To ask the Minister of Education what consideration he has given to circulating guidance to school leaders to support them in the phased resumption of activities, following the end of action short of strike.

On reaching the teachers’ pay agreement on 9 April 2024 all industrial action by teachers including action short of strike ceased.

It was agreed through the Teachers’ Negotiating Committee that a joint communication would issue explaining about the ending of the industrial action and what was expected of both teachers and school leaders in the restoration of working practices in schools.

The joint communication issued on 9 April to all teachers and school leaders. It explained that schools will be expected to use the period between the ratification of the agreement and the end of the 2023-24 school year to prepare for the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year.

Workload should be managed within the terms of the Jordanstown Agreement and TNC 2020/1. Teachers are required to work within the provisions of their time budgets for the remainder of this academic year.

A revised Workload Agreement TNC 2024/2 was also agreed and issued which is effective from 1 August 2024.

Central to contractual rights and the conditions of service for teachers is the provision of directed time budgets. In practice this means the Principal is responsible for determining a time budget for each member of staff.

Detailed advice on developing directed time budgets including FAQs and training has been produced by the Education Authority and is available for all school leaders and teachers.

School leaders may contact their employing authority and seek advice and support regarding any employment matter.