Gibraltar NASUWT has said that it wishes to address ongoing public discussion regarding Government’s proposed changes to school summer hours.

 

A statement continued: "Since April 2025, the idea of altering school summer hours was first proposed by HMGoG. There was a public consultation in April 2025  and almost a year later, in February 2026, a separate consultation exercise involving teachers. These processes were entirely separate from the work undertaken independently by Gibraltar NASUWT as the recognised Union of teachers in Gibraltar.

 

"In light of Government’s stated intentions to remove summer hours and cognisant of the tight timeframe for implementation conveyed by HMGoG, for Term 3 of 2026, the Gibraltar NASUWT Executive conducted its own survey of members in order to gather direct feedback from teachers and to ensure their views and concerns were properly represented. Our survey was released on 4th March 2026 and findings submitted to HMGoG 3 weeks later. Gibraltar NASUWT acted expeditiously to secure a mandate from our members where the teaching profession’s position was clearly outlined ahead of discussions.

 

"Following this, we entered discussions with Government which, to date, have consisted of email correspondence with the Minister for Education and a single meeting held on 13th April with the Chief Minister, attended also by the Director of Education and the Minister for Education.

 

"At that meeting, Gibraltar NASUWT presented a number of clear red lines designed to protect and support teachers’ working conditions and the effective delivery of education for our students. We were pleased to see that these protections were agreed to swiftly in principle by the Chief Minister. However, a month later, despite this positive resolution, we have yet to receive the draft agreement.

 

"Furthermore, significant operational details remain outstanding. As a profession, teachers require sufficient information and certainty in order to plan, prepare and organise effectively for any proposed changes.

 

"We fully understand and echo the growing frustration being expressed by parents, school staff and the wider community regarding the lack of clarity surrounding when these changes may be implemented and why progress has taken so long when agreement was reached in principle some time ago.

 

"With the end of term fast approaching, Gibraltar NASUWT calls upon Government to honour the agreement arrived at on April 13th and announce the details contained therein with urgency. Schools, teachers, parents and students deserve clarity, certainty, and timely communication so that proper planning and preparation can take place ahead of implementation."