QTAD Q&A
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 129 No 3, 3 May 2024, page 27.
Are teachers required to be at school from 8:30am to 3:30pm each day? Our first bell doesn’t go until 8:50am.
As per the award, rostered duty time will commence no earlier than 8.30am and conclude no later than 3.30pm. This does not mean you have to be there the whole time, but your rostered duty time of five hours per day would fall between those hours.
Some examples of a school day:
Morning session: | 8:30am to 10:35am | 125 minutes |
Lunch 1: | 10:35am to 11:15am | |
Second session: | 11:15am to 1:05pm | 110 minutes |
Lunch 2: | 1:05pm to 1:35pm | |
Third session: | 1:35pm to 2:30pm | 55 minutes |
Morning session: | 8:50am to 11:00am | 130 minutes |
Lunch 1: | 11:00am to 11:35am | |
Second session: | 11:35am to 1:05pm | 90 minutes |
Lunch 2: | 1:05pm to 1:40pm | |
Third session: | 1:40pm to 2:50pm | 70 minutes |
Both examples show total learning session duration of 290 minutes per day. Teachers will be allowed a daily rest pause of 10 minutes which is included in rostered duty time, bringing the total of rostered duty time to 300 minutes for the day, i.e. five hours.
You have to ensure that you are at work and ready to start work prior to the official start of the school day, and you are allowed to leave after the official conclusion of the school day. There may be times you are required to remain after the official conclusion of the school day, i.e. for a staff meeting or if rostered on for after-school bus duty (no more than 30 minutes following the conclusion of the school day).
There are provisions within the award that allow for variations to the standard hours of instruction for our secondary schools.
Teaching in State Education Award – State 2016
15.10 Variations to the standard hours of instruction
- Notwithstanding the terms of clause 15, the standard hours of instruction may be amended in all settings in accordance with the “Guidelines for Variation of Hours of Instruction for Senior Secondary” agreed between DoE and QTU in 1990.
- Conditions
Where the standard hours of instruction are amended in accordance with the guidelines the following conditions will apply:
The standard hours of instruction and rostered duty time will commence no earlier than 0700 and conclude no later than 1700, Monday to Friday.
The rostered duty time of a teacher will remain at 25 hours per week. However, under these arrangements a full-time teacher’s daily maximum rostered duty time will not exceed seven hours while a full-time teacher’s minimum rostered duty time will not be less than three hours.
The weekly rostered duty time may be worked over less than five days, Monday to Friday.
Subject to clause 16.1, teachers will be allowed an uninterrupted meal break of 45 minutes between the third and fifth hours from commencement of duty. The meal break is not included in rostered duty time.
Teachers will be allowed a rest pause of 10 minutes, which is included in rostered duty time.
Rostered duty time will be continuous except for the meal break, unless by agreement.
Implementation of the above arrangements will follow consultation with the LCC and the taking into account of family responsibilities.