Contracts and terms and conditions of employment

Understand who's responsible for setting the conditions of service for school support staff in different types of schools and how pay arrangements are determined.

Find out whether the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) and Burgundy Book apply in your school and get an overview of the key requirements they cover.

Find a definition of continuous service, and understand whether it applies to a staff member who is moving between a maintained school and an academy.

Employees on maternity or adoption leave are entitled to 10 keeping in touch (KIT) days. Read guidance on how and when they can be used, as well as how to calculate pay.

Download our summary of the rules about maternity pay and leave for teachers and support staff. Adapt our 2 template letters, one for employees giving notice of maternity leave to their employer and the other for employers confirming maternity pay and leave details to an employee.

Eligible employees are entitled to statutory paternity pay and leave. Read government guidance on your responsibilities as an employer, and expert advice on fitting paternity leave around school holidays.

Understand the rules around directed time and download our directed time calculator to help you organise and allocate the 1,265 hours for your staff during the 2023/24 academic year. Also see examples of directed time budgets from schools.

Be clear on when you can introduce extra INSET days for teachers, and what you should consider before doing so.

Understand guidance around a part-time staff member attending meetings, including parents' evening and training events such as INSET days. See the rules for teachers and support staff, and read union advice.

You must give teachers with leadership responsibilities, such as subject leaders, a 'reasonable' amount of non-contact time. Understand the rules and read advice on how much time to give.

Find essential information on planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time in just 1 page. You can also download a copy of this QuickRead as a ready-made resource to share with colleagues.

Under the STPCD, you must give eligible teachers guaranteed planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time. Read the rules on what you must provide, which teachers are eligible and how to manage the planning and delivery of cover lessons.

Understand the statutory and additional leave entitlements of teachers and support staff.

Run positive and practical return to work interviews with this downloadable template, and read advice on how to prepare and what to cover.

Learn about sick pay terms for teachers, including who the Burgundy Book terms apply to and what they cover.