David Lock

As title. How many weeks are there in a state school academic year please?

Nido

Too many for the teachers

Sonic'

40 weeks

Jamie

Sci or bubba will know

30 ish depends where you are

David Lock

OK. Thanks. I'm in West Sussex. I'l ask the WSCC tomorrow. Reason is my boy has been offered a contract (which I am trying to understand) teaching guitar to groups of kids on p/t basis. Contract says he must teach 10 lessons per term (per school) but not more than 33 in any academic year. So I rather guessed this was one per week which is why I asked about number of weeks in a year. d

Sonic'

Its 40 weeks

Cocker

iTrader: (3)

6 summer
2 xmas
2 easter
3 half terms

Sonic'

We do a lot of work in Schools, and do quite a large number of contracts, and these are all based on 40 weeks, with the additional option of covering any of the holidays, but typically all of our contracts are 40 week ones, with every single school we deal with, the majority of them are in Liverpool

TimmyboyWRX

term length varies, but 10 lessons per term is not one per week, its less than one per week.

Xmas term from sept. to dec. is usuall 14 weeks ( not including the 1 week half term) the other 2 terms vary upon dates of easter, but are usually 12 weeks and 13 weeks respectively ( easter and summer term, again not including the half term break) giving the total of 39 weeks that is a school year in most counties in the UK

hope that helps

TimmyboyWRX

btw it is normally 40 weeks, but time is lost for training days etc.. so 39 weeks of actual teaching time is usually the norm

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

The 1988 Education Act brought in the statutary school year of 195 days, in which the school MUST be open, by law, to pupils for 190, and the remaining 5 are "training days".

It doesn't sound much, does it? Except that the same Act brought in a statutary minimum requirement of 1265 hours per year........but NO LEGAL MAXIMUM

Which meant that many, many teachers were doing the 1265 hours, staying behind after classes, running clubs, doing training, attending meetings, and then taking marking, preparation and planning home with them.

All for a starting salary of £19000 with a degree and a teaching qualification.

Alcazar

badbaz

iTrader: (17)

Going by the amount of holidays our kids have I'd guess that the school year is around six weeks long

TimmyboyWRX

Quite true, i'm a teacher myself at an Essex comprehensive, and you are right, I work through my lunch hour (not saying anyone else doesnt in different lines of work). I run lunchtime clubs and work 13 hour days at least once an month ( and thats just in the school not including all the 13 hour days taken up with marking and planning and meetings) and I've just come back from a weekend spend taking 35 students on Duke of Endinburgh hike.

We get no overtime pay, as some people regard teaching staff in almost like priests with 24 hour callout or something similar, so before anyone on here starts knocking the length of the holdays, try and learn something about the profession you are judging

Thanks in advance

David Lock

Thanks guys - all most informative and a useful background. dl

TimmyboyWRX

is the contract from the school or from the local council using the school as a base? just interested, because essex music schools hire out my school as a venue and the head of music is in charge of the outside teachers/instructors that work there.

That may be why the contract is seemingly a little vague regarding number of lessons per term and holiday lessons etc...as its not strictly a school contract, but a council run program that has offered the contract.

David Lock

The contract is with the County Council and covers work at any school in the County.

I think there is a gov't push for more music in schools and this is part of that initiative. The contract is very vague - it talks about him being responsible for recruiting his own students for example so we haven't really got a clue as to what his job spec is!!

The money is good though and a good starting point for him as it will fund his real ambition which is to develop his band work. I sort of want to keep out of it (he's a big boy now!) but am a bit cross as to lack of guidelines from the County. Does this make any sense? d

TimmyboyWRX

I do see where you are coming from ,and playing in band myself i am totally behind what the county council is trying to do.

Hazarding a guess here i would say the scheme is very similar to the essex music school initiative. Your son would be responsible for teaching a number of students probably once a week at one school, and then maybe on another day at another school hed teach a different lot of students.

This would probably be under the guidance of the school teacher designated in charge of the system, who would most likely advertise your sons tuition in the school and he can then sign up the students he'd teach. (this would obviously happen in as many school as he was working in at any one time)

if he must teach only 10 lessons a term it would work out as him probably only tutoring one student on any given session ( hence the money hed be making for one on one work) and lessons would take place once a week for most of the school term.

hope thats a bit more helpful if in doubt call up the county, they will be happy to help as they are normally used to people moaning about contracts!

David Lock

Thanks - that makes sense although I know the idea is to teach a small group rather than individuals. Will know morte after a chat with the County

B-B

My daughters have been on the receiving end of music lessons through WSCC and they are guaranteed 10 lessons a term as you stated. The lessons are group lessons unless the child has been selected to audition for solo lessons as they are particularly talented. In which case they are still offered the 10 lessons a term but on a one to one basis. This has been a fantastic opportunity for them and my daughter has progressed to attending the Junior Guildhall on a Saturday now as well.

Richard Shaw

Why are people using this minimum 1265 hours per year figure as though its a huge ammount? On the face of it 1265 hour sounds alot but divide that by the number of days in a year, 365, and its actually very little. Even if you take the weekends out of the year it still works out at less than 5 hours a day. Im not saying teachers dont work hard and i understand that this is a minimum figure but there are not many jobs i can think of which pays nearly £20k starting and you work an average of less than 5 hours a day. Try running your own business where you have to work 7 days a week 365 days a year and you never get to work away from it because even when your not physically there you have people phoning you or your filling out tax returns and invoices.
Yes teachers work hard but i hate the way they make out like they are hard done by, decent money and lower than average hours. It dont sound all that bad to me.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Holy thread revival, batman!

And not to beat about the bush, you are talking complete crap.

Do you know ANYONE who works 365 days a year, for a start?
Yes, EVERY day, including all bank holidays and takes no holidays? No? Neither do I, and I know a few with their own businesses.

So why divide it by 365?

Lets look at it another way, the 1265 divided by 195, the number of days the school is open, gives 6.5 hours a day.

Still not much? Well, that's the minimum. Talk to a few teachers: there IS NO MAXIMUM, and many do FAR more than that.

My wife, a primary headteacher goes to work for 8am and arrives home NEVER before 1830. She hasn't time to eat lunch and brings home work every night which she sits doing until 10.30 pm at the earliest. She takes work with her on EVERY holiday, even when we had a dream one-off holiday to Barbados, the laptop and work went with us.

Starting salary? £20,000, yes, but that's after TWO years in the sixth form, (unpaid), and FOUR years training, also unpaid, but which the teacher pays for, around £56,000 for a teacher starting this year.

So a £20,000 starting salary, but you will already have a £56,000 loan round your neck.

All that, and you can still be sworn at and physically attacked on a daily basis, by kids and parents alike.

And as far as I know, it's the only job where the finished product actively RESISTS being finished!

So off you go to your nice business and think yourself lucky you aren't a teacher.....as do I.

David Lock

Keep arguing lads - I've never started a thread with nearly 40,000 views before


dl

wayne9t9

And it only took five years