Cover Burden Tracker
Cover lessons per term, what they cost you in planning time, and whether they are landing evenly across the department.
A teacher taking nine cover lessons a term in a department of eight loses roughly eight hours of directed time per term, and most of it comes out of planning time rather than free time.
Cover Burden Tracker
Frequently asked
Is there a limit on cover?
It varies by system. In England, teachers should only cover rarely and not routinely, and the specifics sit in the conditions document rather than in law. Many systems have no limit at all, which is why the local number is worth tracking.
Why does cover feel unfair even when it is even?
Because the cost is not equal. A cover lesson taken from PPA costs planning time that has to be replaced in the evening; one taken from a genuinely free period costs the lesson only. Two teachers with identical cover counts can be paying very different prices.
What is the fix?
Publishing the allocation by person each half-term. Distribution problems that are visible get corrected; the ones nobody counts never do.
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