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There isn't enough time to teach the curriculum

Work out how much teaching time is really left after disruptions. Then change your schedule to protect it.

Work out your teaching time gap

Step 1: From the annual school calendar, count the teaching days. Multiply by the teaching hours in a day. This is your teaching time on paper.
Step 2: Count the teaching days lost each year to fundraising, special events, guest speakers, extreme weather, exams and so on.
Step 3: Take the lost days away from the calendar days. This gives your actual teaching days.
Step 4: From your weekly schedule, find the average teaching hours in a school day.
Step 5: Estimate the teaching time lost each day to disruptions. Take it away to get your actual teaching hours per day.
Step 6: Multiply your actual teaching days by your actual hours per day. This is the real teaching time teachers have.
Step 7: Compare it with the hours needed to teach the whole curriculum. The difference is your teaching time gap.
Step 8: Change your school schedule to increase and protect teaching time and cut disruptions. See the ideas below.

The guide says closing the teaching time gap is one of the most impactful things you can do. It strengthens teaching and learning in your school.

You set annual school calendars. Make them maximise teaching time, and work with school leaders to create and enforce schedules that protect it.

Give core subjects such as literacy and mathematics uninterrupted blocks of time on set days.
Limit the number of guest speakers and special events.
Make sure events and guest speakers support specific parts of the curriculum.
Keep announcements to set times of the day.
Use warning or countdown bells, so classes start on time and students are in class on time.
Work with bus drivers, parents and others so students arrive before classes start and do not leave early.
Where you can, group classes in the same area of the school, to cut time lost moving between rooms.

If teachers do not have time to teach, students do not have time to learn.

Find the right person in the Ministry staff directory. Have the details of your situation to hand.

Both practice guides"Increasing and protecting teaching time" activity in both guides · draft of 27 May 2026

Not yet checked by a Ministry editor