Escalating unresolved work health and safety issues beyond the school should never be seen as controversial, Federation Work Health and Safety Officer Damian Purins told Federation’s Principal’s Conference on 15 September.
“There shouldn’t be any pushback on escalating — if there is, contact the union because the Department says you must escalate…that’s their policy,” he said.
“If there’s unmet need and it’s a hazard and it can be impacted by more resources, you have a responsibility to get those resources.”
“If you don’t escalate it, you’ll never get access to the resources,” he also said.
The value of Health and Safety Representatives
Damian said Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) — which all workplaces are entitled to have — can assist with work health and safety matters: “They are part of the solution, not a problem to be avoided.” Federation’s Work Health and Safety in Education Workplaces course
He said they can take the pressure off principals on health and safety matters, escalating things on behalf of principals (as a worker).
HSRs, not principals, have power under the Work Health and Safety Act to issue a Provisional Improvement Notices, which requires the Department of Education to report the issue to SafeWork NSW.
“You can’t if you haven’t got one [a HSR].” Federation’s Work Health and Safety in Education Workplaces course
Working together achieves success
Senior Vice President Michael de Wall outlined some successful local campaigns where the strength created by principals, teachers and parents working together achieved great outcomes for their school communities.
He addressed the poor state of school infrastructure.
“What does a school’s poor infrastructure say to its students and community, about how we as a society value those students, and their teachers, and the public provision of teaching and learning?”
“When the Schools For Our Future infrastructure inquiry hands down its recommendations later in the year, read the report, share it with your colleagues, and present it to your P&C and tell your own infrastructure story. And then prepare to campaign for the capital investment in public schools that every student deserves.”
Union lobbies for 50pc drop in face-to-face lessons for teaching principals
Federation President Henry Rajendra said Federation was calling on the Minns Government to not slow down on its stated commitment to rebuilding the NSW public education system.
“A government commitment to rebuilding public education cannot just be about what they did in the past. It’s what they have on offer to complete that rebuild of the NSW public school system,” Mr Rajendra said.
He outlined the union’s claim for additional preparation time, which includes a 50 per cent reduction in face-to-face lessons for teaching principals, to be delivered by a lift in the staffing entitlement. The claim is based on an unrealised recommendation of the 2021 Gallop Inquiry report, which current Education Minister Prue Car said in 2023 was the government’s “blueprint” for public education.
Speaking in regard of the entire claim, Mr Rajendra said: “The Department’s workload reduction efforts will never be enough. Teachers need more time and cognitive space to do the work that really matters to teaching and learning.
Addressing student needs
The conference included a workshop session where principals from similar settings, e.g. rural primary schools, central schools, SSPs etc, met to discuss student need issues in their workplaces.
Disability Officer John Skene spoke on the importance of inclusivity and the barriers that principals face when trying to create a respectful and welcoming environment in which students and staff can all thrive, as well as the Department’s policies and procedures they can lean on to support their efforts.
Questions answered in a panel on the intersectionality of student need were:
- How can schools meet student learning needs in diverse settings, especially if newly arrived students requiring EALD support are enrolled after the Dept allocates its specialist staffing and equity loadings each year?
- How to make Personalised Learning Plans meaningful and effective?
- What do schools need to do to ensure they are working towards eliminating racism in all its forms …and how can the union support them in managing instances of racism, hate speech, harassment and vilification of students, staff and public ed communities?
- When we consistently get told ‘no’, or given limitations on the amount of staffing or funding we can receive to support students, why will taking collective action get a result?
- What is the union doing about supporting schools to deal with gendered and sexual violence?
- How do we manage parent or media pressure regarding Wear It Purple Day, unisex toilets, teachers or students who are out at school?
A separate session provided legal tips for principals.
Keep an eye out for next year’s Principals’ Conference, held annually, on our Courses and Conferences calendar.