School Working Time Arrangement Committee Headteacher Union Representative(s) from LNCT recognised unions (EIS, SSTA, NASUWT & VOICE) Elected teachers (according to size of school)

SWTAC Agrees Time for Staff/section meetings Forward planning Report writing + Record Keeping Parental consultation meetings Extra preparation and correction Formal assessment Supervised pupil activities Professional review & development Curriculum development ASL consultation time Career-long professional learning 5 HOURS PER WEEK (pro rata for Part-time)*

Context of School Agreements All school agreements and calendars MUST accord fully with the SNCT HANDBOOK sections 3.6 – 3.13 (see APPENDIX 1) They MUST also accord fully with the LNCT Framework Agreement They must also inform (and be informed by) the School Improvement Plan & the Education Authority’s Improvement Plan They are reviewed termly by the SWTAC with any changes notified to the LNCT Monitoring Group for their approval

Process -1 The committee meets during April/May to consider a draft agreement & calendar produced by the Headteacher All meetings of the SWTAC are minuted with the minutes circulated to all teaching staff Draft agreement & calendar circulated for comments and amendments (1week) before final meeting of SWTA Committee Voting starts at end of dedicated staff meeting but held open for 2 days for absentees & part-timers.

Process - 2 Voting by secret ballot (unnumbered) using the standard LNCT Ballot papers Totals signed off by HT and rep of majority union on Form A The completed Form A must be forwarded to the LNCT by 1st June The agreement is not contractual until it is approved by the LNCT Monitoring Group

Process 3 Failure to agree / on request from a T.U. rep the Formal Dispute Procedure is actioned This means the disputed agreement and/or calendar cannot be voted on The matter is referred to the LNCT Joint Secretaries A further stage is referral to the Joint Chairs of the SNCT

LNCT Monitoring Groups Their role is to check and approve all school agreements and calendars They can (a) approve these (b) request further clarification if unsure that they match the Framework Agreement or SNCT Handbook or [c] refer them back for amendment by the SWTAC If they are still unsatisfactory the Monitoring Group will refer the matter to the LNCT Joint Secretaries

Nursery Agreements Minimum of 90 hours for Planning, Parents’ Meetings and Reporting Weekly allocation in Parents’ Meetings / reporting column Follow the Guidelines for Nursery Agreement for deciding what Nursery Teachers’ responsibilities are and what are Management responsibilities

Primary Agreements Minimum of 90 hours for Planning, Parents’ Meetings and Reporting Follow the Guidelines for Primary Agreement with respect to all other areas

Partnership Schools These have the option to submit joint or separate agreements In joint agreements a representative from each school will sign Form A(as well as the HT) Collegiate working – travel time between schools and payment of travel expenses must be borne in mind

Secondary Agreements A model agreement is provided All headings must be covered in your agreement however, allocation of hours and the calendar may be varied to suit local requirements with these provisos: Term 3 (Christmas – Easter) must have special attention paid to avoid unnecessary workload Reporting pressures can be significantly eased by opening the SEEMIS window early Schools may opt to use Form B as a planning template should they so wish

All- through Schools These must submit separate agreements for Nursery, Primary and Secondary sections

Notes on Parental Engagement/Consultations A maximum of 30 hours for this category A maximum of 5 hours for planned informal meetings with individual parents Maximum of 5 contractual formal meetings per year for staff A 30 minute break before the start of a formal parents’ meeting end on to the school day

Notes on Parental Engagement/Consultations - 2 Time allowance : actual time spent at the meeting + 50% for prep + actual travel time (if a return to school is entailed) A proposed change to the pattern of meetings must be agreed by the teaching staff and prior consultation with parents must take place There is no requirement for teachers to attend parents’ meetings at which they have no appointments / no classes in that year group Exception to 35 hour week for parents’ meeting

Part-time teachers All contractual hours are pro-rata Contractual school meetings etc can only be on days when the teacher is employed Exception is parents’ meetings (though these are pro rata)

Faculty/Departmental Meetings (Secondary) These may be during the pupil day or at an agreed time (taking family and travel commitments into account) Those taking part should agree (a) the timing (b) the pattern and [c] the duration of the meetings

Forward Planning In Primary (and Nursery) the approach detailed in this LNCT Agreement must be followed: Guidance On Planning In Primary Schools 2013 In Secondary the approach detailed in this LNCT Agreement must be followed: Guidance On Planning In Secondary Schools 2014 Both can be found by going to www.snct.org.uk ; clicking on LNCT Agreements and then applying the Dumfries & Galloway filter

Off- site time Schools must agree a workable system that allows staff to sign out when not required for class cover or meetings but also ensures that there is adequate cover for staff absence at all times Evacuation procedures need to take account of off-site arrangements

Flexibility/Supervised Pupil Activities Flexibility may be used by teachers for unplanned activities that require extra time. It should be used for SWTAC meetings and can be used for union meetings An allowance for VOLUNTARY supervised pupil activities should also come under this category e.g. study groups, trips, shows/ concerts, residential stays, sports, clubs etc.