Directed time calculator for teachers
A full-time teacher can be directed for up to 1,265 hours a year, a part-timer for the same share as their pay. Below is a typical year: change the dates, day and meetings to match your school.
Your directed time
1,234 h 20 min of 1,265 h
30 h 40 min left for anything unplanned
| What | How many | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total directed | ||
Week by week
School day INSET Holiday Bank holiday Not working Event
| Week of | MTWTF | Week | So far |
|---|
How to calculate directed time
Add up every hour the head can direct for the year: the school day without lunch, INSET days, meetings, parents' evenings and other events. What is left under the limit is the buffer for things nobody planned.
The STPCD allows 1,265 hours over 195 days for a full-time teacher: 190 days with pupils and 5 INSET days, with the hours spread reasonably. Weekends and bank holidays are off limits unless your contract says so, bar genuine emergencies and trips you volunteer for.
Example for 2026 to 2027
Directed from 08:40 to 15:30 with a 45 minute lunch is 6 h 05 min a day. Over 190 school days that is 1,155 h 50 min. Five INSET days of 6 hours add 30 h. A one-hour staff meeting after school on the 35 Mondays with pupils adds 35 h. Three parents' evenings of 2½ hours, a 3 hour open evening and 3 hours of performance review meetings add 13 h 30 min. The total is 1,234 h 20 min, which leaves 30 h 40 min. Open this example.
A meeting that starts a while after school counts from the end of the day, because the wait (trapped time) is directed too. Part-time teachers: directed time for part-time teachers.
Questions teachers ask about directed time
What counts as directed time?
Any time the head tells you to be in a set place at a set time: the school day with registration, assemblies, breaks and PPA, plus INSET, meetings, parents' evenings, open evenings and duties. The midday break and your journey to work don't count. Marking, planning and report writing at times you choose sit outside the 1,265 hours.
Is PPA time part of directed time?
Yes. The STPCD gives teachers PPA time as part of the 1,265 hours: at least 10% of your timetabled teaching time, in units of at least half an hour. The school can say when and where, but not what you do with it.
Is lunchtime directed time?
No. A teacher who works more than one session a day gets a break of reasonable length between sessions or between 12 noon and 2pm, and it doesn't count towards directed time. No teacher can be required to do midday supervision.
How is directed time worked out for part-time teachers?
Your directed time is the same percentage of 1,265 hours as your pay is of full-time pay. That percentage comes from your share of the school's timetabled teaching week: 15 of 25 hours is 60%, so 759 hours. You can't be required to work on days you don't normally work.
Can INSET days be split into twilight sessions?
Yes. The 2026 STPCD lets schools run INSET as twilights or half days, as long as the total is no more than the equivalent of five full days (pro rata for part-time teachers). Tick Twilight INSET on an event and the planner checks the total.
Do academies have to stick to 1,265 hours?
Not by law. The STPCD covers teachers employed by local authorities and by the governing bodies of foundation, voluntary aided and foundation special schools. In academies, free schools and independent schools your contract sets any limit. If it gives a different number of hours, pick My contract has a different limit.
Does the 1,265 hours apply to heads and deputies?
No. Headteachers, deputy and assistant heads, leading practitioners and teachers paid an acting allowance for those roles are outside the working time limits. The head (or the governors, for the head) must still have regard to their work-life balance.
Sources: School teachers' pay and conditions document 2026 (DfE, working time, part-time and INSET guidance); NEU directed time calculator and directed time FAQ; example term dates from the Derbyshire County Council school calendar; bank holidays in England and Wales. This is a planning aid, not legal advice. Check your contract and ask your union rep if in doubt.