38 hour Limit on Cover
The National Agreement established a legal limit of 38 hours on the amount of cover for absent colleagues a teacher can be asked to do. This limit came into force from September 2004. The National Agreement also states the longer-term aim that teachers should rarely be asked to cover.
Schools that have low or no teacher cover report happier staff, teaching better lessons.
It is widely accepted that covering for absent colleagues is not a good use of a teacher's time, but why? Being asked to cover can have a negative impact on the time teachers have available for lesson planning.
A new cover policy does not only have an impact on teachers. Properly trained, supported and supervised support staff are central to the new strategies that schools are deploying.
Whether it is because they are taught by more motivated teachers, or because cover lessons are supervised by known and respected members of the school staff, pupils also benefit. A virtuous circle is created - cover is a standards issue.
The National Agreement states the longer-term objective that teachers should rarely be asked to cover.