Working time agreement calculator for teachers in Scotland
Your collegiate time in the 35-hour week, from your FTE and class contact, and whether the school's WTA plan fits in it.
Your collegiate time
5 h collegiate time a week
195 h a year over 39 weeks
WTA plan: 0 h. 195 h not allocated.
| Time | A week |
|---|---|
| Remaining time for collegiate activities |
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Collegiate time, full time |
Saved on this device as you type. A share link holds the whole plan, including the school and names you enter.
How collegiate time is worked out
Scottish teachers have a 35-hour week under the Handbook of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), with no annual directed hours. Class contact is capped at 22.5 hours a week. Preparation and correction gets at least a third of your actual class contact. What is left is remaining time, and each school agrees how to use it in its working time agreement, within the guidelines of the council's local negotiating committee for teachers (LNCT). Career-long professional learning (CLPL) has its own 35 hours a year.
Probationers on the Teacher Induction Scheme teach at most 18.5 hours, so they have time for professional learning. The planner keeps that time apart from collegiate time.
Example for 2026 to 2027
A full-time secondary teacher on 22.5 hours of class contact has 7.5 hours of preparation and correction, so 35 − 22.5 − 7.5 leaves 5 hours a week, or 195 hours over 39 weeks. A teacher on 0.6 FTE with 13.5 hours of class contact has a 21-hour week, 4.5 hours of preparation and 3 hours of collegiate time: 117 hours a year, which is 0.6 of 195.
The planner compares the school's plan with a full-time teacher's collegiate time, then your share with your own. Teaching in England? Use the directed time calculator for the 1,265 hours.
Questions about the 35-hour week
How many hours of collegiate time do teachers in Scotland have?
A full-time teacher on the maximum 22.5 hours of class contact has at least 7.5 hours for preparation and correction, which leaves 5 hours a week for collegiate activities. Over 39 weeks (195 working days) that is 195 hours. Some councils count 38 weeks, or 190 hours. Your own figure depends on your FTE and class contact.
What goes in a working time agreement?
How the school uses the remaining time, agreed at school level within the LNCT's guidelines. The SNCT Code of Practice lists activities such as extra preparation and correction, parents' meetings, staff meetings, reports and records, forward planning, formal assessment, professional review, curriculum development, supervised pupil activity and CLPL.
How does the 35-hour week work for part-time teachers?
Pro rata. At 0.6 FTE your week is 21 hours, your class contact maximum 13.5 hours and your preparation at least a third of your actual class contact. Remaining time activities fall on days you are employed, except parents' meetings, which you attend pro rata under the school's arrangements.
Is CLPL part of the 35-hour week?
The Handbook adds up to 35 hours of CLPL a year on top of the 195-day working year, pro rata for part-time teachers. A school can also plan CLPL sessions in collegiate time through its WTA. Rows marked personal CLPL here count against the 35 hours, not the collegiate total.
When does class contact time go down to 21 hours?
The 2026 agreement between the Scottish Government, COSLA and the teachers' side sets a maximum of 21 hours from August 2027 for primary and special school teachers and from August 2029 for secondary teachers. The 90 minutes become undirected professional time. Until then the Handbook maximum stays at 22.5 hours.
Can class contact go over 22.5 hours in some weeks?
Only under a planned flexible arrangement agreed through the school's negotiating group and sent to the LNCT. Class contact then averages 22.5 hours over a period of normally 2 weeks and never more than 4, with no single week above 25 hours, and preparation stays at least a third of the class contact.
Do I have to do preparation and marking in school?
No. Tasks that don't need you on the school premises can be done at a time and place of your choosing. You tell the appropriate manager that you plan to do so.
Sources: SNCT Handbook Part 2, Section 3 (working year and working week, paragraphs 3.4 to 3.11, as published April 2026); Appendix 2.7 (Code of Practice on Working Time Arrangements); Appendix 2.17 (working hours, working week); Section 9 (Teacher Induction Scheme, paragraph 9.10); GTCS class contact time on the Teacher Induction Scheme; Agreement on the Reduction of Class Contact Time (Scottish Government, COSLA and the teachers' side, 2026). This is a planning aid, not legal advice. Your LNCT agreement and union rep have the local detail.