By Lucy Carroll
Thousands of public school deputy and assistant principals have been told to spend more time in the classroom teaching students under a radical plan to plug widespread staff shortages across the state.
A major Department of Education review, conducted in September, found almost two thirds of 2500 senior teachers were not teaching timetabled classes, while the remainder were teaching below minimum hours needed.
Department of Education secretary Murat Dizdar and minister Prue Car during budget estimates in October.Credit: Janie Barrett
NSW Education Minister Prue Car said that with a recent survey revealing almost 10,000 lessons a day in public schools are left without a casual teacher – and many classes merged or collapsed due to staffing shortages – it was critical leading teachers were freed up to spend more time in teaching in the classroom.
“We’re confident that refining executive teaching positions – which were always a mixed role – and relieving them of administrative tasks will lead to better student outcomes through more teaching time across the state,” Car said.
The review found 77 per cent of public primary school deputy principals do not teach timetabled classes, and 40 per cent of high school deputies have no teaching allocation. About 42 per cent of senior school deputy principals teach lessons half to one day a week.
From term 1 next year, state school executive – or senior teachers – will be expected to teach at least one day a week, rising to two-and-a-half days a week for deputies and four days for head teachers and assistant principals.
The department is yet to confirm if assistant principals in curriculum and instruction – those responsible for implementing once-in-a-generation syllabus reforms across schools – will be required to increase teaching time.
In an email to principals on Thursday, NSW Education Department secretary Murat Dizdar said staff shortages and teacher workload in our public schools are “two of the most critical issues we face in public education”.
“We are seeking immediate opportunities to have as many teachers in classrooms as possible to minimise the need for an unacceptable level of alternative supervision arrangements in the system on a daily basis,” Dizdar said.
Adding teaching hours for those in executive roles is expected to add the equivalent of more than 500 full-time teaching roles from the cohort of experienced and effective teachers, the department said.
The NSW government wants public school deputy and assistant principals to spend more time in the classroom teaching students.Credit: iStock
“While many schools can justify releasing teachers from face-to-face teaching with little oversight, the system overall lost many experienced teachers from the classroom, and it has created too many vacancies,” the email said.
President of the NSW Secondary Schools Principals’ Council, Craig Petersen, said many deputy principals already had a teaching load of about two and a half days each week.
“But the reality is many schools deputies are teaching one class a week or less if they are needed to manage complex cases, support students and teachers in discipline management and attend to a wide range of administrative tasks,” he said.
“The positive aspect is we are getting recognition that deputies and other executive staff are doing an outstanding job at supporting students with complex needs. The challenge will be that the current provisions under the award does not currently recognition the complexity of the roles.”
In September, the state’s teachers union and the government ended months of deadlock over wage negotiations, reaching a historic pay deal which boosted salaries for top-of-the-scale public school teachers from $113,042 to $122,100.
Assistant principals received a pay increase of about 8 per cent to $140,500, while deputy principals salaries rose from about $151,000 to $164,000.
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