What’s New – July 2018 (PDF version)

Report Back to Schools Members on Current Issues

In this bulletin:

• Assisted Travel – SLSO’s
• eFPT Training
• PDP Process and Training
• Immunisation Toolkit
• Conflicting Deadlines and Workload
• Creation of Positions and Appointments
• Survey Reminder – Schools Need Us Campaign
• Central Reference Group (CRG)
• Delegate Election Outcomes.

Over the last 12 months the PSA has heard from members in schools about the increasingly unmanageable and unreasonable workloads SAS staff are carrying. The PSA has been working to make things better for all PSA members in schools. One of the ways we do this is through the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) and issue specific meetings with Department of Education.

These forums are where your industrial staff and delegates raise the collective concerns of members and push for better outcomes and support with Management and Industrial Relations representatives.

Assisted Travel – SLSOs

The PSA asked for clarification from the Department about the role of SLSOs under the Assisted School Travel Program.

Members have asked about their responsibilities concerning the student’s safety in the vehicle.

The Department has confirmed:

• As SLSO’s are not directly involved in the service delivery of the program which employs Assisted Travel Support Officers (ATSO), it is the contract driver’s ultimate responsibility to ensure that the student is securely in the vehicle and safe to travel.

However

• SLSOs usually accompany the student to and from the vehicle at the school end of the travel. SLSOs and other school staff assist, depending on the extent to which the student needs to be supported: Can the student independently walk onto the vehicle? Do they require some physical prompts? What mobility level do they have if they are using a wheelchair? Can they transfer from the wheelchair to the vehicle or are they to remain in the wheelchair etc.

If you have further specific issues contact the PSA at so they can be investigated.

Workload and Additional Funding

The PSA is acutely aware of the workload issues administrative staff have been facing. Please try to spend your share of the additional funding on relief staff – these funds can only be spent on SAS Staff. We hope you all have a well-deserved rest during the school holiday. The PSA has been working on the issues below to try to assist in workload relief.

Schools Joint Consultative Committee Report

School DC delegates and staff met with the Department on 25 June 2018 and dealt with the following issues:

e-FPT training: The PSA identified that online model of training delivery in the school environment was inappropriate and inadequate to deal with system flaws. Contracted trainers were insufficiently familiar with the school environment. DoE will provide this feedback to the Deputy Secretary.

Performance & Development: processes and training: The PSA reported that there is evidence that principals are requesting that SAS staff provide a role description as part of the PDP, and/or being required to identify development not consistent with their statements of duty e.g.; providing SAS staff with teacher’s templates. DoE will investigate the instances provided.

Immunisation E enrolment toolkit: Information appears to be being distributed through Local Health Districts leading to confusion about scope and implementation. Published information is inconsistent and confusing e.g. what students are affected.

Documentation available indicates that the issue has arisen out of changes to the Public Health Act yet the requirements do not appear to have changed. DoE will investigate the status.

Conflict of work task deadlines imposed on schools from different directorates: The operational requirements of the various directorates are not properly taking into account the impact on staff in schools. Members have reported impacts on their well-being due to having to manage conflicting deadlines: e.g. end of financial year accounting processes, eFPT (budgeting), tasks and reading required to implement HR Payroll whilst also having to participate in online training in the school environment. The PSA raised these issues and DoE will provide this feedback to the Deputy Secretary.

Creation of positions and appointment to positions: The PSA reported instances where funding under School Leadership initiative has been used to provide teachers’ salaries and of new classifications being created e.g. Executive Assistants to the principal, Publicity Officer. Local Schools Local Decisions does not mean staff can be expected to work outside their statements of duties or that staff can be employed in methods that do not comply with industrial requirements. DoE agreed that this was inappropriate and requested further information.

Additional term 2 funding: The purpose and processes for using this increased funding ($3.18m) appears to have been poorly communicated in schools. The PSA has requested that the Department provide appropriate information.

Survey reminder – Don’t miss out

The Schools Need Us campaign survey is closing at midday on the 6 July 2018.

Don’t miss out on sending your information to us.

It only takes a few minutes to send us the information we need to keep working to make it better for members in schools.

Click HERE to do the survey

If you know of a colleague who is not a member feel free to send them the survey.

CRG – SAS Staff Training

Delegates and industrial staff met with Departmental representatives on 25 June 2018.

The SRG survey has now closed and an external contractor is about to be confirmed to conduct the other parts of this specific evaluation as well as conduct the larger evaluation of Professional Learning across the Department.

As part of a larger discussion about the adequacy of training, Departmental representatives were advised of member frustration at not being able to access LMBR and other training materials for SRG training. The Executive Director Leadership and High performance undertook to raise this with the Deputy Secretary, Corporate services.

DC Elections

Nominations for delegates to the Schools Departmental Committee have now closed. The following people have been elected unopposed:

• ELECTORATE 1 – METROPOLITAN NORTH: Sandra Burgin; Karenza Morison; Donna lea Boyd Osmond
• ELECTORATE 2 – METROPOLITAN SOUTH: Buphinda Saini; Sharron Wyatt; Lisa McManus; Deborah van der Meer
• ELECTORATE 3 – METROPOLITAN EAST: Nicole Johnson; Lynn-Maree Bennett
• ELECTORATE 4 – METROPOLITAN WEST: Joanne Neiass; Karen Lawrence; Benjamin Wynn; Rachel Troth
• ELECTORATE 5 – CENTRAL WEST: Steven Murray; Tracey King; Sallyann Sullivan
• ELECTORATE 6 – HUNTER: Jeffrey French; Bernadette Jasper; Karen Rogers; Jan Lyon; Michelle Baxter
• ELECTORATE 9 – SOUTH EAST: Janelle Healy; Tracey Anderson; Erica Chalmers-Mulder

The PSA is running 3 ballots of members employed at NSW Schools. The ballots involve PSA members employed in the following regions:

• North Coast
• North West
• South West.

The email link to vote will be sent to members on 3 July 2018. We are using the services of ElectionBuddy for these ballots. The emails will say from Public Service Association of NSW. The sending email address will be .