QTAD Q&A
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 126 No 6, 3 September 2021, page no.27
When are the 2022 student free days?
There will be a total of five student free days in 2022, which all permanent (full and part-time) teachers must attend.
- Two days at the end of the summer vacation (fixed): Thursday 20 January and Friday 21 January
- Two flexible student free days (paid during the Easter vacation period): Wednesday 13 April and Thursday 14 April.
- The third last Friday of Term 3 (fixed but can become flexible): Friday 2 September.
What consultation should occur around the flexible professional development hours?
School communities are required to negotiate their arrangements in consultation with their staff and through the local consultative committee or, for schools with less than 20 employees, a consultative body.
Through consultation, schools could:
- allocate some of the flexible professional development hours to the end of the summer vacation, usually adjoining the fixed student free days
- extend the hours of any designated student free days rather than use five hours of rostered duty time
- schedule blocks of professional development after school hours in twilight sessions
- allocate student free days to other vacation periods, e.g. first or last day of winter vacation
- adopt a combination of the suggestions above.
Arrangements for student free days must be finalised by the end of the previous year. Active consultation with staff is usually started and finalised during Term 3, in readiness for communication to regional offices in Term 4.
Dates and times should be defined and published for teachers, including those coming in on transfer, relocation or as temporary engagements.
When deliberating on suitable models, consideration needs to be given to balancing work and family responsibilities. Further, the student free day program should allocate time for a meal break and a paid rest pause.