An Auckland principal says teaching isn't a job, it's a service.

The Government's instructing schools to have Stepped Attendance Response plans by 2026.

It's also instructed them not to take teacher-only days in term time, unless authorised by the Minister.

May Road Primary School principal Lynda Stuart told Ryan Bridge that it’s a complex situation because she knows that in her school, teachers are basically just limping towards the end of the term.

She says that teachers need time in the holidays to recuperate before they’re back in their classrooms preparing for next term, and they don't have as long of holidays as some people think.

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