“Stress and worry, they solve nothing. What they do is block creativity. You are not even able to think about the solutions. Every problem has a solution.”
Susan L. Taylor
Once you’ve been given a DTB, it’s time to have a look at it to see if it’s reasonable or not. Here’s our step by step guide to check the DTB.
Important – protect positive relationships during this process.
It is vital for all stakeholders to remember that however awkward or heated issues surrounding workload and DTBs become, teachers and leaders have to work with each other afterwards. Therefore calm, reasoned, and solution-based discussions about DTBs and workload are essential. If a school leader is intransigent about these discussions, then teachers should calmly tell their Principal that they will hand the issue over to their union for resolution. Union officials will then contact the school and conduct discussions on your behalf. Since August this process can be done collectively, whereby a group of staff can ask the union to sort out these issues for all of them.
Not a member of a union yet?
Teaching unions are the professional bodies that support teachers through their career, defending your interests, improving pay and conditions, and protecting you when things go wrong. You can join a union here.
If a teacher is intransigent about solutions offered by their Principal then they risk entirely separate disciplinary issues. So it is important to be calm and professional about all these issues, both in public and in private, and to let your union handle these matters if in doubt.
With this core concept in mind, here is the think1265 guide to finding solutions to DTB issues. Firstly how to check your DTB is reasonable.
Section One – is my DTB reasonable?
1. Check the maths.
Teachers and counting, eh? Here’s what you need to check on your DTB:
Hours – total hours must be no more than 1265 hours. Take care with swaps between hours / periods / minutes… this can be confusing.
Days – check your calendar (which should also be released before teaching.) Ensure that there are no more than 195 days on the calendar.
Contact time – check your timetable to ensure that you don’t exceed weekly contact time: 23.5 hours pro rata (post-primary) or 25 hours pro rata (primary / special setting.)
2. Directed tasks – go through each using “CRAM”
For each task or task grouping on your DTB apply this step by step approach:
C – is the task clear? Do I clearly understand what task or group of tasks I’m being asked to do in this block of time?
R – is the time given reasonable? Does the allocated time seem sufficient to complete these tasks? Use our calculators to work out how long jobs might take. Remember this also counts for TA roles – all necessary time to do the job must be provided in the DTB.
A – have the Principal and I agreed this? The Principal should seek to agree your DTB with you. If there’s a problem try to get changes made (see below).
M – is this task monitorable? Can I clearly see in my teaching day / week or year when I will do this work? Can I easily keep a record of the time spent on these tasks?
C- clear
R – reasonable
A – agreed
M – monitorable
Remember – A Direction should have a clear Task, sufficient Time, and a clear Timeslot in the day / week or year where the direction can be fulfilled. The 3-Ts of the DTB.
3. Are all the tasks I need to do included, leaving a little contingency time left?
Have a good look at the tasks you have been given. Is there anything really obvious left out? While it’s impossible to break down every single bit of a teacher’s job, the broad categories of work should be included. The EA have a very good checklist of what kind of things should be included on your DTB, and it can be found here.
Go to the video about the setting you teach in, and look at the “Planning Tool” beneath each video. You’ll find a very good DTB checklist and some sample DTBs there. Your school will likely use its own template, but the main areas are included on EA’s checklist.
Things often missing from DTBs
Marking time (exams, coursework, h/w.)
Professional communications (phoning parents, handling emails, etc.)
Moderation time (although many centres collapse timetable for this, which isn’t on DTBs.)
If your DTB tasks pass these three tests, then you likely have a really good DTB there! Huzzah! If not, though, you will need to stick with us for a bit longer, and come to our DTB Clinic!
Section 2 – the DTB clinic
Still have problems? The DTB Doctors will see you now
Here’s our non-exhaustive walk through of how to resolve problems with your DTB.
Problem – I have not received a Directed Time Budget by the start of teaching.
Do
Contact your union rep / official.
Ask the Principal for your DTB (or get your union rep to do so on your behalf.)
If you don’t get one, do your teaching, defined duties and 10% PPA, but choose what other professional duties you need to do in your additional non-contact time. Record the time you spend on tasks.
If a DTB later appears, you should follow it from that point after removing hours already done.
If you are a TA holder, contact your union officials urgently for instructions.
Do not
Refuse to do any work – you must still fulfil your contracted hours.
(The only difference is that apart from “set in stone stuff” such as teaching, 10% PPA and duties, you should choose which other professional duties you need to do, and how long to spend on these.)
Do any further non-contact time (except duties and your 10% PPA) if you have exhausted your remaining professional duties time (see below), but speak to your union before “downing tools”.
“The Principal is responsible for determining a time budget to each member of the teaching staff, giving due regard to the individual responsibilities of each Teacher.” TNC 2024/2 para 4.3
If you do not receive a DTB then teachers should self-direct non-timetabled hours, including duties and 10% PPA, recording what they do.
Use the following equation to work out the hours you need to track in this way:
Remaining hours = (1265 x FTE) – (weekly contact x 37) – (weekly duties x 37) – (126.5 x FTE for PPA)
So, if you’re a 4-day a week teacher (FTE = 0.8) in contact 17 hours per week, with 120 mins duties, your remaining hours would be: 1012 – 629 – 74 – 101.2 = 207.8 hours. When you have carried out these 207.8 hours, whether you finish them by March or June, you have run out of hours. Principals are specifically warned about this happening, which is why they should produce properly planned DTBs.
Problem – my DTB arrived late
Do
Check the DTB when it arrives, and follow the steps above.
Consult the Principal if you need changes made. Again, follow the steps above.
Remove hours from tasks / task types which you have already completed yourself before the DTB arrived.
Do not
Refuse to accept a DTB because it is late. This could lead to issues contractually.
Problem – I have not been consulted about my DTB
Do
Ask yourself if you are happy with your DTB. If you are, and your DTB is suitable for your needs, then there’s no reason to waste anyone’s time seeking a meeting.
Ask for a meeting with the Principal or their representative if you have some issue with your DTB you wish to discuss. Let your union rep know.
Do not
Accept an erroneous or unsatisfactory DTB without raising the issue with your Principal.
Sign anything which suggests you accept your DTB unless you have had your issues ironed out through discussion with the Principal.
Many schools adopt a “drop in and see me if there’s a problem” approach to DTBs. Since the wording in the workload agreement is that the Principal should “seek to agree” the DTB with individual teachers (TNC 2024/2 section 4.3) then this is likely fair enough. Just be sure to ask for a meeting if there is an issue, and to let your union rep know.
Problem – I have been asked to sign my DTB
This year we have heard of many schools asking teachers to sign their DTB. We are not sure precisely why schools are asking this of staff as there is no obligation in the workload agreement for DTBs to be formally agreed. Principals are asked to “seek to agree” the content of DTBs with staff, but there is nothing saying that agreement must be reached, and certainly nothing to suggest that failing to agree a DTB is something which would have professional consequences for a teacher. Ultimately what is in a DTB rests with the Principal, not the relevant teacher, although consultation is recommended.
Our advice is to follow all the suggestions below about checking and requesting alterations to your DTB before signing anything. We would also suggest that signing something to indicate receipt of the DTB (proof that you received one, and the date when it was received) is fine. But make it clear – even write it on the document – that you are just signing that you have received a DTB. Not that you agree with it.
Normalise saying “I need to run this past my union representatives before signing any documents, and will get back to you as soon as possible.”
If you have failed to reach an agreement with the Principal about your DTB, but are still asked to sign it, we suggest writing something like: “I have raised concerns about the DTB with my Principal which did not result in agreed amendments, but I confirm receipt of my DTB and I will accept the DTB as my directed time instructions for this year.”
If you have made a detailed agreement on the DTB with the Principal, and it has been amended in consultation with them, then perhaps both of you sign to say you have discussed and agreed the contents – in much the same way you would sign off on PRSD.
If you sign anything to do with DTBs, take a copy for your records right away and store this securely. Even better if you forward a scanned copy to your personal email and union rep.
Again – consult with your union if in doubt about signing anything!
Problem – the tasks given to me are vague.
Do
Ask for a meeting with your Principal to clarify these issues.
Make suggestions to break down the timings. For example, if you have a task block called “tracking”, you could split it into data uploading, subject report writing, FT report writing. Come with solutions rather than problems.
If no agreement on clarification can be reached, then make a note of this and copy it to your union rep. Then do what you think the tasks are until the time allocated is completed, recording what you do along the way.
Do not
Assume you know what the Principal means. Ask.
Ignore the direction. Again, Ask.
Take care with huge blocks of time labelled “other professional duties.” As highlighted below, this is just a “hack” some leaders use to avoid planning a DTB individually. If the Principal won’t clarify what these tasks are, you can choose to do what you need to do until these hours run out, at which point you should only do your remaining defined tasks on your DTB. Your union needs involved at this stage as you are effectively off work outside of these remaining hours.
Problem – There isn’t enough time given for a set of tasks.
Do
Explain to your Principal / Principal representative why there is not enough time for the task.
Provide evidence to demonstrate why there is insufficient time. Use our calculators to help with this.
Suggest what tasks can be reduced to make up the shortfall, e.g. meetings.
Suggest a reduction in the nature of the work so it fits the time.
Request cover or timetable collapse to facilitate task completion out of contact time.
If no agreement is reached then record the time taken on the task and stop when you have exhausted the DTB hours.
Do not
Take the work home with you to do in your free time. There is no contractual obligation to do this, and you cannot be formally disciplined for not doing this.
Ignore other directed tasks in order to finish this under-timed task. You could be liable contractually for failing to do these other duties.
Get stressed about it. Rather than get upset, get organised, and follow your contract and DTB as instructed.
Feel bad if a task is not completed in the time provided. It’s the Principal’s responsibility to allocate DTBs properly, and you as long as you raised the concern and worked the hours provided, you have done your best.
Setting accurate timings for tasks is difficult, and Principals are wise to listen to individual staff members about the time they need. For example, homework marking for one subject may be very different to another, or updating a scheme for a coursework-based subject may be much quicker than for a multi-tier examination-based subject.
It’s unlikely that your timings will be correct, which is why recording your timings is so important. This provides you and the Principal with evidence-based data to tweak your DTB in subsequent years. Remember, the purpose of the DTB is to facilitate staff to complete their professional duties within the 1265 contracted hours, so it’s in everybody’s interests to get this right.
Problem – My DTB has a huge chunk of “to be directed later” hours.
Do
Inform your union rep of the problem.
Ask the Principal what task / task groups they want you to do within this block of time, and how much time they want you to spend on them.
If they refuse to define these tasks, then self-direct your professional duties and keep a record of what work you have done. (You can remove meetings and calendarized time first if you want.) Make sure you have consulted with your union first.
When you have exhausted these hours no longer engage with these other professional duties. It’s good practice to let your line manager know when you’re running short of hours, and inform your union too.
Do not
Refuse to engage with other professional activities until they are defined. Do what you need to do for your role, and record what you have done.
Fail to record what other professional duties you have done, as you may need this evidence to prove you have discharged your contractual duties.
Being honest, this is a hack used by some school leaders to try and circumvent the difficult work of DTBs. It’s also something of a power-play, depending on vertical power relationships rather than open and professional collaboration. While on paper it seems to cover the bases, in actuality it is a breach of section 5 of TNC 2024/2 which states:
“If a Teacher is expected to carry out any duty that is deemed reasonable and in balance with the duties allocated to colleagues, then it must also be accounted for in the time budget.”
TNC 2024/2 section 5.1e
Note that this states “any duty” rather than “other professional duties”, and it says that each duty “must be accounted for in the time budget.” While it’s unreasonable to have every single activity listed in a DTB, lumping related tasks into “task types” is achievable. E.g. A school leader won’t want to go down the route of listing time for emails, phone calls, parent meetings, dojo, Google classroom comms, each with separate time: that would be unreasonable. But having a block of tasks labelled “professional communications” is reasonable, with an overall time given for that.
The reason this is important is so that workload is distributed fairly among staff, which is a guiding principle of the workload agreement outlined in the forward to TNC 2024/2: “to ensure that the workload of all Principals, Vice Principals and Teachers is managed fairly and consistently to ensure that all teaching professionals can discharge their roles and responsibilities effectively for the benefit of the teaching and learning of pupils.” If tasks / task types and their associated timings are not planned for and itemised by the Principal, then there is no way to monitor this fairness.
Pastoral leads are a good example. While a typical pastoral lead may have a few less contact periods than a regular teacher, they will still have all the other professional duties to complete: tracking; reports, planning, professional communications, etc. However, communications with parents alone – never mind external agencies – could easily take 100 hours per year in a typical school, so when exactly do they do all the other regular teaching duties they have to complete? This is why laying tasks out in some detail is vital to manage workload and ensure equity of workload within a school.
Note – the same advice applies if you have lots of “contingency time.”
You should have a handful of contingency time for emergencies. (EA suggests between 5 – 10 hours or so.) Contingency time is not a catch-all sink for hours that the Principal hasn’t planned out yet.
Problem – I am missing important tasks on my DTB
Do
Ask the Principal to amend the DTB to include these tasks.
Explain why they’re important, and demonstrate how much time you will need for them.
Suggest reductions in other tasks to accommodate this change.
Do not
Carry out tasks that are not included in your DTB tasks / task groups. You’ll run out of time for something else.
Problem – There’s no extra-curricular hours on my DTB
It would be unusual to see extra-curricular hours on a DTB, as teachers’ contracts (and subsequent agreements) clearly state that extra-curricular activities are not part of the 1265, and must be entirely voluntary on the part of the staff. While there’s a clause which says you can discuss some hours off the DTB in order to make up for voluntary time spend on a school trip, this is through negotiation and teachers have no contractual right to these hours. More information about this can be found here.
Problem – there is no marking time on my DTB
Do
Ask the Principal how many of your 1265 contractual hours you are directed to mark examinations, end of unit tests, and coursework (or similar for your setting.) Ask for these to be added to your DTB.
Explain that your contract and workload agreement requires that your professional duties should normally be done within the 1265 hours.
Suggest reducing marking feedback requirements (AfL, commenting, etc) to make marking more DTB efficient.
Contact your union rep if the Principal refuses to add marking to your DTB.
Do not
Mark examinations, end of unit tests, coursework and other “directed” marking tasks in your 10% PPA or in your free time at home.
Assume how long it takes to mark scripts. Mark a few test scripts, and use these timings in our calculators to give the Principal properly worked out evidence.
Cracking the marking conundrum.
The number one thing think1265 is asked about is marking time. The problem is the teachers’ contract and subsequent workload agreements are somewhat vague about marking, and there is nothing which states clearly when homework, exams, classwork, coursework, etc is meant to be marked. However, if you follow the statements which are in the legal agreements, we can come to a robust conclusion about the contractual situation about marking. It’s complex, though. So like Theseus in the labyrinth, come and grab our shiny thread of logic and follow as we set off to slay the Marking Minotaur.
Marking is a professional duty
Jordanstown Agreement states that one of the professional duties of a teacher is “teaching”, which includes “the setting and marking of work.” (Section 2, para 1.2) It goes on to state that “Assessment/Reporting” (providing or contributing to oral and written assessments) is another one of a teachers’ professional duties (Section 2, para 3.) So marking work is a professional duty.
There are contractual limits to when teachers can be asked to do their duties
However, Jordanstown also says that a teacher “shall be available to perform such duties” (i.e. the professional duties above)… “for 1265 hours in any year…” (The ellipsis is important, and we’ll come to that in a moment.) Therefore, since marking is a professional duty then teachers need only be available to do this for 1265 hours per year. (I.e. within our contractual hours.)
Jordanstown contains a magic clause which has been used to justify any additional unpaid work, including marking
The magical ellipsis in the “1265 hours” clause goes on to state “… exclusive of time spent off school premises in preparing and marking lessons.” This phrase has been used as a catch all excuse for any work teachers need to bring home. *Poof* and everyone’s working for free! It’s used time and time again as a magic justification for any additional work teachers are expected to do.
But it is – in fact – fairly clearly defined. It’s talking about preparing and marking lessons, which means day to day output from learners, such as classwork or homework.
The Magic clause isn’t as magical as people imagine
There is no way to twist the magic clause to make it mean marking exams, coursework, end of unit tests, or other “directed” marking that must be done periodically. But could it mean that all planning and lesson marking must be done at home?
Well, Jordanstown already builds in restrictions to the time teachers can be engaged with teaching (23.5 hours for post-primary, and 25 for primary / special.) If you break the 1265 hours over a 39 week year you get a working week of 32.4 hours of directed time, so even the busiest teacher will get 9 or 7.5 hours per week “non-contact”, of which some of that will be for other duties (including marking and prep.)
Subsequent TNC agreements have reduced the power of the magic clause even further
Remember, though, Jordanstown is nearly 40 years old, and it has been amended by multiple workload agreements. One of the more important developments, recommended in 2011 but ratified in 2020, was to “ring-fence” 10% of the 1265 hours as “PPA time”, specifically for teachers to plan, prepare and assess lessons. This directly spoke to the magic clause, and was deliberately designed to address excessive workload outside of the school day.
The most recent agreement states clearly that contractual duties should be completed within contractual hours
Additionally TNC 2024/2, our latest workload agreement, states (section 1.2.2ii) that one of the four entitlements applying to all teachers is: “workloads will be such that contractual duties” (of which marking is one, see above) “will normally be completed within contractual hours.” It goes on to say that any directed working during unsocial hours must involve consultation and agreement. This is contractual and part of our pay agreement, so is probably the most powerful clause to use when negotiating marking time.
The days of teachers working all hours are numbered
TNC 2024/2, which is agreed by all sides, goes further about working from home. It states that “The practice of Teachers carrying out their planning, preparation and assessment outside of their normal teaching hours, and in isolation from each other, is not considered satisfactory by the Teachers’ Negotiating Committee.” This couldn’t be clearer, and forms part of the current pay agreement. Work should be done in the contracted hours.
Why does the magic clause remain?
There’s no way that the magic clause will be removed in entirety from the teachers’ contract, even if only to protect employers from overtime claims from staff. If a teacher spends 100 hours of their own time redesigning all their courses and resources, then asks for some form of remuneration for that, the Principal just has to point to the magic clause. But that does not mean it is an open-ended excuse to expect teachers to work all hours outside of the school day.
Can the marking get shoved into my PPA time?
If the Principal tells you that marking of tests is part of your PPA time, direct them to the EA FAQ, question 2a, which explains that PPA should not be eroded by other demands. If you’re using your 10% PPA for test marking, when are you doing the planning?
Normalise saying “Ok, I can do that task for you, but which other tasks do you want me to stop doing instead?” Avoid workload creep.
What options are available to reduce the marking load?
In the spirit of coming with solutions rather than problems, here are a few easy ways to fit the marking load into the 1265 hours. Many are common practice in well-led schools.
Collapse the timetable. Many Principals drop the timetable for heavy marking, so check if this is the case and confirm that the planned time will be enough to mark your work. Use the calculators to evidence-base your time estimate. It’s important to make sure this is equitable, so that all teachers have the time they need to mark. (Note – “equitable” does not mean “equal”. A teacher with a light marking load might well be given other tasks during the collapsed timetable in order to ensure that their colleagues with a heavy marking load gets it all done in school time.
Reduce the annotation required. Simply reducing the amount of annotation and feedback can reduce the marking load significantly. Good quality AfL feedback is valuable, but if there aren’t enough hours for staff to produce it then the school can’t afford to have it.
Use easier to mark assessments. Use of multiple choice and similar can help reduce marking time. Use of self-marking computerised assessments can also help, although they can bring with them their own problems.
Reprioritise other demands on teacher time. Drastically reducing meetings to the bare minimum, or converting all-staff training sessions to self-study reading / online resources can free up valuable time in the budget. Since marking and assessments are important, make sure that time for these is high on the agenda when planning the DTB.
A final note. It has never been contractual for staff to be taking home boxes of exams and coursework, and marking them in their own time, and this is one of the core drivers of the workload crisis we face. It is imperative that teachers and leaders finally address this issue, and work together to find a solution which works for the school, the learners, and the teachers.
If you have any issues with your DTB remember to keep your union informed. Think1265 are not a Trade Union and cannot act on your behalf in negotiations with Principals or employers. Our advice is to always contact your Trade Union before doing anything which could leave you contractually vulnerable.
Christmas break in…
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