Teaching Staff
Job Descriptions
ASSISTANT TEACHERS
Working Time (otherwise known as 'directed time')
Relevant bodies or their representative, who may be the principal or a senior member of staff of the school, shall discuss with each teacher at the beginning of each academic year or as often as is required, the range of teaching and other duties/activities which that teacher will undertake to assist the school and the teacher in the achievement of their objectives and so far as can then be determined the times and places thereof.
Save that:
(a) A teacher shall be available for work 195 days a year of which not more than 190 days should involve teaching children in a formal situation. It is expected that working days which do not involve teaching children in a formal situation will be reasonably contiguous with days that do involve teaching children.
(b) A teacher, other than a teacher employed in a residential establishment, shall be available to perform such duties at such times and such places as may reasonably be specified by the principal for 1,265 hours per year exclusive of time spent off school premises in preparing and marking lessons and time spent travelling to and from the place of work;
(c) A teacher may not be required to teach as distinct from supervise children in a formal situation for more than 25 hours per week in a primary school and 23.5 hours per week in a secondary school;
(d) Flexibility is clearly important but employers will want to ensure that principals plan the use of he 1,265 hours carefully.
Professional Duties
A teacher shall be required to carry out a range of professional duties as may reasonably be determined by the relevant body or its representative to be appropriate in his/her case and a teacher shall obey the reasonable directions of an employing authority or its representative.
The following duties shall be deemed to be included in the professional duties which a school teacher may be required to perform although it is not expected that every teacher would be required to undertake the full range of such duties.
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(i)
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(a)
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Planning
and preparing courses and lessons. |
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(b)
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Teaching,
according to their educational needs, - the pupils assigned to her/him,
including the setting and marking of work to be carried out the pupil in
school and elsewhere. |
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(c)
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Assessing,
recording and reporting on the development, progress and attainment of
pupils. |
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(ii)
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(a)
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Promoting
the general progress and well-being of individual pupils and of any |
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(b)
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Providing
guidance and advice to pupils on education and social matters and on their
further education and future careers including information about sources
of more expert advice on specific questions; making relevant records and
reports. |
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(c)
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Making
records of and reports on the personal and social needs of pupils except
in instances where to do so might be regarded as compromising a teacher's
own position. |
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(d)
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Communicating
and consulting with the parents of pupils. |
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(e)
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Communicating
and co-operating with persons of bodies outside school (as may be approved
by the school authorities). |
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(f)
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Participating
in meetings arranged for any of the purposes described above. |
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(iii)
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Providing
or contributing to oral and written assessments, reports and references
relating to individual pupils, and groups of pupils subject to the
provisions (ii)(c) above. |
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(iv)
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(a)
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Reviewing
from time to time her/his methods of teaching and programmes of |
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(b)
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Participating
in arrangements for her/his further training and professional development
as a teacher. |
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(v)
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Advising
and cooperating with the principal and other teachers (or any one or more
of them) on the preparation and development of courses of study, teaching
materials, teaching programmes, methods of teaching and assessment and
pastoral arrangements. |
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(vi)
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Maintaining
good order and discipline among pupils in accordance with the policies of
employing authorities and safeguarding their health and safety both when
they are authorised to be on the school premises and when they are engaged
in authorised school activities elsewhere. |
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(vii)
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Participating
in meetings at the school which relate to the curriculum for the school or
the administration or organisation of the school, including pastoral
arrangements. |
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(viii)
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Participating
in arrangements for preparing pupils for public examinations and in
assessing pupils for the purposes of such examinations; recording and
reporting such assessments; and participating in arrangements for pupils'
presentation for and supervision during such examinations. The employers
acknowledge that the above is without prejudice to the teachers' right to
seek payment for those elements of public examinations which involve
assessment. |
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(ix)
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Contributing
to the selection for appointment and professional development of other
teachers including the assessment of probationary teachers. |
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(x)
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(a)
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Co-ordinating
or managing the work of other teachers. |
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(b)
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(xi)
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(a)
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Participating
in administrative and organisational tasks related to such duties are as
described above, including the management or supervision of persons
providing support for the teachers in the school and the ordering and
allocation of equipment and materials. |
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(b)
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Attending
assemblies subject to the provisions in Article 22 of the Education and
Libraries Order (NI) 1986 registering the attendance of pupils and
supervising pupils whether these duties are to be performed before, during
or after school. |
Substitute Cover
A teacher may be required by a relevant body or their representative to supervise and teach pupils whose teacher is absent provided that:
(a) In schools with an average daily enrolment of 222 pupils or less, in primary 1 and primary 2 classes in schools with an average daily enrolment greater than 222 pupils, and in nursery classes in primary schools a teacher shall not be required to provide such cover.
(b) In schools with an average daily enrolment greater than 222 pupils a teacher shall not be required to provide such cover after the second day on which a teacher, other than a teacher of a primary 1 or primary 2 class or of a nursery class in a primary school, is absent or otherwise not available, or from the first day if the fact that the teacher would be absent or otherwise not available for a period exceeding 2 days was known to and agreed by the relevant body in advance.
Local Management of Schools
The introduction of Local Management of Schools and financial delegation to schools commenced in 1991. Most schools now have fully delegated budgets. The Boards of Governors for these schools are the relevant body and, among other powers, have the right to determine the teaching complement of the school(s), including the employment of substitute teachers. Also each Education and Library Board operates an LMS scheme for school within its area. These schemes provide for the cost of each period substitute cover to be met by the school(s) for a period of time (usually first 10 or 20 days of absence) in certain circumstances, absences due to illness, maternity etc. Thereafter to cost of substitute cover transfers to the Education and Library Board.
Lunch Time
Unless employed under a separate contract as a
PRINCIPALS
Professional Duties
 | A principal shall be required to carry out a range of
professional duties in accordance with the school's policy and objectives as
determined by the relevant body and shall obey the reasonable directions of
the relevant body. |
| Subject to the above, the Principal shall be
responsible for the internal organisation, management and control of the
school. |
| In carrying out his/her duties he shall consult, where
this is appropriate, with the relevant body and the staff of the school. |
The professional duties of a Principal shall include:
(1) Formulating the overall aims and objectives of the school and policies for their implementation.
(2) Participating in the selection and appointment of the staff of the school.
(3) (a) Deploying and managing all teaching and non-teaching staff of the school and allocating particular duties to them (including such duties of the Principal as may properly be delegated to the Vice-Principal or other members of staff), in a manner consistent with their conditions of employment, maintaining a reasonable balance for each employee.
(b) Ensuring that the duty of providing cover for absent teachers is shared equitably among all teachers in the school, taking account of their teaching and other duties.
(4) Maintaining
relationships, as appropriate, with organisations representing teachers and
other persons on the staff of the school.
(5) Determining organising, organising and implementing an appropriate curriculum for the school, having regard to the needs, experience, interests, aptitudes and stage of development of the pupils and the resources available to the school.
(6) Keeping under review the work and organisation of the school.
(7) Evaluating the standards of teaching and learning in the school, and ensuring that proper standards of professional performance are established and maintained.
(8) (a) Providing information about the work and performance of the staff employed at the school where this is relevant to their future employment.
(b) Participating in any arrangements agreed for staff development/ Performance Review.
(9) Ensuring that all staff in the school have access to advice and training appropriate to their needs, in accordance with the policies of the employing authority for the development of staff.
(10) Ensuring that the progress of the pupils of the school is monitored and recorded.
(11) Determining and ensuring the implementation of a policy for the pastoral care of pupils.
(12) Determining, in accordance with any written statement of general principals for him by the Board of Governors, measures are to be taken with a view of promoting, among the pupils, self-discipline and proper regard for authority, encouraging good behaviour on the part of the pupils, securing that the standard of behaviour of the pupils is acceptable, and otherwise regulating the conduct of the pupils; making such measures generally known within the school, and ensuring that they are implemented.
(13) In
accordance with the policy of the relevant body having responsibility for good
order and discipline on the school premises whenever pupils are present,
including the
(14) Making arrangements for parents to be given regular information about the school curriculum, the progress of their children and other matters affecting the school, so as to promote common understanding of its aims.
(15) Promoting effective relationships with persons and bodies outside the school as may be approved by the school authorities.
(16) Advising and assisting the Board of Governors in the exercise of its functions, including attending meetings of the Board of Governors and making such reports to it with connection with the discharge of her/his functions as it may properly require either on a regular basis or from time to time.
(17) Providing for liaison and co-operation with the relevant body; making such reports to authority in connection with the discharge of her/his functions as it may require on a regular basis or from time to time.
(18) Maintaining liaison with other schools and further education establishments with which the school has a relationship.
(19) Allocating, controlling and accounting for those financial and material resources of the school which are under the control of the Principal.
(20) Making arrangements in cooperation with the relevant body, for the security and effective supervision of the school buildings and their contents and of the school grounds, and ensuring (if so required) that any lack of maintenance is promptly reported to the employing authority or, if appropriate, the Board of Governors.
(21) Participating in the identification of areas in which he would benefit from further training and undergoing such training.
(22) Arranging for a Vice-Principal or, if (s)he is not available, other suitable person to assume responsibility for the discharge of her/his functions as Principal at any time when (s)he is absent from the school.
(23) Participating to such extent as may be appropriate having regard to her/his other duties in the teaching of the pupils at the school, including provision of cover for absent teachers.
The Principal is also obliged to:
| Consider how far the duties of the Principal may be
delegated to any Vice-Principal; |
| Ensure that teachers at the school receive information
that they need to carry out their professional duties effectively; and |
| Ensure that newly qualified teachers, those returning
after a break in service have access to adequate support in their first
years of service or resumed service. |
(The Scheme of Management for each school sets out additional clarification on the role and function of the Principal).
Lunch Time
Without prejudice to his duties under paragraph (13) and (22) above, a Principal shall be allowed a break of at least 30 minutes between the hours of 12 noon and 2.00 PM (12 noon and 2.30 PM in nursery schools).
A person appointed Vice-Principal in a school, in addition to carrying out the professional duties of a school teacher, including those duties particularly assigned to her/him by the Principal in Paragraph 12 of the Principal's Professional Duties shall -
(1) Assist the Principal in managing the school or such part of it as may be determined by the Principal;
(2) Undertake any professional duty of the Principal, which may be delegated to him by the Principal;
(3) Undertake, in the absence of the Principal to the extent required by her/him or his employers, the professional duties of the Principal.
The provisions of paragraphs 12 to 16 of the Principal's Professional Duties inclusive above shall apply to Vice-Principals.
The Vice-Principal shall play a major role under the overall directions of the Principal in:-
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(a)
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Formulating
the aims and objectives of the school; |
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(b)
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Establishing
the policies through which they shall be achieved; |
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(c)
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Managing
staff and resources to that end; |
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(d)
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Monitoring
progress towards their achievement; |
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(e)
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Undertaking
any professional duties of the Principal delegated to her/him by the
Principal; |
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(f)
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Undertaking
to the extent required by the Principal or relevant body or employing
authority the professional duties of the Principal in the event of her/his
absence from school; and |
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(g)
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Entitlement
to a break of at least 30 minutes between the hours of |