NTPA are proud to host Polly Mc Gee Masterclass in Darwin on Monday 15^th April.

This is a very worthwhile workshop for leaders wanting to know how to lead in complex environments where everyone brings trauma into school- staff, students, parents.

This is a great opportunity to participate in a workshop with Dr Polly McGee on Trauma informed leadership, teams and culture. I can attest that you will be inspired by Dr Polly and walk away with a deeper understanding of how to lead your schools with a trauma informed leadership toolkit.  This investment will be worthwhile for yourself or members of your leadership team.

Here are what some of the previous attendees said:

It was a great recap of how trauma presents itself and why ‘us humans’ behave the way we do. Polly was very easy to listen to and it was one of the most valuable PD days I have attended. There were many take aways from the day but I will summarise with this statement; The more we understand (recap our knowledge) about trauma, have awareness that everyone around us is walking with trauma to some degree, and build upon our ability to show up curious in our interactions with each other and our students, the better we will be able, as leaders, to support each other, the teams we lead, our students and their families.

“Knowledge is for the mind, emotion is for the body: We feel how we experience the world.”

Sarah Corry, Principal- Henbury School

In the context of Education in the NT, and probably elsewhere as well, it is imperative to lead from the heart, and to do this you need compassion and brain science together. The brain science of trauma is both daunting and beautiful, which might seem contradictory. It can seem really overwhelming, but with understanding and kindness, human spirit will shine through and amazing things will happen and people will heal and grow and thrive. This is what Polly teaches and unpacks. For a tiny remote school with two teachers, it is almost impossible to get away for professional development together. The fact that we privileged this and overcame huge obstacles to attend points to how valuable this learning is and how much we believe in it.

Ben Kleinig, Principal and Classroom Teacher- Manyallaluk School

As a skilled facilitator and coach, Polly empowers individuals and teams through leadership design and organisational culture expertise. One of an elite group trained by Dr Brene Brown to facilitate her Dare to Lead™ program, Polly’s work with leaders across Australia showcases their dedication to authentic leadership, fostering empathy and vulnerability.

Polly is a trauma-informed somatic therapist, helping others heal and connect with themselves. With unwavering passion and compassion, they continue to inspire positive change, proving that embracing life's multifaceted experiences can lead to a purposeful and fulfilling journey. Their person-centred trauma podcast Polly’s Vague Theories can be found where all good pods are streamed.

Date: Monday 15 April 2024

Venue: Darwin Tennis Centre

Cost: $450 members/ $550 non-members

Please send interested names to ntpa.admin@education.nt.gov.au.

Or register direct here: https://forms.office.com/r/JJ8dXPSa7T

Full details here:

NTPA have been advocating through and with our affiliated national associations to achieve equity and excellence for every student no matter their background, need or location:

• Australian Government Primary Principals association (AGPPA)
• Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA)
• Australian Secondary Principals Association (ASPA)
• Australian Special Education Principals Association (ASEPA)

As part of our advocacy work with AGPPA, we released a position paper, A Better and Fairer Start for All: A case for funding all government primary schools to their Schooling Resource Standard as soon as possible. The research was undertaken by Pasi Sahlberg (University of Melbourne), Trevor Cobbold (National Convenor of Save our Schools) and Caitlin Senior (University of Melbourne).

Please click on the image for a summary which highlights how Australia’s school education is one of the most unequal in the developed world with achievement gaps between children from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds as much as equivalent of two years of learning by Year 5. The inequitable distribution of government funding is fuelling those gaps wider rather than helping to narrow them.

AGPPA and APPA National Meeting

NTPA Vice President Belinda Pearson and I recently met with colleagues from across Australia on the Australian Government Primary Principals Association National Council in Canberra to continue our work at the national level.

This involved refining our strategic plan with a focus on how we influence policy through advocating for fully funded government primary school education. Equity and excellence for all Australian government primary school students continues to be core values of the work we do that keep us connected across all states and territories.

ASPA National Summit

Recently 4 NTPA executive members attended the ASPA National Summit held in Parliament House Canberra along with CE Karen Weston. The summit ‘Equity in Australian Secondary Education: Crossing the Divide’ was used to explore the most significant priorities for our school leaders and their communities:

1. School funding and Educational Outcomes: the Equity Gap in Australia
2. Equity and Opportunity in Senior Secondary Assessment and Certification
3. The Role of Principals in Enabling Equity and Wellbeing in our Schools

Over 100 system and school leaders explored each topic discussing the best next steps for each of these areas. We look forward to continuing to progress this work at both a territory and National level. ASPA | Australian Secondary Principals' Association

At the meeting, Jason Clare announced that he has agreed to discussing the inclusion of a 6^th priority in the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan (NTWAP) at the next Education Minister Meeting which ASPA has been advocating for. Please see the ASPA media release which includes tangible actions to address the concerning statistics in the recently released National Principal Occupational Violence, Health and Wellbeing Report 2023.

ASPA Media Release- 

JASON CLARE FLAGS NATIONAL ACTION ON SCHOOL LEADER WELLBEING

APPA 50^th Birthday Celebration and National Meeting

The Australian Primary Principals’ Association brings together Government, Catholic and Independent primary school leaders who work collegially in the best interests of Australian primary education. APPA represents over 7,600 primary principals and school leaders across Australia; 200,000 primary teachers; and 2.2 million primary students; all working and learning in primary schools from 24 jurisdictions across all three education sectors (Government, Catholic and Independent). Australian Primary Principals Association (appa.asn.au)

At our last National Advisory Council meeting, APPA reviewed their key priorities and members collaboratively developed position statements to ensure our work is focused and targeted to support all primary principal leaders and their students.

APPA celebrated their 5oth Anniversary at Parliament House with the launch of ‘APPA Presidents’ Retrospective; the first fifty years’ by past president Norm Hart. This publication included contributions from past presidents and highlights the achievements of APPA. At the celebration, past president, Malcolm Elliot proudly received the ‘Life Membership Award’ for his commitment and outstanding service to APPA. Parliamentary Friends of APPA attended to celebrate the great achievements of APPA over the past 50 years.

This year the APPA Conference will be hosted in Christchurch NZ. The Trans-Tasman Conference will run from 18^th to 20^th September.  If you are interested, please click below:

The Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey – 2023 data

This survey has been running for 12 years and highlights a concerning trend for principal health and wellbeing. This year the data reflected that Northern Territory school leaders are subjected to some of the highest levels of both physical violence and threats of physical violence across the country:

• 64.7 % of NT principals experienced physical violence; above the national average of 48.2% and well above the 35.4% experienced by their Victorian counterparts.
• 61.8% of NT principals received threats of violence; above the national average of 53.9% and well above the 39.7% experienced by their Victorian counterparts.

Of most concern is the proportion of NT principals receiving a “red flag” email. The “red flag” email is sent to principals identified as being at risk of serious mental health concerns. Nationally, 42.6% principals received a “red flag” email in 2023, however this figure was 47.1 % for NT school leaders- the second highest across the country.

Every year ‘sheer quantity of work’ is consistently the highest stressor for school leaders. Overwhelmed school leaders need autonomy, resources, and open communication to combat stress and lead effectively.

Pleasingly though, the report reflects the commendable resilience school leaders have despite the ongoing challenges of the role, the frustrations experienced in doing this work, and the personal toll it takes on their health and wellbeing.

As part of our advocacy work with the Department and Minister of Education we have requested a review of principal salaries and conditions. We look forward to positive steps to address our concerns of principal shortages if we are not intentional about attracting and retaining principals to the job. NTPA is also a key stakeholder on the Occupational Violence and Aggression in Schools Committee and continue to advocate for meaningful actions to address the trends in this report.

Executive_Sumary_The_ACU_Australian_Principal_Occupational_Health_Safety_and_Wellbeing_Survey_2023_Data.pdf

Executive_Sumary_The_ACU_Australian_Principal_Occupational_Health_Safety_and_Wellbeing_Survey_2023_Data _pdf 714.39 KB

Final report The_ACU_Australian_Principal_Occupational_Health_Safety_and_Wellbeing_Survey_2023_Data.pdf

Final report The_ACU_Australian_Principal_Occupational_Health_Safety_and_Wellbeing_Survey_2023_Data _pdf 2.62 MB

Radical solution to end violence and bullying against school principals | The Educator K/12 (theeducatoronline.com)

NTPA are seeking nominations from members for appointment to the TRB Board. 

The Teacher Registration Board (the Board) consists of 12 Board members nominated by various government and non-government organisations from the education sector.

Section 7(1)(d) of the Teacher Registration (Northern Territory) Act 2004 (the Act) provides that one member is to be a teacher nominated by the Northern Territory Principals’ Association (NTPA).

The current board member nominated by NTPA is Ms Susanne Fisher, who has been a member of the Board since October 2020. Her current term on the Board is due to expire on 10 October 2024.

The appointed Board member will serve for the next 4-year term between 11 October 2024 and 10 October 2028. Nominees must be eligible for appointment under section 7(1)(d) being teachers nominated by AISNT.

In accordance with section 7(2) of the Act, NTPA will provide the name and curriculum vitae of at least 3 nominees for consideration by the Board.

The Board meets 9 times per calendar year. Of those meetings, five are held as all-day, meetings in Darwin, and the remainder are held over 2 hours via Microsoft Teams outside of school hours. There are times where Board members are expected to consider matters at short notice and outside of scheduled meeting times. Each meeting requires approximately 1-5 hours of reading time prior to the meeting is required.

NTPA applicants must be full fee-paying members. 

If you are interested, please complete the below nomination form and send with a copy of your current CV to ntpa.admin@edcuation.nt.gov.au by Friday 26^th April (T2 Week 2). 

Remember memberships are for a calendar year so now is is the time to renew or join for 2024. Click on this link to complete the form.  

Please consider taking the opportunity to attend the ACEL Inclusion Conference this year being held in Darwin. It is not often that these opportunities appear on our doorstep. You can register here.