By law, trade union representatives are entitled to reasonable paid time off from their regular job to enable them to perform their union duties and to undertake relevant training.  Trade union members, including representatives, may also ask for unpaid time off to undertake activities.  Together, these arrangements constitute facility time.

Schools have to publish information on their website regarding the amount of facility time taken each year by staff who are union officials.

We are required to publish, for each relevant period, the answers to the following questions and requests for information, using the form indicated in Schedule 2 of the Trade Union (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Regulations 2017.

The ‘relevant period’ refers to 1 April to 31 March the following year, which is the period for which data is collected and published.

What was the total number of your employees who, at some point, were relevant union officials during the relevant period?

Four employees of Poole Grammar School were relevant union officials at some point between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.

How many of your employees who were relevant union officials employed during the relevant period spent: a) 0%, b) 1%-50%, c) 51% – 99% or d) 100% of their working hours on facility time?

Four Poole Grammar School employees spent between 1% – 50% of their working hours on facility time between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.

Provide the figures for the total cost of facility time and the total pay bill, to determine the percentage of your total pay bill spent on paying employees who were relevant union officials for facility time during the relevant period.

0.02% of the school’s budget was spent on paying employees who were relevant union officials for facility time between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.

As a percentage of total paid facility time hours, how many hours were spent by employees who were relevant trade union officials during the relevant period on paid trade union activities?

73% of the total paid facility time hours was spent on trade union activities between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023 by Poole Grammar School employees who were relevant union officials.