So the main teaching unions in Northern Ireland are in an official dispute with the Department of Education once again. With ballots arriving by the end of November, teachers will be asked to vote for industrial action over pay after the pay of teachers in Northern Ireland again lags behind that of every other teacher on these islands.

The think1265 team have been staggered by the response to our survey last week, and almost 3000 teachers have shared their experiences about workload and Directed Time budgets so far this year. That’s close to 15% of the teaching workforce.

While we’re currently working on the results for publication here as soon as possible, the picture presented by our survey is grave. While there are definitely good schools out there making much more effort over the DTBs they produce, three out of ten teachers report not even getting a DTB in spite of it being the professional obligation of Principals to produce these since 1988.

Have you received a directed time budget so far this year? (blue = yes)

DTBs aside, the most worrying results come from responses to do with workload. Only 16% of respondents describe their workload as “reasonable”, although the right to a reasonable workload is enshrined in the latest workload agreement. More concerning still is the 93% of teachers who say they cannot normally complete their work within school working hours, which is an entitlement of all teachers under the TNC 2024/2 workload agreement.

The latest workload agreement, TNC 2024/2, which was part of the pay settlement between management and teachers in spring 2024, has a strong emphasis on staff welfare and the H&S impacts of excessive workload. It was intended to make workloads sustainable within schools, leading to happier, healthier staff, which leads to better outcomes for students. This absolutely does not seem to be happening.

So far this year would you describe your current workload as stressful?

If there was a vote tomorrow about returning to ASOSA, what way would you vote? (blue = yes, I would vote for ASOSA)

In August 2024 the latest workload agreement between the Department of Education, employers and teaching unions became live. TNC 2024/2 is the most recent attempt to crack the problem of excessive teacher workload in Northern Ireland, and it came at the end of extensive industrial action lasting several years. Along with a pay agreement and ongoing working groups looking at workload in the sector, the full implementation of TNC 2024 / 2 was agreed by all sides as a condition to ending the industrial action including Action Short Of Strike Action (ASOSA).

Key to the implementation of TNC 2024/2 is effective Directed Time budgeting by Principals in all schools, ensuring that teachers’ workload is managed properly. Failure to produce a time budget at all leaves the Principal in breach of section 4.3 of TNC 2024/2, and failure to produce a detailed budget outlining how all professional duties are accounted for in the 1265 hours will very likely breach section 5 of the agreement.

The aim of think1265 is to help all parties – from leaders to teachers – to finally implement the agreed contractual workload agreements in our schools and colleges in Northern Ireland. But to do this we need your help.

1. Check your DTB

You need to check that your DTB exists; that it covers all the tasks and duties you have, that it gives appropriate time to finish this work, and that it is individualised to you. The think1265 DTB checklist (and solutions) is here.

2. Agree fixes

When you encounter problems with your DTB it’s important to seek solutions quickly. Ultimately you’ll need to come to agreement with the Principal about how to fix the problem, though you may need your union to help you do this. We have a list of “dos and don’ts” for DTB problems on our clinic page, here.

3. Track your time

The DTB gives you tasks and timings for the year, but to ensure your workload remains within this plan you must track your own time. Good news, though – you only need track the non-contact time (excluding teaching and duties.) This is where the excess workload creeps in. Our tracking tools are found here.

1. Produce the DTBs

It’s your professional duty to have individualised DTBs given to staff before the first day of teaching, and if you fail to do this you are breaching the recent pay agreement. But this is a complex task, so you can spread this around your leadership team who can act on your behalf. Just remember, though – you’re ultimately responsible for what’s in the DTBs.

2. Listen to staff

DTB production will be easier if you ask staff to contribute to the process. Only individual teachers know how long X,Y or Z takes in their roles, so ask them to tell you – it’s the quickest way of getting this right.

Once you know what the time demands are on individual teachers you can plan much more effectively.

3. Monitor DTBs

A great idea some leaders have suggested to think1265 is to have time budgets as a standing item on Subject / Departmental agenda. By asking teachers at a subject level to pass upward how their budgets are working out (i.e. too little time for X, or far too much time allocated for Y) you can make better decisions next year.