Coronavirus: Sydney Catholic schools office to shed staff

Plans to overhaul the structure of Sydney Catholic Schools’ central office have been accelerated by the coronavirus crisis.

Sydney Catholic Schools executive director Tony Farley. Picture: Lawrence Machado

Plans to overhaul the structure of Sydney Catholic Schools’ central office have been accelerated by the coronavirus crisis, with initiatives being brought forward in a bid to minimise the disruption the entire sector is experiencing.

A spokesman for the body that oversees the organisation of Sydney’s 150 Catholic schools said it anticipated about 30 redundancies to occur from 9000 staff, most of whom would be reinstated into schools or given the opportunity to fill new positions in head office.

“This restructure comes after an independent review and extensive collaboration with staff,” the spokesman said.

SCS executive director Tony Farley said the restructure was in response to the evolving needs of teachers and students, particularly during the coronavirus climate.

“The education sector is one of constant change and SCS has been at the forefront of that change.

“We have done this by recognising the emerging needs of our school communities and adjusting to meet those needs,” Mr Farley said.

“This will mean some things in our central support structures will change as we make it easier for schools to access resources, assistance and expertise.

“Many of our teaching and learning specialists will be placed back into our schools so that they can be immediately on hand to share their considerable ­knowledge.”

Changes that will be rolled out include creating localised networks to help schools collaborate, handing more autonomy over to schools in terms of daily operations, and ensuring staff members have access to leadership and support systems.

“We also understand that principals and their teaching teams know their staff better than anyone else in the system, so let’s give them the authority and accountability they need to make the best choices for their own schools,” Mr Farley said.

“Throughout COVID-19, principals have been given an unprecedented level of autonomy which is working really well.

“We want to ensure these new levels of flexibility and engagement are built into our system.”

Schools including St Mary’s Cathedral College in Sydney’s CBD, Marist College North Shore and St Patrick’s College Sutherland in southern Sydney are a part of the SCS program.

Mr Farley acknowledged the concern his staff might feel as the initiatives were introduced, but said the changes would renew their ability to provide a greater level of support to their students.

“Change can be a daunting thing so I understand the natural apprehension some staff may have to these initiatives,” he said.

“However, I am hopeful that once the new structure is in place, its benefits become clear and we’ll be in a great position to provide the best educational opportunities for this generation of students and those that follow.”