B.8 Human Resources Management

ENSURING A HIGHLY CAPABLE WORKFORCE

The ACTPS Education and Training Directorate (Teaching Staff) Enterprise Agreement 2014-2018 (the Agreement) sets the platform for the ongoing development of a highly capable teaching workforce. Attraction, development and retention of excellent teachers is central to leading the nation in achieving high quality outcomes for all students.

The Directorate is committed to ensuring students in ACT Public Schools are taught by excellent teachers in every classroom in every school. The Agreement creates the enabling environment where striving for excellence by teachers and school leaders is recognised and celebrated.

During 2015-16, the Directorate began implementing six major work streams arising from the Agreement.

SUSTAINABLE REDUCTION OF TEACHER WORKLOAD

A project which clearly articulates the central elements required to reduce and manage teacher workload and to describe how those elements effectively work together to increase teacher time spent on the core role of improving student learning in the classroom.

This work stream identifies a core role for teachers as:

• instruction of students;
• supervision of students;
• curriculum planning;
• assessment of student learning;
• reporting of student learning;
• professional learning; and
• attendance at meetings, parent/teacher interviews and activities to enrich the educational experiences of students, in accordance with the Section Q Guidelines: Addressing teacher workload.

The goal is to reduce teacher time spent on activity not associated with the core role and to better enable teachers to spend time on high quality professional learning as part of their core role.

PRINCIPAL CAREER STRUCTURE

Develop a new principal career structure that recognises and rewards leadership excellence and enables placement of skilled, experienced principals in schools where they are most needed to drive improved student outcomes.

ALIGNMENT OF TEACHER PERFORMANCE AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES WITH NATIONAL STANDARDS

Reviewing, refreshing and aligning the school leader and performance and development processes with the Australian Professional Standard for Principals, Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and associated national frameworks.

ANNUAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PROGRAM

Developing a high quality program of professional learning in every school to support all teachers to continually develop their professional knowledge, practice and engagement and assist them to meet their registration requirements established by the ACT Teacher Quality Institute (TQI).

RECOGNITION AND REWARD FOR HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED AND LEAD TEACHERS

Teachers who achieve certification at the higher Australian Standards of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher level were recognised and financially rewarded with an additional salary increment or equivalent one-year allowance for classroom teachers at the top of the salary scale and executive teachers.

SCHOOL LEADER C CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Transitional arrangements were implemented to move from separate designations of Executive Teacher (SLC), under a variety of job titles and conditions, to a holistic Executive Teacher (SLC) position. This new position encompassed opportunities to undertake the full range of school operations and professional practice leadership roles during placement at a school.

The Directorate will continue to implement these work streams to ensure a high performing teaching workforce that will achieve excellent outcomes for all students in the ACT.

RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN

The Central Office Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) was launched on National Sorry Day, 26 May 2016.  This plan requires all central office employees, sections and branches to ask the question “What is my next step towards Reconciliation?”

Reconciliation in the context of the plan is an understanding of how we want to be together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in a manner which recognises the strengths within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures.

This innovative RAP is communicated through a suite of tools:

• Reconciliation - Keeping it Alive Postcard - a tool to engage all Directorate staff in ongoing conversations, cultural integrity practices in the workplace
• Reconciliation - Keeping it Alive - double sided poster for internal distribution and prominent display throughout the Directorate
• Reconciliation - Keeping it Alive - Reconciliation Australia endorsed corporate booklet to be launched in NAIDOC week July 3-10 2016.

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

The Australian Charter for the Professional Learning for Teachers and School Leaders (the Charter):

• affirms the importance of learning in improving the professional knowledge, practice and engagement of all teachers and school leaders to achieve improvement in student outcomes;
• articulates the expectation that all teachers and school leaders actively engage in professional learning throughout their career; and
• describes the characteristics of a high quality professional learning culture and of effective professional learning, to assist teachers, school leaders and those who support them to get the most from the professional learning.

The Directorate promotes a culture where teachers and school leaders expect and are expected to be active in professional learning. Professional learning activities are offered ensuring they:

• are of significant intellectual or professional content and must deal primarily with matters related to the practice and content of teaching;
• address a teacher’s identified professional development and career stage requirements;
• specifically address individual, team, school, system or other priorities; and
• assist teachers to respond to student learning needs.

In 2016 all schools developed an Annual Professional Program to support all teachers continually develop their professional knowledge, practice and engagement.  The requirements of the Annual Professional Learning Program included two days professional learning during the stand down period, along with engagement with regular Professional Learning opportunities during the schools required hours of attendance during term time.  Each school’s program was designed and implemented in accordance with the Government’s professional learning framework described within the ACT Teacher Quality Institute Act 2010.

The Annual Professional Learning Program provides teachers with ongoing opportunities to come together with colleagues to engage in professional conversations and investigations of teaching practice and student learning. With the support of colleagues, each teacher can focus attention on addressing educational issues directly relevant to their students’ learning needs in the classroom and develop their own teaching practice to meet these needs.

EDUCATION BUSINESS LEADERSHIP COURSE

The Directorate, in partnership with Deakin University and the ACT School Business Managers Association conducted the Education Business Leadership professional learning opportunity in the ACT in 2016.

This course was attended by 22 Business Managers and Finance Officers from across the Directorate. The key elements of the course provides critical insights into school finance, resource management and governance, which are essential with the transition of the new school funding model.

INDUCTION

Induction is key to sustaining a strong performance development workplace culture. It is a continual process which relies on a network of professional relationships and clearly articulated goals to develop a high performing, engaged, productive and informed workforce.

Two hundred and forty seven teaching staff and 18 support staff were inducted into the Directorate at the beginning of the 2016 school year.

The following three phases were used to induct those staff into the Directorate.

PHASE 1: WELCOME AND ORIENTATION

A well-prepared and comprehensive welcome and workplace orientation helps staff quickly understand the responsibilities of their new role, the expectations of them and where to source support if required.

During this welcome phase of induction the Directorate hosts a number of events and information sessions designed to anchor new staff in the strategic direction of the Directorate, and provide guidance on agency requirements. Mentor and supervisor introductions are also made during this phase and performance expectations are established.

Thorough school-based induction programs make a significant impact on teacher professional practice and on staff retention. Schools carry out a wide range of induction programs to familiarise new staff with their working environment and orient them to local business practices.

PHASE 2: LAYING FOUNDATIONS

During the early stages of employment, and in particular the first month, new staff receive additional support in order to establish themselves in their role and continue to build capability.

This support consists of online workplace safety and culture training; teacher supervisory panels to assist with teacher registration and probation; and collaborative planning opportunities to model and engage in high performance practices.

Teachers in their first three years of practice receive resources to build individualised programs to support this stage of induction into the school and the profession.

PHASE 3: CONTINUED PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

New staff require ongoing and sustained support to develop their professional practice. This continued professional growth is guided by identified individual professional learning needs, and is planned using feedback from performance conversations, probation and contract assessments, and performance development plans.

Schools regularly provide new teachers with opportunities to build their professional capabilities and improve student learning outcomes.

To assist both new starters and their supervisors the Directorate has developed a number of supporting documents and resources that can be found on the Directorate’s Intranet.

ATTRACTION AND RETENTION INCENTIVES (ARINS) AND SPECIAL EMPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS (SEAS)

Attraction and Retention Incentives (ARIns) and Special Employment Arrangements (SEAs) are made in accordance with the provision of the relevant enterprise agreement. They are part of the Directorate’s attraction and retention strategy, enabling the Directorate to deliver on strategic goals through the attraction and retention of officers with specialist skills and qualifications.

Tables B8.1, B8.2 and B8.3 provide data on ARIns, SEAs, classifications and remuneration of officers.

TABLE B8.1: ATTRACTION AND RETENTION INCENTIVES

TABLE B8.2: INDIVIDUAL SPECIAL EMPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS

TABLE B8.3: GROUP SPECIAL EMPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS

WORKFORCE PROFILE

The number of staff employed in the Directorate increased from 6,170 at 17 June 2015 to 6,316 at 29 June 2016. The majority of these staff is employed in schools to meet increases in student enrolments.

The ratio of female to male staff (3.4:1) remained consistent for the last four financial years. The average length of service remained steady at 9.0 years during 2015-16. The average age of the workforce is 44 years. The Directorate currently employs 91 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members, representing 1.4 percent of the Directorate’s total headcount. This is an increase of 19 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members from the 2014-15 financial year. Excellent progress was made during the reporting period to meet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment targets.

Table B8.4 outlines full time equivalent (FTE) and head count of staff by gender. The information is provided by Shared Services and is reported from the pay period of 29 June 2016.

The statistics exclude staff not paid by the ACT Public Service and people on leave without pay. Staff members who separated from the ACT Public Service prior to 29 June 2016 but received a payment have been included.

TABLE B8.4: FTE AND HEADCOUNT BY GENDER

Tables B8.5 to B8.14 break this data down further representing classification, employment category, FTE and headcount by Division/Branch, age, length of service, diversity and separation.

TABLE B8.5: HEADCOUNT BY CLASSIFICATION AND GENDER

TABLE B8.6: HEADCOUNT BY EMPLOYMENT CATEGORY AND GENDER

TABLE B8.7: FTE AND HEADCOUNT BY DIVISION/BRANCH

TABLE B8.8: HEADCOUNT BY DIVISION/BRANCH AND EMPLOYMENT TYPE

TABLE B8.9: HEADCOUNT BY AGE GROUP AND GENDER

TABLE B8.10: HEADCOUNT BY LENGTH OF SERVICE, GENERATION AND GENDER

Notes:
¹Born prior to 1946
²Born from 1946 to 1964 inclusive
³Born from 1965 to 1979 inclusive
⁴Born from 1980 and onwards

TABLE B8.11: AVERAGE YEARS OF SERVICE BY GENDER

TABLE B8.12: HEADCOUNT BY DIVERSITY GROUP

TABLE B8.13: RECRUITMENT AND SEPARATION RATES BY DIVISION/BRANCH

TABLE B8.14: RECRUITMENT AND SEPARATION RATES BY CLASSIFICATION GROUP

For further information contact:
Director
People and Performance
(02) 6205 9202

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