Four more teacher-only days over next two years

Primary and secondary schools will be able to have two more teacher-only days in each of 2023 and 2024, the Ministry of Education says.

The four extra days over the two years were being made available because of significant changes to ‘‘strengthen our schooling curriculum and assessment systems’’, the ministry said.

The first teacher-only day in 2023 could be held during the first two-weeks of term two for the year – between April 24 and May 5, Te Pouta¯hu¯ (Curriculum Centre) deputy secretary Ellen MacGregor-Reid said.

Timing of the second day in 2023 and those in 2024 would be confirmed with sector representatives in the New Year.

Primary and secondary school boards were encouraged to co-ordinate the timing of these teacher-only days, MacGregor-Reid said.

Co-ordinating the days across locations would create opportunities for schools to collaborate – as well as helping parents and wha¯ nau with children in more than one school.

In October, educators made a request for a teacher-only day to help prepare for the new NCEA system, which will start to come into force in 2024.

‘‘A lot of teachers are in survival mode at the moment,’’ Melanie Webber, president of the Post Primary Teachers’ Association Te Wehengarua, the secondary teachers’ union, said at the time.

‘‘They’re just getting through,’’ Webber said.

‘‘We don’t have the capacity to be able to be doing this larger picture thinking.’’