Does this sound right regarding PPA?

[CheesecakeAddict]

Hi all

I am a full time teacher and HoD. At the start of the year, I flagged up that my timetable was an hour short of PPA and was told that my ppa is calculated based on my teaching hours and I should only get 4x ppa per fortnight as I get tlr which reduces my hours taught. We work on a 5 period day and HoDs get 4xtlr per fortnight too. So I left it and I've been struggling with workload and burning out all year.
This week someone commented how heavy my timetable was for a HoD. I have since looked at a few and every other HoD is getting 5xppa per fortnight and even 2i/cs get that ppa plus 4-6 tlr hours.
We are obviously at the end of the year, but I don't get gain time this year when yr11 leave but still have been sent a list of gain time tasks from leadership. I'm really struggling to keep on top of it and wonder if this sounds fair or if I should raise it again with the head or just leave it now we only have 5 weeks left?

They are trying it on/don't know the rules... PPA is calculated first for everyone, so 10% of the number of lessons in a normal teaching week (a five period day school being 25) rounded UP which they often 'forget' unless you point it out. Then they do the additional reduction for ECT time.

Then finally you get any additional non-contacts on top (management time, LM meeting etc) but importantly they aren't badged up as PPA so aren't protected time in quite the same way. Although my school doesn't actually put PPA on the timetable I've not yet had that conversation because it hasn't been an issue while I've worked here- we do very little rarely cover.

A separate issue is that if you don't have any gained time then you can't possibly do any gained time tasks. I think that's the battle to have this time then when you are looking at next year's timetable allocations mention the PPA thing then.

It may be awkward raising these things but equally if other people aren't getting the same treatment then it's possibly because they think you won't rick the boat.

Just a note as well if someone is part time you work their PPA out based on the maximum number of teaching hours they are present for- so a 0.8 person in a 25 hour week school would be available for 80% of lessons, so 20 lessons, which means two PPA a week. A full time person would be three PPA a week (2.5 hours rounded up)

I'm a HoD of a core subject and get the same PPA as everyone else and then management time on top.
My school is heavy on contact time I think, so would be interested in what others get.

We have a 50 period fortnight.

I teach 35/50 plus I have a form (45 minutes a day), plus we have to do 2 x 45 minutes co curricular a week. Form involves actually delivering stuff which is taken in for work scrutiny so it's not easy.

From 50 hours a fortnight, I teach 42 hours.
I have form every day for 30 mins and that is delivering pshe. It is learning walked but all work is done on MWBs so isn't scrutinised.
We have 2 morning briefings per week, and 3 morning duties, so every day starts at 8.15. Then we have CPD once per week after school and leadership meeting once every 4 weeks.
We have to call parents if we remove a child and it is an RI school so it's more frequent than you may think, that's easily 3 hours per week especially if it is my bottom set heavy week.
One of my tlr hours per fortnight is taken for LM meetings, then once per fortnight I have to learning walk my department or do a book scrutiny, so that's another hour. So realistically I'm looking at 8.15-4.30 of non-stop before I can even plan or mark, with just 6 hours per fortnight PPA/remaining TLR time.

It's a lot, isn't it? It's not just me being lazy or incompetent?

@CheesecakeAddict yes it is a lot!

I also have duties - 2 break, 2 morning, 2 lunch (leadership scale) per week.

Like you, one free is my line management meeting, then it's book scrutinies, learning walks etc. It's an outstanding school but they expect so, so much from staff!

On 42 periods you are entitled to 4.2 periods of ppa rounded up to 5. Management time isn't protected but PPA is.

Raise it now ready for next year.

Also I'd say you may need to check your directed time (if 1265 applies to your role) with lots of duties. Breaktimes are directed time so can't do so much about that (we have one duty and one meeting in a break). Also I'm not sure how long a session has to be before it counts as teaching time- registrations usually don't afaik know but if it's a taught PSHE session that might be different. Worth exploring!

I tried to explain this exact discrepancy to someone at my school. They've mostly fixed it this year but frankly they couldn't fix it last year.

PPA should be from the full timetable - so if 50 periods a fortnight should be 5 periods a fortnight...

Leadership time really does depend on the department... HoDs of English will get more than a HoD of drama as there's more lessons going on and more teachers.

But it's ridiculous to take a PPA away, and then replace it with a leadership time, and then say oh we've given you more time.....