Non-teaching time for teachers

All teachers are entitled to time away from the classroom during their working week. Your employment agreement sets out how much time you’re entitled to.

Level of compliance Main audience Other

Required

  • Teachers and Kaiako
  • Principals and Tumuaki
  • Boards

Primary teachers: Classroom release time

If you’re a primary teacher you’re entitled to 'classroom release time (CRT)' each term to do other work such as:

  • planning
  • evaluation
  • reporting
  • personal professional development
  • research
  • syndicate meetings.

During your absence your class is taught by another staff member.

Full-time primary teachers

A full-time permanent primary teacher or a long-term reliever employed for at least a term is entitled to CRT as follows:

  • from Term 1 2024, 15 hours per term
  • from Term 3 2024, 20 hours per term
  • from Term 1 2025, 25 hours per term.

Part-time primary teachers

Every part-time primary teacher employed for at least 0.8 FTTE per week who is either permanently employed or a long-term reliever employed for at least a term, is entitled to receive a prorated amount of the CRT described above available to full-time teachers.

For example, a teacher working 0.8 is entitled to 8 hours of CRT and a teacher working 0.9 is entitled to 9 hours.

Permanent unit holders

From Term 1 2025, every primary teacher who holds one or more permanent units will be entitled to 10 hours of CRT per term. This is in addition to general classroom release time entitlements.  

Clause 3.28 – Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement

Board responsibilities: CRT

Schools are required to have a policy for the allocation of CRT which has been developed and maintained in consultation with its teachers. Your school policy must ensure each teachers receives their full classroom release time entailment per the Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement.

As a result of the increases to CRT in the recent PTCA settlement, it is recommended that school boards review their CRT policy. It is important this is undertaken in consultation with your staff. You can refer to NZEI Te Riu Roa’s document Member Guidance: Consultation on Classroom Release Time for further advice on this.

The Board needs to approve the final policy and make sure it meets the provisions of the Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement.

Best practice guidance

'Best practice guidance for boards and principals on classroom release time' has been prepared by NZEI, NZSTA and the Ministry of Education to help school boards design their school’s policy for classroom release time entitlement and use.

Secondary teachers: Non-contact time 

If you are a full-time secondary teacher, you are entitled to at least 5 hours a week of 'non-contact time'. This means that during the normal scheduled teaching time in your school, you are not required to teach in front of the classroom.

Your non-contact time is used for other duties, such as:

  • preparation
  • evaluation
  • assessment
  • attending to the pastoral needs of students.

Full-time teachers

A full-time secondary teachers’ timetabled hours shall comprise a total of 25 hours per week, which includes both contact and non-contact hours.

A teacher cannot be timetabled for more than 20 hours of class contact per week and are entitled to a minimum of 5 hours of non-contact time per week.

Part-time teachers until the start of the 2025 school year

Until the start of the 2025 school year, a part-time teacher may receive non-contact time.

The employer will endeavour to provide non-contact time for part-time teachers who are employed between 0.48 FTTE and 0.89 FTTE, proportionate to that provided to full-time teachers.

The minimum timetabled non-contact time that must be provided is outlined in the table below.

FTTE Minimum timetabled non-contact time
0.89 3 hours per week
0.87-0.88 2.5 hours per week
0.85-0.86 2 hours per week
0.83-0.84 1.5 hours per week
0.75-0.82 1 hour per week
0.72-0.74 0.5 hours per week
Below 0.72 None

Part-time teachers from the start of the 2025 school year

From the start of the 2025 school year, part-time teachers must receive non-contact time based on their FTTE proportionate to that received by full-time teachers.

Part-time teachers employed at the end of the 2024 school year and who continue to be employed on 28 January 2025 will have their FTTE, as at 27 January 2025, increased by 11% and their minimum timetabled non-contact hours will be based on that increased FTTE.

From 28 January 2025, part-time teachers will not receive the 11% salary loading.

You can read more on non-contact release time and find examples here:

Clause 5.3 – Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement

Additional time allowances

The collective provides a number of other allowances which provide additional non-contact time beyond the above described entitlements. You should refer to the collective agreement for more information.

Board responsibilities for non-contact time

Your school’s board sets the policy on what non-contact time can be used for, as set out in clause 5.2 of the collective agreement.

Clause 5.2 – Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement

The board can delegate the development of the policy to the principal in consultation with teachers. The board must approve the final policy and make sure it meets the provisions of the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement.

Clause 5.3 – Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement

Area school teachers: Maximum teaching time

If you are an area school teacher, you are entitled to time each week during your school’s scheduled teaching time, where you are not required to teach in front of the classroom. 

These hours are called 'non-contact time' and are used for other duties, such as:

  • planning
  • evaluation
  • reporting
  • personal professional development
  • research
  • administrative responsibilities.

Full-time teachers who teach predominantly (80% or more of the time) Years 7 to 13

Full-time teachers who mostly teach Years 7 to 13 (for 80% or more of their teaching time) are entitled to a maximum of 20 hours of timetabled classroom teaching time each week.

Part-time teachers who teach predominantly (80% or more of the time) Years 7 to 13 from 2025 school year

Until the start of the 2025 school year, a part-time teacher who predominantly teaches Years 7 to 13 shall have a maximum timetabled classroom teaching time based on their FTTE, as shown by the table below.

FTTE Maximum timetabled classroom teaching time
0.89 19.5 hours
0.83-0.88 19.25 hours
0.80-0.82 19.00 hours
0.77-0.79 18.50 hours
0.74-0.76 18.00 hours
0.72-0.73 17.75 hours
Less than 0.72 Actual hours

Part-time teachers who teach predominantly (80% ore more of the time) Years 7-13 from 2025 school year

From start of the 2025 school year, a part-time teacher’s maximum timetabled classroom teaching time must be proportionate to that of a full-time teacher, based on their FTTE.

You can read more on classroom release time and find examples here:

Clause 4.2 - Area School Teachers' Collective Agreement

Teachers who teach predominantly (80% or more of the time) in Years 1 to 6

Full-time teachers who mostly teach Years 1 to 6 are entitled to an average of 24 hours of maximum timetabled classroom teaching time per week. This will reduce as below.

When Maximum teaching time per week
Term 1 2024 23.5 hours
Term 3 2024 23 hours
Term 1 2025 22.5 hours per week

Part-time teachers (0.8 full-time teaching equivalent or more) are entitled to an average maximum timetabled classroom teaching time of 0.96 of the hours for which they’re employed. This will reduce as below.

When Maximum teaching time per week
Term 1 2024 0.94 of the hours for which they are employed
Term 3 2024 0.92 of the hours for which they are employed
Term 1 2025 0.90 of the hours for which they are employed

The maximum timetabled classroom teaching time may be averaged out on a per-term per-teacher basis in accordance with the maximum timetabled classroom teaching time policy formulated under clause 4.2.2.

Unit holders

Where possible, the school shall endeavour to reduce the maximum timetabled classroom teaching time of unit-holders or their equivalents where they are required to carry out specific management and/or additional responsibilities.

Unit holders from Term 1 2025

From Term 1 2025, teachers who hold 1 or more permanent units shall have their average maximum timetabled teaching time decreased by an additional 1 hour per week.

Board responsibilities: Maximum teaching time

Your school board is responsible for the policy on what non-contact time can be used for as set out in clause 4.2 of the Area School Teachers' Collective Agreement.

The board can delegate the development of the policy to the principal in consultation with teachers. The board then needs to approve the final policy and ensure it meets the provisions of the collective agreement.

Clause 4.2 – Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement

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