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NAHT Northern Ireland represents principals and vice-principals in around two-thirds of 1,150 schools in Northern Ireland. NAHT Northern Ireland provide advice, training and support for its members on a range of issues faced by senior leaders in schools. Along with our colleagues in England and Wales, we are there to defend and extend the rights of school leaders.  

NAHT NI is democratic and member-led, and supported by its Belfast-based team of staff alongside their colleagues based in both Wales and England.

NAHT Northern Ireland
Carnmoney House
Edgewater Office Park
Belfast
BT3 9JQ

nahtni@naht.org.uk
02890 776633 

Reducing the school week

Since September 2011, governing bodies of all maintained schools have been free to structure their school days, subject to satisfying a few conditions. 

In the current climate, school leaders are seriously considering creative ways to maximise their school's funding while, at the same time, keeping the school safe and ensuring that pupils receive their full entitlement within the prescribed directed time for staff.

Recent media attention has highlighted a growing interest among school leaders to consider reducing the school week as a means of keeping the school safe and, at the same time, saving money.

This paper simply sets out the considerations that headteachers, school leaders, and governing bodies must and should consider if the prospect of reducing the school week to keep it safe and save money trumps the reasons for continuing to operate a more conventional school week model for staff, pupils and parents at their school and in their communities. 

This article is available to NAHT members only. To view this advice click here

First published 23 August 2020

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NAHT NI Annual conference

Annual Leadership Conference
14-15 May 2020 Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle
 ‘Empowering Positive Leadership’
 
Full programme to follow. Register now using the form below:

 

 Nursery and Foundation Stage Conferences
• Foundation Stage Conference:  Thursday, 19 November 2020
• Nursery School Conference:  Friday, 20 November 2020 
Venue: Hilton Hotel, Templepatrick

NAHT(NI) are delighted to have Anna Ephgrave to deliver two conferences, a day aimed at Foundation Stage practitioners and a day for Nursery practitioners.   Anna taught in the early years in English schools for 30 years and is now an independent consultant, trainer and author, supporting practitioners both in the United Kingdom and abroad. She has written four very successful books for David Fulton, Routledge: The Reception Year in Action, The Nursery Year in Action, Year One in Action and Planning in the Moment. Anna is passionate about children having autonomy and choice in child-initiated play. This ensures that each child can follow their interests and become deeply engaged which results in outstanding progress and meaningful learning.      This event can be used as a whole staff/team professional development opportunity and Principals may wish to use a Staff Development Day for this purpose. Further information will be issued soon, but in the meantime, please hold these dates in your diary!