Classroom Release Time
St Joseph's School teachers are entitled to classroom release time (CRT) according to the conditions of their employment agreement. Our school programme allows for appropriate release time in recognition of the responsibilities of teachers outside the classroom. Classroom release time may be used for teaching preparation and assessment, professional development, and other school-related responsibilities.
As required by the Primary Teachers' Collective Agreement (PTCA), the board consults with teachers to determine how classroom release time is allocated and used. The board may delegate this responsibility to the principal. We provide teachers with information about how classroom release time is allocated at the beginning of each year, and as needed throughout the year.
To be eligible for classroom release time, a staff member must be a 
classroom teacher who is employed:
In determining whether someone is a classroom teacher, schools should consider whether the teacher holds the responsibility for the planning, implementation, assessment, evaluation, and reporting for a group of students within the school. In most circumstances, determining whether someone is a classroom teacher is straightforward but care must be taken to ensure that teachers in hybrid roles are not disadvantaged.
If there is an employee who works as a classroom teacher but who also does some release teacher work as part of their role, schools should be cautious and consider them a classroom teacher for the purposes of allocating CRT.
See Best Practice Guidance for Boards of Trustees and Principals Classroom Release Time | These Guidelines 
(NZEI Te Riu Roa)
- full time or at least 0.8 FTTE (full-time teacher equivalent)
- in either a permanent role or as a long-term reliever for at least one term.
- Long-term relievers are fixed-term employees employed for a continuous period of more than three weeks. The employment of long-term relievers is not limited to relieving in a permanent teacher position.
- Short-term relievers are fixed-term employees who are temporarily employed on a casual basis to relieve in a permanent teacher position for a period not exceeding three weeks.
Long-term relievers who are employed for at least one term are eligible for classroom release time. Short-term relievers (who are employed on a casual basis for a period of 3 weeks or less) are not eligible for classroom release time.
Primary Teachers' Collective Agreement (Clause 1.6.9)
When teachers have classroom release time, the school ensures students are appropriately supervised by another staff member or a release teacher.
Primary Teachers' Collective Agreement entitlements
The PTCA provides set entitlements for classroom release time. We ensure any teachers on an individual employment agreement have release time that meets the conditions of their agreement.
- Every full-time permanent teacher or long-term reliever employed for at least a term receives 25 hours of classroom release time per term (as of term 1, 2025).
- Every part-time teacher employed permanently for at least 0.8 FTTE per week (as either a permanent teacher or a long-term reliever employed for at least a term) receives a prorated amount of classroom release time.
- Permanent unit holders receive additional classroom release time of 1 hour per week (as of term 1, 2025). This additional release time is not prorated for part-time teachers. See Salary Units.
- Every teacher employed full time from a mixture of Ministry staffing entitlement and board funding is entitled to full classroom release time.
Implementing classroom release time
St Joseph's School allocates and implements classroom release time as follows:
- The school allocates classroom release time as full days, a set of pre-determined hours over a number of days, or a combination of both.
- All teachers remain on school grounds during their release time unless the principal agrees otherwise.
- Teachers employed in formal job share positions (created under clause 2.2.6 of the PTCA) receive CRT based on their share of the full-time role (even if an individual within the job share works less than 0.8 FTTE). A job share is treated as one full-time position for the purpose of CRT. This does not apply to part-time teachers sharing a classroom without their employment being formally shared.
- When planning classroom release time, the school takes into account any scheduled events that could affect whether teachers are able to use release time.
- If scheduled classroom release time cannot be taken due to unplanned events or incidents, the school reschedules for another day if possible. Rescheduling classroom release time depends on the availability of a release teacher and any other considerations, including meeting student needs.
- Teachers work in consultation with release teachers to plan and implement a programme that provides continuity of learning for students.
- In certain circumstances, part or the whole amount of classroom release time may be carried over into the next term. Classroom release time may not be carried over into another school year.
Related policies
Resources
- Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga:
: Term 3 2025, Term 1 2025, Term 4 2024, Term 2 2024, Term 1 2024, Term 4 2023, Term 1 2021
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