IMPORTANT CORRECTIONS
Please note there were errors or omissions in two of this afternoon's updates. Updated and corrected messages are below, relevant sections in bold.
The Education (School Day and School Year) (England) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 came into force on 1 June 2021.
One of the provisions of the regulations is to enable relevant schools to close for the additional bank holiday to take place on 3 June 2022 to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen.
The effect of this is to reduce the minimum number of sessions which must be held in the school year 2021-22 from 380 to 378.
The changes are similar to previous amendments eg. the Diamond Jubilee (5 June 2012) and the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (29 April 2011) when schools took a day off in lieu of the additional bank holiday if the bank holiday fell within a school holiday period.
The DfE have indicated that The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) will be amended to reflect the changes and allow for an additional day off. It is expected that there will be a reduction in the number of days a teacher employed full time must be required to work from 195 to 194 days, and a reduction in the number of days they may be required to teach pupils and perform other duties from 190 to 189 days. The STPCD will address matters related to the payment of staff.
Any changes/guidance from the local authority will be conditional upon the amendment of the STPCD (which is unlikely to be confirmed until September).
As the employer for community and voluntary controlled schools, community special and maintained nursery schools, the LA will issue revised school term and holiday dates for 2021-22. It is proposed that the additional day will be added to the end of the autumn 2021 term break resulting in schools breaking up on Thursday 17 December 2021 instead of Friday 18 December 2021 but other options can be put forward for consideration.
For voluntary aided, foundation, free schools and academies, the governing body or academy trust is the employer and as such are responsible for determining school term and holiday dates. Dates that have been previously agreed and published for 2021-22 will therefore need to be updated. Any changes should be shared with staff, parents, TU representatives and any other stakeholders.
It is suggested that schools should alert parents to the potential changes to the2021-22 school term dates before the end of this academic year with revised dates to be agreed, published and circulated following the publication of the STPCD in September. This will allow for a short period of consultation on the proposed changes.
The Regulations relating to these changes can be found as follows:
The Education (School Day and School Year) (England) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (legislation.gov.uk)
Any enquires can be directed by e-mail to Nicola Shiels: nicola.shiels@cumbria.gov.uk
A further update will be issued in September.
As education continues to be impacted by coronavirus, ensuring all union members have agreed and negotiated directed time calendars becomes even more important to ensure a reasonable work/life balance for all staff. We recommend strongly that these calendars should be shared with staff and TUs by close of play tomorrow.
The following must be part of directed time for full and part-time teachers:
- Teaching time,
- PPA time,
- Break times (but not lunchtimes, when teachers can’t be required to do this),
- Parents evenings,
- After school meetings,
- INSET/CPD
- Anything else which teachers are “directed” to do and which requires their professional skills.
The full list is in sections 51 & 52 of the 2020 School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD).
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