Attendance and hours of duty
Teaching Service
Overview
Ordinary hours of work for full-time employees are seventy six per fortnight. A part time employee is employed to work an agreed number of regular hours less than seventy-six hours a fortnight. The time fraction of a part time employee shall be fixed and constant over a normal fortnightly period.
Teacher Class
Unless otherwise agreed between the principal and a teacher, a teacher shall be in attendance for a minimum of seven hours daily commencing no less than ten minutes before the morning pupil instructional session.
Unless otherwise agreed through the consultative arrangements, a schedule of meetings shall be drawn up for the school year, using the consultative arrangements, which may require teachers to attend meetings of up to two hours per week in addition to the minimum of seven hours daily attendance provided that where the meeting is a staff meeting it will be held adjacent to the normal school day and normally will be no longer than one hour.
When scheduling meetings and other duties, including parent-teacher meetings, the principal should be cognisant of the workload implications. Parent-teacher meetings or consultation sessions shall be scheduled in a manner that not only provides the maximum opportunity for all parents to attend but also takes into account the needs of the teachers concerned, especially those teachers employed on a part-time basis.
A teacher may be required to carry out other duties for up to one hour in addition to the attendance requirements set out above subject to prior consultation and mutual agreement as to the time, date and type of duties to be undertaken.
Within the daily hours of attendance, a teacher is entitled to a lunch period of not less than thirty minutes free from assigned duties and may leave the school premises during this period, provided the school administration is notified.
Parent Teacher Meetings
Where attendance at a parent-teacher report meeting results in a teacher’s attendance in that week exceeding 38 hours, that teacher will be granted time-in-lieu for the hours in excess of 38. Time-in-lieu may be granted in that week or any other week of the school year and is to be granted at a time that causes least disruption to the educational program of that school.
Where a teacher has not been granted time-in-lieu that has accrued by 1 December in a year, that teacher may vary his or her attendance time on any school day prior to the end of that school year equivalent to the time owed subject to the following:
- the teacher providing the principal with not less than three working days notice; and
- where the number of teachers seeking to vary their attendance time on the same day would otherwise result in the dismissal of students on that day the principal is responsible for determining the timing of the absences to avoid the dismissal of students.
Education Support Class
Other than a school year education support class employee, ordinary daily hours of work shall be between 8.00 am and 6.00 pm from Monday to Friday unless otherwise agreed.
The principal and the employee may agree on an arrangement of ordinary hours of attendance, including but not limited to:
- daily start and finishing times
- time and duration of meal breaks
- attendance at school meetings and meetings with parents
- in the case of part time employment, the number of hours worked per fortnight
- flexible work arrangements; and
- attendance during school holidays.
The principal and employee may agree to vary these arrangements at any time.
The ordinary hours of work and attendance for a school year education support class shall accord with the attendance requirements of teachers at the school (refer teachers above).
Education support class employees are entitled to an unpaid meal break of at least 30 minutes, free of assigned duties, following any five hour continuous period of work.
Attendance during school holidays
Education support class employees employed on a 48/52 or school year basis can be required to attend for duty and/or professional development up to a maximum of 6 days during two school holiday periods in a year. Unless the principal and the employee agree otherwise, attendance for the six days is subject to the following:
- attendance can only be required at the commencement or conclusion of a school holiday period
- reasonable notice is provided, being not later than four weeks into the preceding term
- an employee at education support class level 1 cannot be required to work in isolated circumstances or to attend unless a responsible manager is present
- an employee can only be required to perform duties consistent with his or her role(s) and responsibilities
- school year education support class employees can only be required to attend for the purpose of professional development.
Time in lieu
An education support class employee, other than a school year education support class employee, is entitled to time off in lieu where he or she is required to work in excess of his or her ordinary hours of work. Time off in lieu is equivalent to the additional time worked.
The requirement to work hours in excess of ordinary hours should only be where such work is unavoidable and reasonable notice is provided. All work required in excess of an employee's ordinary hours of work must be documented by the principal. An employee who is directed to work in excess of his or her ordinary hours of work may request not to do so where this would unreasonably affect personal or family commitments and the principal shall not unreasonably refuse such a request.
The time at which time off in lieu is granted shall be at the discretion of the principal having regard to the operational needs of the school and the wishes of the employee. Time off in lieu may be granted on any day other than a day of approved leave.
As an alternative to time off in lieu, the principal and the employee may agree to payment for time in lieu owed at the employee's normal rate of pay.
Unless otherwise agreed between the principal and the employee, where time in lieu remains outstanding from the previous school year, at 30 June of the following school year the employee may elect to:
(a) take time off equivalent to the time owed, commencing immediately; or
(b) request payment at his or her normal rate of pay plus 50% for the additional time worked.
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