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NAHT Northern Ireland

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NAHT Northern Ireland represents principals and vice-principals in around two-thirds of 1,150 schools in Northern Ireland. NAHT Northern Ireland provide advice, training and support for its members on a range of issues faced by senior leaders in schools. Along with our colleagues in England and Wales, we are there to defend and extend the rights of school leaders.  

NAHT NI is democratic and member-led, and supported by its Belfast-based team of staff alongside their colleagues based in both Wales and England.

NAHT Northern Ireland
Carnmoney House
Edgewater Office Park

Belfast
BT3 9JQ

nahtni@naht.org.uk
02890 776633 

Reducing the school week

Since September 2011, governing bodies of all maintained schools have been free to structure their school days, subject to satisfying a few conditions. 

In the current climate, school leaders are seriously considering creative ways to maximise their school's funding while, at the same time, keeping the school safe and ensuring that pupils receive their full entitlement within the prescribed directed time for staff.

Recent media attention has highlighted a growing interest among school leaders to consider reducing the school week as a means of keeping the school safe and, at the same time, saving money.

This paper simply sets out the considerations that headteachers, school leaders, and governing bodies must and should consider if the prospect of reducing the school week to keep it safe and save money trumps the reasons for continuing to operate a more conventional school week model for staff, pupils and parents at their school and in their communities. 

First published 23 August 2020

NAHT Northern Ireland Events 2023

NAHT(NI) AGM and industrial action meeting

Our 2023 AGM and industrial action meeting takes place on Thursday 5 October 2023 – find out more

 

 

 

 

Recent consultations and other documents

NITC joint letter to management side

The five teacher unions in Northern Ireland, including NAHT(NI), wrote to the employers seeking additional payment to school leaders and teaching staff who worked significant additional hours during summer 2021 in order to ensure this work was recognised.

 

Consultation on deferring school starting age: NAHT(NI) draft response

We are concerned at the advancement of this proposal as the evidential basis for this consultation is highly limited. We contend that the current proposal should be retracted. The proposal fails to reflect the experience of pupils, school leaders, parents and the whole school community. Given the significance of this potential policy change, it is essential that the perspectives of all stakeholders are considered. We know that members are operating in a business-critical environment and will have limited or no time to engage with consultation exercises, however, we encourage members to consider responding to this important consultation and copy our response to complete your individual response.

 

Previous consultation responses and statements

First published 08 April 2020
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