to weekends and bank holidays, you should not be expected to work during these times unless this is specified in your individual contract.
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