Why are the payments of teacher training incentives for graduates being made at the end of each term in Wales? I thought they were supposed to be paid monthly.

Wales was going to pay salaries at the end of each term, but has now changed arrangements to be in line with England. All students eligible for the training salary in England and Wales will be paid monthly for nine months, starting at the end of October.

My school releases me for half a day a week for my induction programme. But I don’t get the half a day a fortnight off for marking that all the other teachers have. Am I entitled to it?

This is tricky. Induction circular 902000 says that NQTs should have “a timetable of no more than 90 per cent of normal average teaching time to allow their induction to take place”. If all teachersin your school have an afternoon a fortnight for marking, then clearly you should too.

Their “normal average teaching time” will be something like 95 per cent, so you should only teach for something like 85 per cent of the week.

Your release time is extra to, not instead of, what other teachers get and is for induction, not marking. But check this is what teachers are getting the time for. If, for instance, the half a day a fortnight is for the other teachers to carry out their curriculum co-ordinator role, then you would not be entitled to it. The Department for Education and Employment is funding the 90 per cent timetable, via your local education authority, so this is money that the school must, by law, spend on your release time.

E-mail your questions to friday@tes.co.ukSara Bubb regrets she cannot enter into correspondence