Primary Teachers Prepare For Classroom Release

Media Release June 13, 2005
From NZEI Te Riu Roa For Immediate Use
Ms05/18

Primary Teachers Prepare For Classroom Release Time

The country’s 25,000 primary teachers are preparing for the introduction of classroom release time which was negotiated by their union, NZEI Te Riu Roa, to address their heavy workload.

A teacher and the principal from each of the country’s 2080 primary and intermediate schools have been invited to attend meetings, organised by NZEI Te Riu Roa, as part of the planning for classroom release time which begins at the start of Term Four on October 10.

More than 90 meetings are being held throughout the country starting tomorrow, Tuesday June 14, and continuing until Thursday July 7.

NZEI Te Riu Roa negotiated gained classroom release time for primary teachers for the first time as a major item in a new collective agreement worth $420 million that was negotiated last year.

As part of the new agreement the Government agreed to invest more than $80 million to provide up to 800 extra teachers to deliver all full time primary teachers 10 hours of classroom release time a term.

The teachers and principals who attend the meetings will be provided with guidelines on how teachers can use the classroom release time to address their workload and student learning.

“Primary teachers made it clear during their negotiations that they needed time to do the work they’re required to do, on top of the time they spend in the classroom working directly with their class of students,” says Colin Tarr.”

“This has been achieved by gaining classroom release time for the first time in primary schools.”

“The guidelines teachers and principals will be given at the meetings, organised by NZEI, have been developed co-operatively by the union, the Ministry of Education and the School Trustees Association,” says Colin Tarr.

ENDS

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