School leaders must ensure that planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time is prioritised and handled with care with ever-growing budget cuts. PPA time is a statutory entitlement for all teachers under the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) however most people outside of education do not understand the need of PPA time, most believe it is a ‘down-time’ for teachers however it is vital. PPA gives teachers an opportunity to stock and prepare for the weekly lessons; if this time is altered in any way, it could be the difference between a normal (stressful) week or a feeling of climbing Mount Everest.
PPA is a simple concept, giving teachers 10% of their working time ‘off’ either in school or out of school to plan and mark their work. However, with budget cuts, PPA is suffering; more and more work has been given to teachers and school leaders with an inadequate budget to cover their PPA lessons, many schools simple ‘cancel’ their PPA time for certain teachers.
School leaders need to keep in mind, efficient planning of a lesson is the heart of good outcomes in the class; when a teacher gets their planning right then teaching becomes much more effective. Teachers are a school’s most valuable resource; leaders sometimes need to be reminded of this.