Sixth form college teachers have secured a contractual right to ‘planning time’ following union negotiations. The National Education Union (NEU) said planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time had been added to sixth form teacher terms and conditions, despite the protection existing in schools since 2005. Schools Week understands that though there will be no set percentage figure, during PPA time teachers should not be asked to carry out other duties and may be able to work away from the college site where appropriate. Other principles the NEU and NASUWT have agreed with the Sixth Form College Association (SFCA) include a “rarely cover” provision and parameters around the use of directed time. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said the “improvements” would address college workloads which have “steadily ticked upwards” and are a significant driver of the education sector’s retention and recruitment challenges. He added: “New workload principles will go a long way toward ensuring that teacher workloads are fair and balanced, whereas the enshrining of directed time in colleges at a time in which it is under threat in schools is an important step in the right direction for the sector. “This workload win is down to the resolve of NEU sixth form college teachers to stand firm until their conditions improved, as well as a mark of the success of the effective dialogue between unions and employers that the sectoral collective bargaining structure in sixth form colleges facilitates.” The agreement on workload conditions comes as part of the 2025-26 pay round. Negotiations over next academic year’s pay are due to start this summer. The ‘rarely cover’ principle limits the level of cover teachers can provide for absent colleagues to ‘only rarely’ and in circumstances that are ‘not foreseeable’ where it is not possible to bring in a supply teacher. An NEU spokesperson told Schools Week the directed time principles set out how the 1,265 hours of directed time that teachers are subject to should be calculated and includes a list of what should be included, such as meetings outside the college day and “trapped time”. The union said PPA had existed in schools since 2005, but although some colleges have varying amounts of ‘desk time’ there has never been a national equivalent across sixth form colleges. “Rarely cover” provision has existed in schools since 2009, they added. Graham Baird, director of HR services at SFCA said: “SFCA is pleased that college and union representatives have worked closely together and succeeded in agreeing a way forward that both addresses the workload demands on teachers and protects the learning needs of students. “Colleges across the sector fully engage with the issue of teacher workload and working time and continue to make every effort to support teachers and support staff in delivering a high-quality education for their students.” Baird added that the newly agreed set of principles reflect colleges’ “commitment” to addressing the concerns and needs of hard-working teachers.