This briefing summarises the current proposals in regard to the celebrations for the coronation of King Charles III and the implications for NASUWT members and Representatives in discussions with employers.
England
Scotland
Wales
Part-time teachers
England
In England, local authority maintained schools operating according to the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) must open for 195 days.
Of these, a maximum of 190 days involve teaching children and young people. The remaining five days are non-teaching days when teachers may be asked to undertake other duties related to their role as a teacher. These are often known as in-service training (INSET) days.
These limits do not apply if you are paid on the leadership pay range.
Term dates are determined by school employers. The local authority is the employer for community, voluntary-controlled, community special and maintained nursery schools. For foundation, voluntary-aided and foundation special schools, the employer is the governing body.
Following the announcement of an additional bank holiday to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III on Monday 8 May 2023, the Department for Education (DfE) has advised that it plans to amend the STPCD in the same way it did both for the Platinum Jubilee and the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
As such, the DfE has confirmed that the 2022 STPCD will be amended to take account of the additional bank holiday and the reduction in the number of days that teachers need to be available to work from 189 plus five INSET days for the academic year 2022/23 only, to 188 plus five INSET days. The total school year will therefore be 193 days.
There will also be a corresponding reduction in the number of hours a teacher can be directed for during the academic year.
The Union has been advised that the revised STPCD will be published in due course, but in essence teachers will teach one less day for the academic year 2022/23, down from 194 for the year beginning 2022 only or down from 189 to 188 days, excluding INSET days, across 1,252 hours as opposed to 1,258.5 hours of directed time for the year beginning 2022 only.
Academies in England
Academies, including free schools, set their own term dates and school day. Whilst the overwhelming majority adhere to the provisions set out in the STPCD, some academies operate terms and conditions which do not. As such, they can set a different directed time calendar, specifying working time which may be in excess of the 195 days a year identified in the STPCD.
NASUWT Representatives will therefore need to be cognisant of this when engaging in discussion with such employers, particularly in respect of those teachers who may have transferred into the academy/free school under the terms of the STPCD.
Scotland
The Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) Handbook stipulates under section 3.5 of Part 2 that the working year for teachers shall consist of 195 days, of which 190 will coincide with the school year for pupils, with the remaining five days being worked by the individual teachers on duties as planned by the council.
Term dates are determined by local authorities and vary across Scotland.
Individual councils have to contact the Scottish Government and apply for an exemption from the requirements to have so many openings in the year if they intend to grant an additional day’s holiday, as they had to do for the additional Jubilee bank holiday.
Many councils have already done this for the coronation, though councillors in some areas are reported to have expressed concern about the potential impact on pupils’ learning of granting an additional bank holiday.
NASUWT Local Secretaries in Scotland should contact their employer to establish arrangements regarding the coronation for their area.
Wales
In Wales, local authority schools operating according to the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions (Wales) Document (STPC(W)D) must open for 195 days.
Of these, a maximum of 189 days involve teaching children and young people. The remaining six days are non-teaching days, when teachers may be asked to undertake other duties related to their role as a teacher. [1]
In regard to the announcement of an additional bank holiday for King Charles III’s coronation celebrations on Monday 8 May 2023, the Welsh Government has amended the STPC(W)D which confirms that schools and further education settings are not expected to remain open on the bank holiday and as such it should be treated as any normal bank holiday.
The Welsh Government has amended the 2022 STPC(W)D to take account of this additional bank holiday and the reduction in the number of days that teachers need to be available to work from 188 plus six INSET days to 187 plus six INSET days. The total school year will therefore be 193 days.
In essence, teachers will teach one less day for the academic year 2022/23, down from 194 to 193 days, including INSET days, or down from 188 to 187 days, excluding INSET days.
There will also be a corresponding reduction in the number of hours a teacher can be directed to work during the academic year, i.e. 1,252 hours for the academic year 2022/23.
Part-time teachers
The situation for those working part time will depend on the nature of your contract and your working arrangements.
If you are not required to work on Monday 8 May, this would be treated as any other week when you are not required to work on that day.
However, if you would normally work on the day or part of the day on Monday 8 May, then you would not be expected to work because of the additional bank holiday for King Charles III’s coronation.
Irrespective of whether your day of work falls on the additional bank holiday for King Charles III’s coronation, you should only be required to work for the number of days and hours in your contract, as adjusted for one less day and the corresponding reduction in working hours in the academic year 2022/23 where appropriate.
If you are a part-time teacher, you should carefully check your working days and hours to ensure that they have been appropriately adjusted. Where this is not the case, you should contact the NASUWT for advice and support.
England
If you work in England, your working days would be based on the pro rata amount of 193 days as opposed to 194, or 189 to 188 excluding INSET days, across 1,252 hours as opposed to 1,258.5 hours of directed time, for the year beginning 2022 only.
It should be noted that academies, including free schools, can set their own term dates and school day. Whilst the overwhelming majority adhere to the provisions set out in the STPCD, some academies operate terms and conditions which do not. As such, this may impact the days and hours that you can be required to work as a part-time teacher, including in respect of the coronation.
Scotland
As term dates are determined by local authorities and vary across Scotland, you should carefully check with your employer to see the days and hours you can be required to work, e.g. 193 days as opposed to 195 days.
Wales
Essentially, the position in Wales mirrors that outlined above for part-time teachers in England, which would see your working days based on the pro rata amount of 193 days as opposed to 194, or 188 to 189 excluding INSET days, across 1,252 hours as opposed to 1,265 hours of directed time.
[1] This takes account of the additional INSET day allocated for years 2022 to 2025.
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