Schools and learning

INSET days

Every school has a number of INSET (In Service Educational Training) or Occasional days per year. These are for staff training and they are an important part of a teacher's professional development.

Why are they necessary?
The Government is committed to raising standards of education, and supporting teachers to do this by providing the training and development opportunities they need. INSET days are an important tool for head teachers to help their staff keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date.

INSET days were introduced to give head teachers an opportunity for all their teaching staff to be together at one time, and for some of this time, to train together. This is very much in the same way that other professions undertake a certain element of training and development during their contracted hours.

It is common for INSET days to be added to the beginning, or the end of teachers' school holidays as this often results in less disruption than if the days are held at other times during a school term.

Inset days are purposefully planned so as to cause minimum disruption to families, parents and carers. As well as the thirteen weeks of school holidays a child receives, up to five INSET days are implemented on top of that. This can put extra pressure and strain on parents and carers who have to find childcare for these days. Schools publish their INSET days well in advance, enabling parents and carers to plan for any childcare needs they may have.