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A Regular update from the
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No 2, 2005. Published 20th Feb, 2005 |
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Well, the first few weeks have certainly been frantic, with many Principals no doubt feeling fairly tired and at the centre of continued change as we re-align with different groupings, new ideas and a mixture of messages. It is hoped that some of the information below may be useful to you. Please remember that the PPA is your professional Association and that we are continuing to work at all levels within the system to promote the professionalism of our member Principals and the commitment that they bring within local schools in local communities to offer the choice of free and secular, high quality education for children. Remember that, despite the frustrations and the continued environment in which it seems that the goalposts are perpetually shifting, the work that you do is extremely valuable and that we as a group represent a huge network of government service delivery. When we are able to maintain and develop those networks, then we are able to have a strong and powerful input into the policy and planning for Public Education.
When spider webs unite they can tie up a lion
(Ethiopian
proverb)
Class Size Reduction - Class Formation It is understood that the need to move as close as possible to the target of a state-wide average of 20 in Kindergarten classes has had an impact on the way that classes are structured across the entire school. Principals know and understand the difficulties this can cause, juggling competing interests and keeping in mind at all times the desire to provide the best contexts in which optimum learning can occur. We would all have some experience with numbers that fall just outside the desired multiples and know the lengthy games of "what if" which go with considering all of the various permutations. The various spreadsheet calculators on the Principals' Toolkit area of the PPA website are testimony to the extent to which forming the best mix of classes possible is a serious element of school planning. As reported in the last edition of What's Hot, Principals acknowledge the role that we all played in seeking reduced class sizes in the early years and yet also know the reality that there are not always neat multiples in our enrolments. We, as a Principals' Association, have called on all parties to take a collaborative and productive stance in getting as close as possible to the target numbers, operating within the spirit and intent of the program. We have also made it clear that Principals need to be supported in making the sorts of decisions which, after all, often set in place the organisational structure for the remainder of the year. It was encouraging in the media this weekend, to see that the Minister is strongly supporting the ability of local Principals to make sensible decisions to meet the need of their local schools within local communities. Given the fact that there may have been times in the past where a Minister may have used examples given in the press to be critical of Principals and their school organisation, the current Minister has shown that she understands the need for some flexibility and common sense, and this is a good and positive signal to all players of the fact that we can achieve good outcomes for Public Education if we show sensitivity and understanding of local needs and contexts when organising our schools, AND that there is a value placed on the integrity of Principals in seeking the best possible outcomes for the children in their schools. The NSW Primary Principals' Association will continue to monitor cases where Principals feel that this principle of arriving at the best possible outcome within the spirit and intent of the class size reduction program has been dealt with in a less flexible manner, and to make appropriate representations to gain the best way forward. This has already been done in some cases and the NSW Primary Principals' Association will continue to build the linkages at the optimum levels within the organisation to ensure that we have a strong and respected voice in negotiating the way forward across a range of areas as our system continues to evolve and change. Staffing Agreement You would have received communication in the last week regarding the agreement by all parties to a new Staffing Agreement to deal with the staffing of our schools for the next few years. The agreement has a dual impact in providing maintenance of a centralised staffing system and in retaining the transfer system, with an extension of the effectiveness of the transfer system, particularly at the Executive and Principal level within schools. In addition, there is an extension of the ability of Principals to have some choice in the selection of staff from within a pool of staff who have already met certain criteria, either by way of points, or by working effectively at the advertised level within another school setting. While there is a diversity of opinion within the Principalship regarding the extent to which local selection of staff needs to be applied, this agreement does represent a way forward with an element of "win-win" for both schools of thought. No doubt as time goes on, we will be having more discussions with all key players about the factors which we need to consider when planning for the best use of resources within local schools, within local communities which are also working in a state-wide context. It is this tension in achieving balance between the macro and micro levels of our system which is unique to our Public Education system, and it is one of the great unsung achievements of our system that we are able to generally achieve an appropriate balance and to provide parents, in local communities, with a choice of a great quality education at their local primary school. The flip side to this is, of course, the reality that an issue in one of our local schools is often generalised into criticism of the entire system: a difficulty not shared to the same extent by our independent colleagues. Principals, who have often worked across a range of geographical contexts, have an acute awareness of the way that needs differ from place to place and of the need for sound judgement in navigating a way through the "same but different" conundrum. Remember that support is always available from your colleagues in managing this process.. Make sure that you attend your local Area Council meetings, develop some collegial links with others, join a listserv if you feel comfortable with online communities of practice, and keep the collegial dialogue going. A huge strength of our state-wide Primary Principals' Association is the ability it provides to, as Professor Geoff Scott would say, "connect people on the same journey with others a little further down the track" PP5 and PP6 - Relief Days to attend PPA meetings Principals in PP5and PP6 schools are reminded that the Primary Principals' Association, a number of years ago, successfully lobbied to gain the allocation of 4 relief days per year to be used to enable PP5 and PP6 Principals to attend their local Area Council meetings. These days are included within your global allocation. Various recent pieces of research have confirmed the fact that collegial support is one of the strongest and best regarded types of support available for Principals. This is based on feedback from Principals themselves, both here in NSW, in work undertaken which underpins the NSW DET School Leadership Capabilities Framework, and nationally in a survey of Principal "wellness" conducted across all states, with a major input from NSW. Please use the relief days provided to be a part of your local Area Council. Remember too that we have a very active and supportive Teaching Principals' Reference Group, which has worked hard over a number of years to address issues affecting PP5 and PP6 schools. You can find a list of contacts for this reference group on our website at http://www.nswppa.org.au/04refgroups.html Support is also available through the Teaching Principals email listserv which sees the sharing of ideas, resources, advice and support amongst over 250 Teaching Principals state-wide. You can subscribe by visiting the PPA website at http://www.nswppa.org.au and following the 'Join a Listserv' link at the top of the page. Alternatively, use the lists of local Area Council contacts from last year to put you in touch with some of the Principals in your local area who have a demonstrated commitment to working for all Principals. Make contact and get along to meetings. It is understood that PP5's and PP6's often work in both geographical and professional isolation, while having the same level of need to produce plans and reports as all schools; all on top of a significant teaching load. Please use the full range of support available to you from your School Education Director, from the Principals' Support service (Hotline number is 1300 850 338 ), and from the formal and informal channels available through the NSW Primary Principals' Association. Your work, in around one third of all primary schools within NSW, is too valuable to the local communities you serve, to be done without the support of your colleagues..take time to access all of the collegial support you can. Rural and remote school concerns At a meeting with the NSW Primary Principals' Association executive in Sydney last week, the Minister was presented with a copy of the report compiled into by our former Treasurer, Peter Newman, into issues confronting rural and remote schools. A significant amount of these issues centre around the core problem of attracting and retaining staff to these locations. Ralph Taylor, Vice-President, was appointed by State Council late last year as our representative to take these issues forward, and we expect to have further discussions with a range of people about some of the strategies which may assist. Ralph was able, at our meeting, to point out the major concerns and to gain from the Minister both an appreciation for the forwarding of the report and a shared commitment to work together to address some of the concerns. NSW Primary Principals' Association Structure, 2005 The State Executive at our meeting in Sydney last week reaffirmed our position that we retain our existing organisational structure of local Area Councils. These local Area Councils have demonstrated their effectiveness for almost ten years in providing a collegially driven environment in which support and development needs can be met. It is essential that we continue to provide an environment in which Principals can discuss issues related to the job we share, and it is essential that all Principals take an active role in being part of these local Area Councils. It is hoped that, by doing so, your local Area Council President and Delegate can then join with the representatives of the other local Area Councils to form a Regional Advisory Group which can work with the Regional Director to develop optimum processes for dealing with issues and needs for Principals at the Regional and local level. The local Area Councils would still have access to the state level State Council through their Delegates and through the issues management process which is being strengthened this year with exciting possibilities on the horizon in terms of tracking and feedback, as suggested by State Council last year. Naturally, as the year progresses, we will continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of all of our structures and processes, but we urge all members to take advantage of the collegial networks provided by local Area Councils, and to attend meetings and be a part of the process. Affiliation Fees and State Council representation We are only able to operate effectively if we ensure our funding sources and remind all local Area Councils that they are expected to have forwarded their affiliation fees by 30th April, as outlined in our Constitution (http://www.nswppa.org.au/05constitution.html) Please ensure that your local Area Council has voting rights at State Council. If you have enquiries about these fees, please contact John Scott, our Treasurer, at Merimbula Public School or scotty@nswppa.org.au Quick Takes
Cheers Roger Pryor
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